Yu Gi Oh! The Thousand Year Door: Redux
by Cyber Commander
Summary: In faraway Arcadia, a mysterious door offers wonders beyond imagining to whatever duelist proves his worth enough to pass through it... But is all as it seems? A remake of on of my popular older fics.
1. Shadow of Eyes

_Hello fanfiction fans._

_I've written a lot of stuff in my time, but perhaps the fic that defined me as a YGO fanfiction writer was my "crossover" of Yu-Gi-Oh and "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door"._

_At any rate, I've evolved a great deal as a writer since then, and at the suggestion of Lux-Nero (who is beta-reading for me this time, and who I'd like to thank now) I have decided to remake the fic, with updated rules, and a few new surprises thrown in._

_Now, I realize that remakes can often backfire (that God-awful remake of _Charlie's Angels_ is proof of that) but like I said, I've gotten better since this fic first appeared in 2005 (has it really been that long?) and the game has evolved too._

_This fic takes place about five years before the events of Episode 001 of "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's", and takes some serious liberties. For example, Xyz Monsters do exist (but are very new). We are technically in the Shadowchasers universe (and you might even see a younger version of someone from a Shadowchasers fic) but don't expect a major crossover._

_If you haven't read the original fic, it's up to you whether to do so or not. If you have, I might not surprise you completely… But I hope to do so a little._

_With that in mind, let's begin…_

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_**Ever watch the old movie **_**Superman II?**

_**In case you forgot, here's the five-minute synopsis: In the previous movie, prior to the destruction of Krypton, Superman's father Jor-El had banished the cruel insurrectionist General Zod and his two accomplices to the Phantom Zone, a fate reserved for only the worst of criminals (Krypton had no death penalty). At the beginning of the second movie, Superman saves Paris from nuclear destruction by hurling the bomb into space; but this has the unforeseen side effect of destroying the Phantom Zone and freeing the three criminals.**_

_**Due to Earth's yellow sun, Zod has all of Superman's powers on Earth, but none of his virtues, having learned nothing from his decades of imprisonment. (The same went for his two partners, but seeing as they lacked lucidity or intelligence, it was doubtful that they could have been much of a threat without him.) He is almost bored with the ease at which he and his cohorts are able to conquer the planet, until Superman arrives to challenge them. They give him a serious run for his money… Even Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor, who had given him so much grief in the first film, is little more than an unwitting dupe in this one. **_

_**Now, Zod was clearly a monster, there's no denying that; he had no redeemable qualities at all. Perhaps some tragic event in his past caused him to take the path of Evil, but if that was the case, we never learned of it. And if you saw the movie, you were almost definitely cheering for Superman. But if any of us were in the same situation and had his powers, we may not admit it, but we'd likely be doing what Zod was doing, rather what Superman was.**_

_**Why do I say this? Human nature.**_

_**Being a hero takes self-control and restraint, as well as self-denial. If you have great powers, you must resist the urge to use them for selfish reasons. Temptation whispers into the ears of all men, and the more a man's potential to do evil, the more tempting the whispers get, and the harder it is not to give in. If you had super strength, the power to fly, and bullet-resistant skin, would you want to follow the established rules, or impose your own?**_

_**This is proven by the fact that in popular fiction, villains tend to outnumber heroes by ten to one on average…**_

_**It was a thousand years ago that one soul achieved power and gave in to temptation… And the consequences were dire…**_

_**She was defeated… But not permanently…**_

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**Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**The Thousand Year Door**

**Redux**

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**A fanfic by Cyber Commander**

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_I do not own the rights to "Yu-Gi-Oh", or to "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door". The former is a registered trademark of Konami, and the latter is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America._

**BOOK ONE**

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**DUEL ONE**

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**Prologue**

**Shadow of Eyes**

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It was the second week of April.

For most students in the United States, it was Spring Break.

At Six Flags America, in Mitchellville, Maryland ("a world apart, but not a world away", from both Baltimore and Washington DC) the final round of the Maryland State Duel Monsters Tournament was taking place, in the middle of Skull Island.

One of the players was a tall, thin kid with a crew cut, a green shirt, and jeans. He had no Monsters in front of him, just two set cards in his Spell Zone. He had 4,000 Life Points remaining.

The other player had 2,500 remaining, but he had a Monster… An odd Spellcaster in black, a peaked hat, a veil covering the lower half of his face, large shoulder pads, and chains attached to his belt that entwined around his torso and right leg. An odd-looking crest was on his belt buckle. (1,500 ATK)

The duelist looked at his opponent's two set cards. He adjusted the hat on his head (a baseball cap that was on backwards) and then drew a card.

"I summon Flelf," he said.

He played the card, and a Monster appeared in a shower of gold that… Well, that was an elf. He was dressed in a green jerkin, armored leggings, and a long, flowing blue cape. He held a rapier. (800 ATK)

"_This could get ugly, people," _said the announcer. _"I hope for Ben's sake that those cards aren't bluffs…"_

"Attack him directly!" shouted the duelist, as Flelf rushed towards Ben.

"Oh, they aren't bluffs," said Ben, as one of them lifted up. "I activate… A Hero Emerges!

"Now, normally, this would require you to choose a card in my hand at random… But seeing as I only have one card in my hand right now, let's cut right to the chase…"

He threw the one card on his Duel Disk, and there was a flash of energy.

In an aura of light, the armored form of Elemental Hero Bladedge appeared. (2,600 ATK)

"Well, your hero certainly… emerged…" said the other duelist, nervously.

He took a card from his hand, and fit it into his Disk. It quickly materialized behind the two Spellcasters.

"My turn is over…" he said.

"I draw one card…" said Ben, making a draw.

Then he other set card lifted up.

"I activate Enemy Controller!" he shouted. "Now I can move Gagaga Magician into Defense Mode."

The odd Spellcaster knelt and assumed a defensive position. (1,000 DEF)

"Next…" said Ben, as he played the card he had just drawn, "I play Hero Heart. By cutting Bladedge's Attack Score in half, he can attack twice this turn…"

Bladedge fell to an Attack Score of 1,300. Then he made a rush at Flelf, swiping with his blades and cutting the elf in two. Then he swiped with his other blade, cutting Gagaga Magician in twain. The duelist's Life Points fell to 1,700.

"_Seems Ben has turned this around 180!" _shouted the announcer.

"Or not…" said Ben's opponent.

His facedown Spell Card lifted up.

"I activate Gagagaback!" he said. "Because one of the Monsters you just destroyed had the word 'Gagaga' in its name, I get to bring back both of them…"

Flelf appeared first (800 ATK) and then Gagaga Magician. (1,500 ATK)

"The downside is…" he continued, "I now take 600 points of damage per Monster…"

He grunted as a surge of energy struck him, sending his Life Points down to 500.

"Hoping for a Destiny Draw, Stan?" chuckled Ben. "I end my turn, which means that Bladedge's Attack Score returns to normal."

(2,600 ATK)

"That happens more often than you may think, Ben…" said Stan. "My move…"

He drew a card.

"Yeah, this one does the trick…

"First I activate Gagaga Magician's effect… In case you didn't know what that is, I can make his Level any I choose from 1 to 8. For this instance, I'm choosing 6.

Four stars, just like those that indicated the Level of a Monster on its card, appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt. Then two more of them appeared.

"Flelf can also change his Level, in a different way," continued Stan. "By revealing a Monster in my hand, like this one…"

He flipped around the card he had drawn, which was Gogogo Golem.

"…Flelf's Level increases by the revealed Monster's Level. That means Flelf is now Level 6 too…

"And because both Gagaga Magician and Flelf are Spellcasters… By combining them, I can build the Overlay Network!"

Flelf and Gagaga Magician turned into particles of energy, which turned into a glowing portal…

"_Looks like Stan is going to treat us to one of those new Xyz Summons that we've been hearing so much about," _said the announcer.

"You got it…" said Stan. "Come on out!"

The crowd gasped as a very familiar looking female Spellcaster leapt out of the portal. She looked almost exactly like a legendary Monster used by a famous duelist of years past… (2,400 ATK)

"It can't be…" gasped Ben. "Dark Magician Girl?"

"Not quite…" said Stan. "Magi Magi Magician Girl. Maybe she's Dark Magician Girl in another form, but the jury's still out on that…

"But her effect is a powerful one… By getting rid of one of her Overlay Units and removing one card in my hand from play…"

He discarded Gagaga Magician and then pocketed Gogogo Golem.

"Well, see for yourself…"

Magi Magi Magician Girl pointed her wand, and Bladedge's eyes appeared glazed…

And then he was pulled over to Stan's side of the field.

"HEY!" shouted Ben.

"With Xyzs," said Stan, as Magi Magi Magician Girl pointed her scepter again, "it's a whole new game! Dark Burning Blast!"

The Xyz Spellcaster shot a bolt of dark energy, and Ben screamed in pain.

"And now for Bladedge!" shouted Stan.

The Elemental Hero made a rush for Ben, slashing with his swords and knocking him over. Ben collapsed as his Life Points fell to zero.

"_Ladies and gentlemen!" _exclaimed the announcer, _"we have a winner… Stanley Mason!"_

The crowd started to cheer as Stan took a deep breath. He took hold of his hat, and switched it so it was right-side-forward.

The front of the hat had the same odd crest on it that was on Gagaga Magician's belt.

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Several thousand miles away, a figure was seated in a dark room.

The only light in the room came from the television screen that was showing the duel…

…and from the figure's eyes…

"Impressive…" said the figure. "A new and unorthodox strategy, and yet you have adjusted to it well, Stanley… And your fondness for Spellcasters is one that I can't help but admire…"

The figure sighed.

"You remind me of Damien when he was your age… He would commend you… Posthumously…

"Well, enjoy your glory and your prize now… As dark as your Monsters are, things are going to get darker…"

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The tournament at Six Flags was not the only Duel Monsters Tournament happening at this time. At Kaibaland in Houston, the Houston Regionals were now in their final round.

One of the players was a hulking, bald man about twenty years old, wearing a Gold's Gym t-shirt and jeans.

His field consisted of Don Zaloog (1,400 ATK), Dark Scorpion Meanae the Thorn (1,000 ATK), and two set cards. He had 3,700 Life Points remaining.

His opponent was a teenage girl about sixteen years old. She had flowing blonde hair and a slim figure, on which she wore a jean jacket over a halter top and a cutoff pair of jeans. She had one Monster, a pure white unicorn with a flowing blue mane (1,800 ATK) and two set cards. She had 3,600 Life Points remaining.

She looked at him.

"Your move, Earl…" she said.

Earl made a draw. Then he smirked.

"I summon Dark Scorpion Chick the Yellow!" he shouted.

He played the card, and another member of the Dark Scorpions did a somersault onto the field, the young, blonde-haired member holding a wooden mallet. (1,000 ATK)

"He's not all too strong…" said Earl, as he held a Spell Card forward. "But that's a good thing, because if he were any stronger, I wouldn't be able to play Secret Pass to the Treasures."

He played the card.

"That lets him attack directly this turn… But before he does…"

One of his set cards lifted up.

"I'll activate Spell Reclamation. So I toss one card…"

He discarded a card – Dark Scorpion Gorg the Strong.

"And I get that Spell back…"

He took Secret Pass to the Treasures from his discard slot.

"I'll save it for later…" he continued. "For now… Chick, attack directly with Mallet Mash!"

Chick leapt at the female duelist, ignoring the unicorn and slugging her in the gut with the hammer. She grunted as her Life Points fell to 2,600.

"Now I can use Chick's effect," said Earl. "One of them at least… And I'll use the one to send Sunlight Unicorn back to your hand…"

Sunlight Unicorn vanished and the owner frowned as she took the card from her Disk.

"That means Don has a clear shot!" said Earl, as the leader of the Dark Scorpions drew his twin pistols.

He fired and the female duelist grunted again. Her Life Points fell to 1,200.

"Now you lose one card from your hand…" said Earl.

"Why thank you…" said his opponent.

"Eh?" said Earl.

"The only card in my hand is this Sunlight Unicorn that Chick just bounced back there…" she replied.

She discarded it.

"Which means I can use this…"

One of her facedown cards lifted up.

"Call of the Haunted!"

Sunlight Unicorn appeared again. (1,800 ATK)

"_Francesca seems to have lucked out for now," _said the announcer. _"But it's gonna take more than that to turn this around…"_

"Well, I guess I won't be attacking with Meanae…" said Earl. "So I'll move her to Defense Mode…"

Meanae knelt, and crossed her arms. (1,800 DEF)

Then Earl's other set card lifted up.

"Then I activate Safe Zone, and hotwire it to Don…"

"_A curious maneuver on Earl's part," _said the announcer. _"Safe Zone makes Don Zaloog almost indestructible… What's his game?"_

Francesca looked at Earl's last facedown card.

_I know what his "game" is, _she thought. _Dark Scorpion Combination, a powerful Trap that can only be used when he has all five Dark Scorpions on the field…_

_He has three right now, and can get the other two with Meanae's effect, along with Chick if I get rid of him… But not Don… If he loses Don, it throws a serious wrench in his plan…_

"My move…" she said.

She drew a card.

"All right, muscles," she said, "I'm using Sunlight Unicorn's effect… I get to flip the top card on my deck, and if it's an Equip Spell, I get to keep it… If not, I place it at the bottom…"

Everyone in the crowd watched as she slowly took the top card from her deck…

She flipped it around.

"_And it's Mage Power!" _exclaimed the announcer. _"Not only is it an Equip Spell, but a darn good one!"_

"That's right…" said Francesca, as she threw it into her Disk. "By Equipping it to Sunlight Unicorn, she gains 500 Attack and Defense Points for each Spell and Trap Card I have…"

(3,300 ATK)

"Not gonna do it…" said Earl, nervously.

"But this will…" said Francesca, as she played the card she had drawn this turn. "Wild Nature's Release. It increases my Beast-Type Monster's Attack Score by her Defense Score…"

Sunlight Unicorn glared at the three Dark Scorpions as a flaming aura surrounded her.

"Keep in mind that Mage Power increased her Defense Score as well as her Attack Score…"

(5,800 ATK)

"Sweet Christmas!" gasped Earl.

"Now attack Don Zaloog!" shouted Francesca.

Sunlight Unicorn charged, using her horn like a lance.

"Safe Zone might protect Don…" said Francesca, "but it doesn't protect you…"

The sharp horn crashed into the bandit leader, and he was propelled backwards, flying into Earl and knocking them both to the floor as Earl's Life Points plummeted to zero.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, Francesca Benedict is the winner!" _exclaimed the announcer.

Fran sighed as the crowd started cheering.

Then she shivered in excitement…

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The dark figure was watching the duel conclude.

"I admire your ingenuity, Francesca," said the figure. "So clever…

"It's a pity, really… In another place and another time, we could have been allies…

"It might have helped if you had better taste in cards, but I suppose some things can't be avoided, even after so long…"

The figure waved a dark hand, and the channel changed again.

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Disney World, Orlando.

In front of the Epcot Center, the final round of the Florida State Duel Monsters Tournament was in full swing.

One player, a sixteen-year old girl wearing a red dress, a cowboy hat, and pigtails, stood in stark contrast to the rather ugly Fiend she had in front of her: Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World. (1,600 ATK)

Her opponent was a boy about the same age, tall, muscular, wearing a white shirt, a black leather jacket, matching pants, and sunglasses. The Monster he had was both famous and rare… Red-Eyes Black Dragon. (2,400 ATK)

Both players were tied at 3,500 Life Points.

"This isn't over, Andy," she said, as Beiige moved to Defense Mode. (1,300 DEF)

"I'll set this," she continued, as a set card flashed into view in her Spell Zone, "and end my turn..."

"We'll see about that Ronda," said Andy, as he made a draw.

"Perfect!" he said, as he played it. "Stamping Destruction! Because I have a Dragon, this destroys your Trap Card and deals 500 points of damage!"

"As if!" laughed Ronda, as the Trap Card lifted up. "It's a tricky Trap called Dark Deal!

"I give up 1,000 Life Points… Then, step one, your Spell Card's effect is negated… Then, step two, it gains a new effect… It makes me discard one card from my hand at random!"

"You only have _one _card in your hand…" gasped Andy.

"Guess you're stuck with it!" laughed Ronda.

"_Ronda just played Andy for a sucker!" _said the announcer as Ronda discarded the card. _"The only question is, just how dangerous is that card?"_

There was an explosion of foul black smoke, and Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World, appeared in the center of it. (2,500 ATK)

"_Well, pretty darn dangerous, it seems…" _he continued.

"Now I use Reign-Beaux's effect," said Ronda. "Say bye-bye to Red-Eyes!"

The large Dragon exploded into pixels.

"It's still my move!" shouted Andy.

He set a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

"There…" he said. "Make your move…"

Ronda made a draw.

"Mmm…" she said. "Beiige, move to Attack Mode…"

The Vanguard stood up. (1,600 ATK)

"Reign-Beaux, attack him directly with Wave of Destruction!"

The Overlord of Dark World pointed his trident, and blasted a bolt of burning dark energy. Andy bent double as it slammed into his stomach and his Life Points fell to 1,000.

"_Andy is in trouble!"_ shouted the announcer, as the crowd started to get riled. _"This may be over!"_

"Not yet…" said Andy, as his facedown card lifted up. "I activate Damage Gate. This Trap lets me Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard with Attack Points equal to or less than the Life Points I just lost."

Red-Eyes appeared once again, and roared. (2,400 ATK)

"I end my turn…" said Ronda.

"Then I draw!" shouted Andy.

He drew a card.

"I play Polymerization!" he shouted. "I'll fuse together Red-Eyes with my Goddess with the Third Eye…"

As he played the Spell Card, the young, graceful Fairy in a green gown appeared, her third eye closed…

Then her two regular eyes closed, her third one opened, and she faded from view. A phantasmal image of the Summoned Skull appeared in her place.

A vortex appeared, and both Red-Eyes and the phantom Skull were both drawn through it…

With a bellowing roar, the monstrous form of Black Skull Dragon emerged from the vortex. (3,200 ATK)

"Thirty-two hundred Attack Points?" gasped Ronda.

"I can do better…" said Andy, as he played the last card in his hand. "Dragon's Mirror! By removing Goddess and Red Eyes from play, I can fuse them together again into a different Monster…"

The two Monsters appeared again, and were drawn into a vortex again…

There was a fierce explosion of fire, and the mighty Meteor Black Dragon appeared next to its counterpart. (3,500 ATK)

Ronda gulped…

"Attack her Fiends!" shouted Andy. "Double Meteor Flare!"

Black Skull Dragon and Meteor Black Dragon fired blazing balls of flame from their jowls, incinerating Beiige and Reign-Beaux and throwing Ronda backwards.

Andy sighed as the crowd began to cheer. It seemed he was the winner.

_Actually, that was a lot better than most of my dates… _he thought.

He sighed as the Monsters vanished. He took off the sunglasses.

_Wonder if there's still time to go on Space Mountain today?_

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Again, the dark figure was watching.

_Well, Andy… _she thought, _your strategy isn't very subtle… But it works… And I can't argue with success…_

The dark figure sighed. The three teenagers had no idea who she was, but she knew plenty about them. She had devoted years to finding them. Waiting for them had been the only thing that had kept her sane…

And after so many years… It was time… Time for the very thing she was waiting for…

She picked up a mobile phone.

"You can start sending out the invitations…" she said.

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_**Coming up next:**_

_**Stan: Arcadia… There's a place that draws interest…**_

_**It's an island nation that, up to a year ago, has purposely remained isolated, limiting its diplomatic and trade deals with other countries and discouraging people from visiting there.**_

_**And it wasn't like other isolated countries like Iran… The goals of places like that are well-known. Arcadia was a mystery. **_

_**It all seemed to change last year, and they opened their doors slightly… We found out that, for one, Duel Monsters is popular there… And now it seems that I have an invitation to a super-deluxe tournament that their parliament wants to hold?**_

_**A push to seriously promote tourism? Maybe… But it seems a chance to actually go somewhere with my deck. **_

"_**Future Glow" is coming soon.**_


	2. Future Glow

_**An island paradise, duelists from all over the world to compete with, a free vacation… What more could you ask for?**_

_**Well, I'm not sure… My uncle, the guy who gave me this deck, is a very wise man, and one of the things he said once was, "If something is too good to be true, it probably is."**_

_**After all, very little has been known about Arcadia until a year ago, and it seems odd that they've decided to open their doors to tourists now…**_

_**Maybe I'm just paranoid…**_

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**DUEL TWO**

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**Future Glow**

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The next day, Andy arrived in Miami, still feeling nauseous from the last ride he had taken on the Whirling Tea Cups.

_Disney World… _he thought. _A barrel of fun for children, too noisy and sugary for anyone past puberty._

He walked into the living room of his house, holding his trophy, to the sound of a familiar television program.

"I'm home!" he said.

His eight-year-old sister Trisha was parked in front of the TV, watching Cartoon Network. She didn't reply.

"I swear…" said Andy, as he set the trophy on a table, "if a burglar waltzed in her and stole everything we owned and _Dexter's Laboratory _was on, you wouldn't even notice."

"I probably would if he took the TV," replied Trisha, with a smirk. "You won again, huh?"

She shivered a little.

Andy sighed. He could never have convinced Trisha to come watch the tournament, even with the promise of a trip to Disney World.

She had watched him duel once, two years ago. Unfortunately, his opponent was a brutal duelist using some very scary Fiend-Type Monsters, and when Dark Necrofear had been summoned, poor Trisha screamed and ran in terror. It had been very hard to convince her that the demon was not real. Even after successfully doing so, she had been too scared to watch him duel again.

"So…" said Trisha. "Mom and dad are going out tonight… Want to go roller skating?"

Andy hugged her.

"No can do, squirt," he said. "I have school tomorrow, and so do you…"

Trisha sighed.

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At 1:30PM the following day, class was in session at Jerald P. Ross High School, in downtown Houston.

At art class, Francesca was at one of the table-sized desks, making a pencil sketch. She was drawing a portrait of a unicorn, and a rather good one.

She didn't know how her fondness for these creatures had first entered her mind. Ever since she was a little girl, unicorns had occupied her dreams and her fondest fantasies…

"Let's not try to set any speed records, people," said the instructor. "Don't forget, it took Da Vinci three years to paint the _Mona Lisa."_

Francesca smirked. She would like to think she would finish this faster than _that._

The student sitting next to her, a large, muscular boy wearing a shirt with a varsity letter (obviously a member of the football team), looked over her shoulder.

"A unicorn, huh?" he said. "Figures…"

"You have a problem with unicorns, Ox?" replied Francesca.

"Nah…" said Ox. "It just seems that folks like you always draw stuff like that…"

Francesca gave him a cold stare. She was pretty sure that by "folks like you" he meant "girls".

"It's as if not having a Y chromosome makes you incapable of drawing something that's not cute…" he muttered.

"You said 'chromosome'," said Francesca. "That's a pretty big word for someone who probably has to label his socks 'left' and 'right'."

Ox looked at her.

"Tell me something, Ox," she said. "Do you have a Duel Disk?"

"Why yes I do!" he said. "It's in my locker… You want to duel me, Fran?"

"Francesca," she replied. "Only my friends call me 'Fran'.

"And to answer your question, yeah. Meet me in the parking lot after school, and I'll show you just how 'cute' unicorns can be.

"But… If I win, you put those muscles to good use and mow my dad's lawn tomorrow after school."

"And if I win?" he asked, smugly.

"Then I'll…" said Francesca.

She whispered the rest of the sentence into his ear. His eyes opened wide.

"It's a bet…" he said.

Francesca picked up her sketch and moved to another table.

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Two hours later, quite a crowd had gathered in the parking lot.

Two other members of the football team, also wearing t-shirts with varsity letters, ran up to watch the spectacle.

"You gotta see this!" said a third. "Ox is dueling some babe."

"Is he winning?" asked one of them.

"No, that's the crazy part," said the one who had spoken first. "He's getting his ass handed to him!"

Indeed, it sure looked like Ox was in trouble. He had nothing on his side of the field, and only 1,200 Life Points remaining. Francesca, on the other hand, had a Monster that was a unicorn far more intimating than Sunlight Unicorn. It was a fierce-looking creature, with metallic-blue fur streaked with bolts of lightning, a golden mane and tail, and a horn that was also shaped like a bolt of lightning. (2,200 ATK) She had 4,000 Life Points remaining.

"Your move, lunkhead," said Fran.

"Oh, very funny," said Ox, as he drew a card.

"I activate Synthesis Spell," he said, as he played it. "I just have to sacrifice a Level 6 Monster…"

Summoned Skull appeared briefly on the field, before vanishing.

"…and I get to summon the mighty Lycanthrope!"

There was a snarl, and a ferocious-looking wolfman appeared in front of him. It let out a howl. (2,400 ATK)

"So, do you even know what the word 'lycanthrope' means?" asked Fran.

"I'll show you…" said Ox. "Attack with Serrated Shadow Slash!"

The Ritual Monster made a fierce swipe with its claw, and the unicorn shattered. Fran winced a little as her Life Points went down to 3,800.

"And my Monster's not done with you…" said Ox, "because when it dishes out damage, you take 200 extra points of damage for each Normal Monster in my Graveyard. I've got six of them."

Lycanthrope slashed again, and Fran grunted again. Her Life Points went down to 2,600.

"There were a lot of multi-syllabic words in that sentence…" she said with a smirk. "I'm impressed…"

"Just make your move, babe…" he said. "Your luck's about to run out…"

Fran made a draw.

"We'll see about that…" she said. "I'm discarding Hypnocorn from my hand…"

She discarded a card.

"…to Special Summon Egotistical Ape…"

A small, adorable little monkey appeared in front of her… Then its shadow grew into that of a ferocious-looking gorilla. (1,200 ATK)

"I now have to either increase or decrease its Level by an amount equal to the Level of the Monster I discarded. I choose to decrease it, which means its Level is now 1.

"Next, I summon Sunlight Unicorn…"

Sunlight Unicorn appeared in an aura of shining light. (1,800 ATK)

"Then I use Sunlight Unicorn's effect. You remember this, right?"

She took the top card from her deck, and turned it forward.

"Megamorph?" said Ox. "You use that on your Monster and its Attack Score will be cut in half."

"That's why I'm using it on _your _Monster," replied Fran.

"Uh oh…" said Ox.

Lycanthrope's Attack Score fell to 1,200 Attack Points.

"All right, Egotistical Ape, Sunlight Unicorn!" shouted Fran. "Tune yourselves together so we can summon Thunder Unicorn again."

The small primate flew into the sky, and Sunlight Unicorn galloped after it. Egotistical Ape turned into a set of glowing rings, and Sunlight Unicorn started to fade as she passed through them…

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

With a loud neigh, Thunder Unicorn (clearly, Francesca had more than one copy) leapt onto the field again. (2,200 ATK)

"Now for Thunder Unicorn's effect," continued Fran. "She can decrease one Monster's Attack Score by 500 for each Monster I have, so long as she's the only one who attacks this turn."

Lycanthrope shuddered as it was shocked by electricity. (700 ATK)

"And now that your werewolf is nothing more than a sheep in wolf's clothing," said Francesca, "Thunder Unicorn, attack with Super Charger Bolt!"

Electric energy shrouded the mighty steed, and it charged, impaling the Ritual Monster with her horn. Ox shouted out in pain and fell backwards as his Life Points fell to zero.

Francesca walked up to him.

"Still think unicorns are 'cute', meathead?" she asked.

"NO!" screamed Ox. "No I don't! They're not cute at all!"

"Good…" said Fran. "We'll expect you tomorrow at four o'clock."

The crowd dispersed, and two other girls joined Francesca as she left.

"Well, you sure showed him how 'cute' unicorns are!" giggled one of them.

"The whole problem is how the media portrays them…" sighed Fran. "Thanks to them, when people think of unicorns, they think of rainbows and lollipops, and sugarplum pixies…

"If you read the old folklore where unicorns were first mentioned, you'd see that they were as ferocious as lions, and just as deadly. Not cute or docile in the least."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

School had been out for two hours in Baltimore. At the public library, Stan was engaged in a duel with his girlfriend, Christine (no Duel Disks, simply cards on the table).

Christine had Giant Soldier of Stone on the field, defending. (2,000 DEF) She also had Wave-Motion Cannon and Gravity Bind. She had 2,000 Life Points remaining. Stan had one card on the field, Gogogo Golem. (1,800 ATK)

"Okay, let's see here…" said Stan, as he picked up a card from his deck.

"Here we go…" he said, as he set the card beside Gogogo Golem. "Trident Warrior…"

(1,800 ATK)

"Now, I can Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters…"

He placed Trident Warrior on top of Gogogo Golem.

"And Xyz Summon Kachi Kochi Dragon."

He placed the black-bordered card on top of the two regular Monsters, and Christie raised an eyebrow. (2,100 ATK)

"My Gravity Bind…" she said.

"Didn't we go over this?" replied Stan. "That card doesn't work on Xyzs. See, Gravity Bind stops Monsters that are Level 4 or greater from attacking…

"But Xyz Monsters don't have Levels at all, they have Ranks. That makes any card that specifies Levels ineffective against them.

"Meaning Kachi Kochi Dragon is free to attack Giant Soldier of Stone…"

Christie sighed and placed the Rock in her discard pile.

"And Kachi Kochi Dragon has a neat effect…" continued Stan.

He took Trident Warrior from underneath the card and placed it in his own discard pile.

"By detaching one of its Overlay Units when it destroys a Monster, it gets to attack again, meaning it can attack directly. So you lose."

Christie sighed.

"So pay up…" said Stan, with a smile.

Christie made a pout.

Then she got up, and took Stan's face in his hands, and gave him a long, deep kiss.

"So…" she said. "Where did you get these weird cards?"

Stan didn't answer right away. He was trying to catch his breath.

"Oh?" he said. "Oh… My uncle gave me them…

"Kind of weird… Xyz Monsters are pretty new, and pretty rare… But he somehow got a lot of them and a lot of cards that work with them. He told me something about how they and I… 'fit'… I don't know what he meant, but I did find sort of rapport with them."

"Weird…" said Christie.

Then Stan's cellphone in his pocket vibrated. He quickly answered it.

"Mom, I'm in the library, you know?" he said.

He listened.

"Package?" he asked. "Oh, mom, did you read my mail again?"

He listed again.

"From where?" he said.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

When Francesca got home, her father was typing at his computer. He was a patent attorney (admittedly a dull job, but a well-paying one).

"Hi daddy!" she said.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I found someone who'll mow the lawn tomorrow, and it won't cost you anything."

He sighed. He knew all about the wagers she made… He had no-one but himself to blame though, having told her about similar things he had done in college. (He had thought it would discourage her.)

"What's mom making for dinner?" she asked.

"Bouillabaisse ala Rue Désirée-Pelleprat," he replied.

"I'm eating at Stacy's house…" said Francesca, with a sigh.

"Oh, no you're not, young lady!" he said.

Fran let out another sigh, and sat down on the couch.

"You got her that Cajun-style cookbook for Christmas," he said, "you're eating here when she uses it.

"By the way, you got a package… It's in the dining room."

Francesca stood up.

She walked into the dining room, and saw the package on the dining room table.

_Republic of Arcadia? _she thought, looking at the mailing label. _Now who do I know from there?_

She opened the package, and looked inside.

Inside was another letter, along with a train ticket, and two strange cards. They were the size and shape of Duel Monsters cards, but seemed to be made of a strange crystalline substance.

The letter was stranger. It was sealed with wax, apparently stamped with an old-fashioned signet ring. The stamp was a fancy letter A.

She carefully broke the seal, and opened it.

The letter inside read as follows.

_**Dear Ms. Benedict,**_

_**Congratulations for your victory in the recent Houston Regionals. It is thus my great pleasure to offer you an opportunity that will only be made to a few. **_

_**In an effort to launch our newly-established Department of Tourism, the Republic of Arcadia is holding an invitation-only Duel Monsters Tournament that promises to be unlike any you have ever seen! If you've dreamed of reaching the same heights that Yugi Mouto climbed to in Battle City, now is your chance!**_

_**Consider this letter the permission you need from Arcadia's parliamentary council to come to our humble home. The train ticket enclosed is a free trip to **__**Annapolis, where a special ship will be leaving from Chesapeake Bay on July 1st at noon. The instructions on the back of this letter will tell you how to get there, and the package includes a list of guidelines for what and what not to bring. Simply show the two Crystal Cards that I have enclosed to the attendants, and you will be granted free passage. Do not lose these Cards. More info will be given about them upon your arrival. **_

_**I hope to see you soon. Do not miss this opportunity to duel like you never have before in our island paradise!**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Sidney Meyers,**_

_**Parliament of the Republic of Arcadia**_

Fran read this letter three times before it sank in…

_Whoa… _she thought. _And to think I thought this was going to be a dull summer…_

_A big Duel Monsters tournament? It's like a bolt from the sky!_

She ran back into the living room.

"Daddy?" she said. "Remember when you said I could have anything I wanted for my birthday?"

"Within reason…" he replied.

One thing that Francesca didn't notice about the letter…

If it had been sent after she had won the Houston Regionals yesterday, it would never have arrived so soon…

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

At this very moment, Andy was looking at the same letter, with a few changes to adjust for him.

_This is crazy… _he thought. _A good kind of crazy…_

_Still… Mom and dad might find this a little more acceptable than backpacking across Europe… And it's not like I have anything to lose…_

He took his Duel Disk, and opened the chamber that contained his Extra Deck. He took out the Fusion Monsters inside. There were five in all.

_Folks, we're going places… _he thought, as he looked at them.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Stan had gotten the invitation too, and unlike Francesca and Andy, he decided to do some research into the Republic of Arcadia, the island nation located in the South Atlantic… At this very moment, he was looking up the place on the internet.

The place was an isolated country… No other nation could honestly say that they'd had a hand in settling it, and nautical charts older than three centuries didn't even acknowledge its existence. Until about a year ago, the place had very limited diplomatic relations. They had a UN charter, but it was very rare for them to send an ambassador there. They had never been part of any international alliance, treaty, or pact. It wasn't clear why the Germans had left them alone during World War II, seeing as Arcadia was clearly _not _impoverished. Those who had gone there had come back with stories of wonderful things and fantastic architecture.

Trade relations were a bit better. Apparently, the country had rich uranium mines. Strangely, Arcadia claimed to have no desire to start a nuclear program of their own, but was quite willing to export its uranium to practically anyone.

Visiting Arcadia had been a problem until about a year ago. You needed permission from a member of their parliament to actually come on land there or stay for any amount of time, and they rarely gave that permission. Last year, they started being more liberal with these visitor's passes, giving them to celebrities and other rich folks who wanted an "unforgettable vacation" as they called them.

One profession that seemed absolutely forbidden to visit the island was reporters. They repeatedly turned down requests for any representative of the press to visit, and members of the parliament said that it was against their policy to grant interviews. In fact, anyone who did visit, even after the travel ban was seemingly lifted, was not allowed to bring any sort of camera or video recorder.

It gave you the suspicion that Arcadia's government had something to hide… And it seemed that now they were _truly _relaxing their "no visitors" rule indeed by inviting a crowd of people who weren't celebrities.

Stan looked at his Duel Disk.

_Should I accept this invitation? _he thought.

He put the Disk on, and then shuffled his deck. Maybe it would tell him.

He drew the top card.

It was Gagaga Magician. His favorite Monster.

_If that isn't a "yes", _he thought, _I don't know what is…_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

April passed, and so did May and most of June. Getting permission from their parents wasn't easy, but being straight-A students with no discipline problems helped Andy, Francesca, and Stan a lot. (Francesca had to promise her father exactly fifty times not to let any boys touch her.)

On the afternoon of June 30th, all three of them took their duffel bags, carrying the strange Crystal Cards, changes of clothing, their decks, and trusty Duel Disks, and headed for the train station.

They had a boat to catch.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Annapolis, Maryland. Chesapeake Bay Harbor.

The right boat had been easy to find. It was huge, after all.

Francesca looked around. It was a sizable crowd. There seemed to be about a hundred people waiting to board.

"HEY!" she shouted. "Watch your hands, pal!"

"All right everyone, calm down!" said an amplified voice.

Everyone turned to a man speaking on at the entrance to the ship. He was a tall, blonde-haired man, dressed in sunglasses and a black formal suit.

"Let's have no chaos here," he said, as he spoke through a megaphone. "There'll be plenty of time for chaos once we get there…

"I am…"

He paused for a minute.

"What, you forgot your own name?" asked someone.

Everyone laughed.

"W.P. Brice…" said the man, annoyed. "I'll be in charge of this leg of the trip.

"Now, everyone form two lines, and check those two Crystal Cards you have with the attendants before boarding. Let's try to make this orderly…

"Once you board, the galley has cold sandwiches and snacks. Chicken and ribs will be served at six o'clock…

"Uh, Eastern Standard time… Arcadia uses Atlantic Daylight Time, which is two hours later, I believe.

"Let's try to make this an incident-free trip… The insurance is costing us a fortune as it is…"

Everyone started to line up.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

As the last of the passengers got on, Brice stood to the side. His cellphone started to beep.

"Are they on, Brice?" said a voice as he answered it.

"For the love of…" he said, sounding even more annoyed. "Must even you call me that?"

"Look, I know you don't like this," said the voice, "but among my servants that I could trust for this job, you're one of the few that can act diplomatic."

"I'm flattered…" said Brice, with a sigh.

"Look…" said the voice, "I promise that when the tournament actually starts, you can drop the façade. For now, just put up with it."

"Fine…" said Brice. "To answer your question, Mr. Markova, Mr. Mason, and Miss Benedict are indeed on board."

"Make sure that all three are both safe and happy for the duration of the trip," said the voice. "If anything goes wrong at this point, I am holding you personally responsible."

The man's hand trembled a little as he pocketed the cellphone.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Slowly, the boat pulled out of the harbor.

The common room Andy had been assigned to was crowded. He sat a bunk, going over his cards.

"So, is this all there is?" he heard someone else ask.

"No," said someone else. "I heard there are actually four ships heading there. This one, one from New York, and two from Europe.

"All I know about this thing is, it's going to be _big."_

Andy looked at Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"That's a pretty rare card," said a voice next to him. "Where'd you get it?"

Andy looked up, and saw Stan looking at it.

"Eh?" he said. "Oh, the same way that 'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki did, I think… By winning a tournament… But if you want to trade for it, I wouldn't be interested…"

"No problems…" said Stan. "I know what a card is to a duelist… I have plenty of cards that I consider… irreplaceable…"

He leafed through his deck until he found Gagaga Magician.

"Must be pretty rare…" said Andy. "I've never even heard of it…"

"Well, maybe you'll find out what it does soon…" said Stan with a grin.

"Gonna go get a bite…" said Andy. "Maybe we'll see each other again…"

As he left, Andy couldn't shake the feeling that he was right…

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

In the galley, the food didn't seem like the best, but at least it was free.

_Deviled ham? _he thought, looking at one of the sandwiches. _This stuff reminds me of the school cafeteria…_

Then he saw the duelist next to him, who happened to be Francesca. He sighed a little.

Francesca noticed him.

"Buddy, if you're going to hit on me," she said, "I should let you know, three jerks have already tried in the past hour, and they didn't have much success."

"Eh?" said Andy. "Oh… I don't 'hit' on women! Besides, the way my luck is with them, you'd have probably rejected me anyway.

"Besides, I never assume that a gorgeous woman can't have a brain…

"…although… you _are _gorgeous…"

He grinned a weak grin.

Francesca looked at him. That was one of the few sincere compliments she had heard from a boy her age in a long time…

"The name's Francesca," she said. "Call me Fran if you want… You any good with your cards?"

"I should hope so," replied Andy.

"Well, maybe when the tournament starts, we can meet up again." she said. "Maybe we can even duel and you can show me yourself."

She smiled sweetly and took her tray to a table.

Andy took a deep breath.

_I can stand up to Cyber Blader with no problem… _he thought. _I'm not afraid of Magical Android or Chevalier de Fleur… I've faced down Harpie Ladies, Amazoness Warriors, and Injection Fairy Lily…_

_So why is it when it comes to real-life flesh and blood women I turn into a quivering wreck? I really should see a psychologist about this…_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Later, as the afternoon wore on, Stan was sitting above deck, leaning back on a deck chair.

He was going over his deck again, and looked through the cards.

His eyes fell on one… A female Spellcaster dressed in a similar style as Gagaga Magician.

"Is that Dark Magician Girl?" gasped Francesca's voice from behind.

Stan turned and looked at her.

"Dark Magician Girl?" he said with a chuckle. "I wish! No, this is someone else… She looks a little like her, I guess… And she does have sort of a relation with a male Spellcaster that might be similar to Dark Magician Girl's partnership with Dark Magician…

"But sadly, no…"

"Well, I have to say, I kinda admired Dark Magician Girl…" said Francesca, as she sat down.

She opened her Extra Deck, and took out Thunder Unicorn.

"I always had a thing for strong females…"

"Unicorns, huh?" said Stan. "How can you be sure they're female?"

"Well…" said Fran. "I guess I can't, really…

"But there's an old legend about unicorns… Some say that they were fierce protectors of the forests, and could be tamed by no-one…

"No-one, that is, except chaste maidens with pure hearts. Such individuals were the only mortals who could befriend a unicorn and convince one to become a mount."

Stan smirked a little.

"And is your dream to someday do that?" he asked.

Francesca laughed a little.

"It's one thing to enjoy myths and legends about creatures like this," she said. "You start believing them, and you're ready for the screwball academy."

"Anyway… Ciao."

She got up and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" shouted Stan. "I didn't get your…"

He stood up.

"…name…"

She was gone. He shrugged.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Afternoon eventually turned into night.

Sleeping in a common room with nineteen other people was hard to do, but anyone could sleep if he was tired enough.

As the ship continued on into the night, a figure watched it from a dark place, watching it in a crystal ball.

Two hands with long fingernails painted black caressed it.

"Sleep soundly, young ones," she purred, "for soon a sleep of different type will befall you…"

She turned. Six dark figures were watching behind her.

"Be patient, everyone," she said. "It will all start very soon…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Stan was on the upper deck to watch the sun rise… And it was then when he saw it.

Arcadia.

The first thing he noticed as the ship approached the island was the huge mountain in the center. Then other features came into view; forests, plains, and odd structures.

He had heard of Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom, and it seemed minute compared to this place. It looked even bigger than Manhattan in terms of size.

"_Attention passengers," _said Brice's voice over a loudspeaker. _"We will be arriving in Rogueport in approximately one half-hour. Take this time to gather your things."_

"Rogueport…" said Stan. "Where have I heard _that _name before?"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Eventually, the ship docked in a large harbor. Other ships were docked there, presumably merchant ships there to sell their wares.

Brice stood in front of the ship's exit as everyone anxiously waited to disembark.

"Okay people!" he said, "let's not go crazy here…

"Once we're off the ship, follow me to the town square where one of the tournament directors will give everyone a briefing.

"Now let's all try to disembark in an orderly manner…"

Everyone started to scurry off the ship.

"This is NOT an orderly manner!" shouted Brice.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Rogueport was an odd town. The buildings seemed to suggest those of the Victorian Era of England at first.

But combined with the old-fashioned feel were a few modern conveniences that showed that the place was more up to date than it looked. There were a few modern public phones and some vending machines here and there.

The town square was dominated by a scaffold that held a gallows. Brice led everyone to the area in front of it.

"All right everyone," he said, again through the megaphone. "Quiet down… Quiet down…

"QUIET DOWN!"

After about five minutes, the crowd did quiet down, and someone walked onto the scaffold. It was a woman that looked around thirty years old, with neatly cut blonde hair in bangs, wearing a formal black suit typical for women executives and sunglasses.

"Thank you, Brice," she said, in a strong voice. "Settle down people… My name is Sydney Meyers, and I am one of several members of the Arcadian Parliament that is directing this tournament.

"Please don't be intimidated by this thing… We haven't actually had a public hanging for over a century."

She chuckled a little.

"Now, I know that you're eager to get started, so I'll explain the rules. First off, the people gathered here do not represent the entirety of the contestants. Arcadia has four ports, and as we speak, ships are arriving at them too. This is to ensure everyone doesn't start at the same place.

"Now, you all have two Crystal Cards. Your goal is to get eight. You gain them in two ways.

"The first, and most common way, is by challenging your fellow contestants. The loser of a duel forfeits one Crystal Card to the winner. Losing all your cards eliminates you from the tournament.

"Now, there is a second way. There are special duelists on Arcadia who work for us. I can't say much about them right now… But dueling them can also get you a Crystal Card. Consider them sort of like bonuses in a video game.

"Now, gaining eight of those cards does not guarantee you a spot in the finals. It simply gives you the right to challenge a special duelist for something called a Crystal Star…

"And a Crystal Star is something you need to access your ultimate goal… The Thousand Year Door…"

The crowd went dead silent.

"You heard me…" she said. "The Thousand Year Door is a door located in the side of that mountain in the center of the island. What's in there? Does the Shadow Queen lurk within?

"All I can tell you is, there are only eight Crystal Stars in Arcadia, and only the eight duelists who manage to gain them will be allowed access, and even then, the tournament won't be over for them. New rules will be in place for those lucky eight.

"I can't say what those new rules are at this point… It will be revealed to those who actually get there.

"Of course, that's a long way off, so concentrating on the peliminaries should be your immediate goal at this point.

"I also advise no-one to actually go to the Thousand Year Door unless they actually have a Crystal Star. Unless you can actually get in, there's really nothing to see.

"Now, you'll find the populace of Arcadia friendly and hospitable. They've all been instructed to provide food, lodging, and supplies to tournament guests free of charge.

"Don't worry about us, we can easily foot the bill…

"But… While most of us are friendly, that changes fast if any of our citizens are the victims of theft, vandalism, or violence. If that happens, the offenders will find the constabulary not friendly at all."

He voice was a little stern when she said that. Then her smile returned.

"But don't worry about that, okay!" she beamed. "We're here to have fun after all!

"Now, no dueling is allowed in Rogueport for the next six hours, so to find a challenge, you'll have to leave town… I hope you all brought your walking shoes!

"Having said that, I declare the Thousand Year Door Tournament officially begun!"

She walked down from the scaffold, and the crowd slowly started to disperse.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Meanwhile, Brice was standing to the side, grumbling to himself.

Then his phone rang again. He answered it.

"Yeah?" he said.

"All right," said the voice, "as I said, you can put your good suit on now.

"Then follow one of them. It doesn't matter to me which one. Time to find out what they're made of."

"Finally," said Brice, as he hung up.

He walked into an alley and removed the sunglasses as a shadowy aura surrounded him…

In a few seconds, he had indeed changed to his "good suit", which was actually a lot like the suit he had been wearing before. The color was different, however, and it had a few accessories that the black one didn't have.

And that wasn't the only way he had changed.

"Now we're talking…" he said, as he straightened his tie.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Half an hour later, Stan was walking out of a general store, having gotten a map and some essentials – juice, granola bars, and trail mix. As Sydney had said, it had not cost him anything.

"Let's see…" he said, as he looked at the map.

Rogueport had five roads leading from it. One led due north, to the Thousand Year Door. That wasn't an option. The other four roads were direct routes to other towns of Arcadia.

"Petalburg…" he said, "Twilight Town… Keelhaul Key… Man, the folks in charge of this place must be big fans of Nintendo…"

Then he was knocked down as a man barreled into him.

"Oh, I'm s-s-sorry!" said the man, as he got up. "M-m-my fault!"

The man quickly rushed off. As Stan got up, he noticed something.

"HEY!" he shouted. "Hey buddy! You dropped some cards!"

But the man was gone.

Stan looked at the dropped cards. There were four of them. Three of them were Monsters, and didn't seem to be all-too powerful ones: Beautiful Headhuntress, Warrior Dai Grepher, and Axe Raider.

The fourth card was a Spell Card. He looked at it.

His eyes almost popped out of his head as he read the card text. He had never heard of this… But it was powerful…

He looked around for any sign of the man that had dropped it… But he saw none…

He looked at the card again.

_I WILL return this when I find that guy… _he thought. _But… I'm sure he won't mind if I use it until then…_

He shuffled it into his deck.

"So…" he said. "Petalburg?

"Seems like the best idea…"

He walked down the road, going southwest, and leaving Rogueport behind.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: The tournament has begun in earnest, and I've found my first challenge… And it appears he's one of those "special duelists" that Sydney mentioned.**_

_**Thing is, he gives me the creeps, although in all likelihood, that's the whole idea. **_

_**His strategy seems sound, but I've dealt with worse…**_

"_**Lucky Chance" is coming soon.**_


	3. Lucky Chance

_**Just an hour into the tournament, and I've found my first challenge… And this guy is clearly not a normal duelist. **_

_**Of course, this peaceful meadow we're in… It seems serene and beautiful, but the native flora and fauna seems a bit strange too.**_

_**Clearly, Meyers and the other members the Arcadian Parliament who are directing the tournament are pulling out all the stops to make this an unforgettable event…**_

_**At least I hope so…**_

**0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**DUEL THREE**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Lucky Chance**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**0 0 0 0 0**

A signpost on the side of the road said "Petalburg: 3 Kilometers".

The dirt road that Stan was on meandered over lolling hills amid beautiful, peaceful meadows full of fruit trees and daisies, alongside a babbling brook, under a morning sky full of puffy clouds. Birds chirped, bees hummed, and butterflies fluttered about.

_Such an idyllic place… _he thought. _I wonder…_

He stopped short as a small creature flew in front of him.

His eyes opened wide.

_Was that a… Naturia Butterfly? _he thought.

As he looked the way it had gone, he saw four curious eyes looking at him from a patch of flowers. It looked like a Naturia Hydrangea.

Cautiously, he continued walking…

He noticed a man at the top of a hill ahead of him, a man who looked like he was wearing a good suit… A purple suit.

That stuck him as odd. Who except the Joker wore a purple formal suit?

Then there was a gust of wind, and the man's hat was blown from his head.

"Hey, hey fellah!" shouted Stan, as the hat blew towards him.

Stan rushed up and picked up the hat, an old-fashioned derby.

"Hey, buddy, your hat…" he said, as he picked it up.

"Why thank you," said the man, as he stood back up.

"Yeah, uh…" said Stan.

Then he stopped short again. Looking the man in the face gave him quite a shock.

The man's skin was dull orange, and his ears were diabolically pointed. His eyes were green, and looked almost reptilian. He had long, unkempt, blonde hair. Stan also noticed that along with the suit, he wore white formal gloves.

The strange man grinned as he donned the hat again.

"The Witty Phantom?" gasped Stan.

Then he noticed that the well-dressed man who looked so much like the Duel Monster was wearing a Duel Disk.

"Oh, I get it…" said Stan with a grin. "You're one of those 'special duelists' that Meyers mentioned, right? Some sort of cosplay duelist, I assume?"

The Witty Phantom smirked.

"Perhaps…" he said.

He reached into his jacket, and took something out. It was a Crystal Card.

"I suppose this is what you want…" he said. "Well, I'm bound to accept any challenge for it…"

He smirked. Stan looked at him.

_There's something weird about this guy… _he thought. _It's almost as if I've seen him somewhere before… And not because he's dressed like the Witty Phantom…_

_Still… I'm in this tournament, and I've got to start somewhere._

"All right…" he said. "In that case… I challenge you for that Crystal Card."

"I thought you'd never ask…" said the Phantom, as he put it back inside his coat.

"Here's the deal, Stanley… Duel me and win, and I'll hand it over…"

"And if I don't win?" asked Stan, suspiciously.

The Phantom shrugged.

"Then I won't!" he laughed.

He grinned wider.

_He won't be able to accuse me of lying… _he thought. _Still… It's one thing to tell a lie, and quite another to simply not tell the whole truth…_

Stan took hold of the baseball cap on his head, and turned it backwards. That was the "starter switch" for him.

Then he lifted his Duel Disk, and it activated. The Phantom lifted his, and did the same.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

On a hill overlooking the road, Francesca was watching.

_Hey… _she thought. _I saw that guy on the ship._

_He's dueling… The Witty Phantom?_

She thought for a minute.

_Might be interesting to watch… And maybe I can get winner…_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

"Duel…" said the Witty Phantom.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Witty Phantom: 8,000)**

As Stan drew his opening hand, he noticed that his duel had seemingly drawn a few spectators. More of the strange wildlife that resembled the Naturia Monsters was gathered around, watching him… Naturia Fruitfly, Naturia Mosquito, Naturia Antjaw, and Naturia Horneedle were perched on flowers, while the flowers themselves included Naturia Rosewhip and Naturia Ragweed.

His opponent was either unknowing of this odd phenomenon, or uncaring.

"All right…" said Stan. "I'll summon Gagaga Magician…"

He played the card, and the Spellcaster dressed in chains leapt onto the field. He gave Witty Phantom an odd look… (1,500 ATK)

"Then I'll set a facedown…" he said.

A set card flashed into existence behind the Spellcaster.

"…and my turn is over…"

"Guess it's my move…" said the Phantom.

He drew a card.

"I summon… Clock Knight 12."

He played a card, and a very odd-looking Monster appeared. It looked like a large, red, numeral 12, with thin arms and legs, and a knight's helmet for a head. It held a sword in its right hand, balancing wobbly like a marionette tended to. (1,200 ATK)

"Eh?" said Stan. "Never saw that one before…"

"Then I doubt you'll recognize this Spell Card either…" said the Phantom, as he played a Spell. "It's called Clock Work. It lets me Special Summon another Clock Knight from my hand, so long as it's a lower Level than the one I have on the field.

"Clock Knight 12 is Level 4, which means I can Special Summon the Level 1 Clock Knight 3."

Another Monster appeared, and it was the same basic idea as the first Clock Knight, but its torso was big, blue numeral 3. It seemed to have no better balance than the first Clock Knight. (300 ATK)

_The White Knight is sliding down the poker, _thought Stan, as he remembered a passage from an old book, _he balances very badly._

"Next, I use Clock Knight 12's effect," said the Phantom.

A small coin with the Eye of Wdjat on one side appeared in mid-air, and he caught it.

"I toss one coin…" he continued. "If I get heads, then Clock Knight 12 gains 1,200 Attack Points for the rest of this turn… Tails, and it's destroyed.

"This is heads…"

He showed him the front of the coin, the side with the Eye on it.

"…and this is tails."

He turned it around.

_A Gamble Deck? _thought Stan. _Is he serious?_

The Phantom tossed the coin, and it fell to the ground.

It was tails.

"Heh, you missed," said Stan.

"Not yet, I haven't," said the Phantom, with an evil smile. "You see, Clock Knight 12 has a useful effect that I can use if I have more than one Clock Knight. It lets me redo one coin toss every turn.

"So, I toss again…"

He tossed the coin again. This time, it came up heads. Clock Knight 12 quickly started to gain some better footing. (2,400 ATK)

"Next, I use Clock Knight 3's effect," he continued, "which is exactly the same as Clock Knight 12's."

_Wait a minute… _thought Stan, as he tossed the coin again. _If both Clock Knights have the same effect… That means he gets _two _chances per turn to redo a failed coin toss?_

The coin landed, and it was heads again. Like its counterpart, Clock Knight 3 stood up straight. (1,500 ATK)

"The cardinal rule to gambling…" said the Phantom. "Never take a chance unless the odds are in your favor!

"Clock Knight 12, attack Gagaga Magician!"

The numerical knight lifted its sword, and rushed at the Spellcaster. Gagaga Magician glared at the Knight and stood his ground.

"I activate Gagagashield!" shouted Stan, as his facedown card lifted up.

Gagaga Magician lifted his right hand, and a large, black shield appeared on it.

"This Trap Card lets a Spellcaster-Type Monster avoid being destroyed by battle twice this turn!"

Clock Knight 12's sword slammed against the shield.

"But you still take damage…" said the Phantom.

He took two cards from his hand.

"I throw these two cards facedown, and my turn is over," he said, as two set cards materialized. "That means the effects of my two Clock Knights expire, and their Attack Scores return to normal."

Clock Knight 12 returned to an Attack Score of 1,200, while Clock Knight 3 was reduced to 300. They both collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Oh, get on your feet!" scolded the Phantom.

They reluctantly did so, balancing badly again.

**(S: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 8,000)**

"Some knights…" sighed Stan, as he drew a card.

He raised an eyebrow. It was that Spell Card that the man who ran into him in Petalburg dropped.

_The only problem… _thought Stan, _is that if I use it, I have to give up my Battle Phase… And I don't think I can risk that right now…_

He put it aside, and chose another card.

"I use Gagaga Magician's effect," he said, "and change his Level from 4 to 8."

The four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then doubled in number.

"Next, the Equip Spell, Bound Wand!"

He played the card, and a scepter topped with a large, red crystal appeared in Gagaga Magician's right hand.

"This increases his Attack Score by 100 points times his Level."

Gagaga Magician tossed the Wand into the air, where it twirled around once before he caught it again. (2,300 ATK)

"Show off…" said the Phantom.

"All right!" he shouted, pointing to Clock Knight 3. "There's your target!"

Gagaga Magician pointed the scepter, and Clock Knight 3 shivered a little…

"I activate… Fairy Box!" shouted the Witty Phantom.

One of his Trap Cards lifted up, and loony carnival music started to play.

"Now get to toss a coin each time you attack, and if I call it right, the Attack Score of the attacking Monster falls to zero."

He tossed the coin.

"It's heads!"

The coin landed.

"Ha!" said Stan. "It's tails."

"Have you forgotten the effects of my Clock Knights already?" asked the Phantom.

Stan grit his teeth as the Phantom tossed it again.

"Heads again…" he called.

This time it was heads. As Gagaga Magician blasted a bolt of energy, Clock Knight 3 covered his eyes, but the blast was halted by a shield of energy that fell back on Gagaga Magician, blowing him to pieces.

"I activate Bound Wand's other effect…" said Stan, with a frown. "When a Monster is destroyed while holding it, he makes a quick recovery…"

There was a vortex of energy, and Gagaga Magician emerged from it. (1,500 ATK)

"Huh…" said Stan. "Rather than tempt fate, I'll set a Monster…"

A concealed Monster appeared next to Gagaga Magician.

"Then I'll end my turn…"

"Then it's a perfect time for me to activate this other Trap!" laughed the Phantom.

His other facedown card lifted up.

"The Paths of Destiny!" he exclaimed. "Now we _both_ toss a coin. Whoever gets heads gains 2,000 Life Points. Whoever gets tails _loses _it."

A coin fell into Stan's hand. He sighed. He never had much luck with cards that depended on luck… He had once tried a deck that used Snipe Hunter, but had terrible time with it.

He tossed the coin, and it landed on the ground.

He muttered an expletive as it landed on tails. Then he cringed in pain.

"Guess it's my turn…" said the Phantom.

He tossed his own coin.

He grinned as it landed on heads, and he glowed with a golden aura.

**(S: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 10,000)**

"That coin doesn't have two heads, does it?" asked Stan.

"Oh, come on," said the Phantom. "Do I look like the kind of guy who would resort to foul play?"

Stan looked at him funny.

"You're dressed like a Fiend," he said, "the type that you would expect to see drawing up contracts that had to be signed in blood. You tell me."

"Heh, heh…" said the Phantom, nervously. "Touché…

"It's my move…"

He drew a card.

"I pay 500 Life Points to keep Fairy Box," he said. "Then, I use the effect of Clock Knight 12."

He tossed the coin, and it landed on the heads. (2,400 ATK)

"Next, Clock Knight 3."

He tossed the coin, and once again, it was heads. (1,500 ATK) The two Clock Knights seemed a lot more serious now.

"Then, I summon Abare Ushioni."

He played the card, and with a loud snort, a fierce-looking red bull with three eyes covered with odd tattoos appeared. Steam blew from its nostrils. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, I'll toss this again…" he said, holding up the card. "I call it right, then you take 1,000 points of damage. I call it wrong, then I take the damage."

He tossed it in the air.

"It's heads!" he shouted.

It landed on the ground.

"What a surprise…" mumbled Stan, as he saw that it was heads.

The Phantom laughed out loud as Abare Ushioni glared at Stan and he groaned.

"Didn't have redo a coin toss even once that time…" he said. "Now, let's try this again…"

Clock Knight 12 flew at Gagaga Magician, and with a swipe of its sword, the Spellcaster was blown to shards.

The Phantom pointed, and Clock Knight 3 flew at the hidden Monster…

But its sword hit an obstacle that it couldn't cut. A solid, bulky humanoid made of brick and stone with large limbs was crouched on the card. (1,500 DEF)

"Not only is Gogogo Golem too tough for Clock Knight 3 to defeat," said Stan, with a frown, "but so long as it's in Defense Mode, it can avoid being destroyed by battle once per turn."

Clock Knight 3 looked a little bewildered… It turned to its master and shrugged. The Phantom made a grimace.

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(S: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 9,500)**

Stan drew a card. He carefully looked at it.

"I'll set one Monster, and one other card," he said.

Two facedown cards appeared, one in his Spell Zone, and one in his Monster Zone.

"Then, the Sweet Treat Spell Card!"

"Sweet Treat?" said the Phantom. "What the sam-hill is that?"

A smiling gingerbread man holding a pink die flew out of the card.

"I can only use this card when I'm losing," said Stan, "in exchange for forfeiting the rest of my turn. I get to roll a die once. Then I take the result, and multiply it by 500. I gain that many Life Points."

The smiling cookie tossed the die, and it skipped over the grassy field. It came up a three.

"If my math is right," said Stan, "three times five equals 1,500.

"Like I said, my turn is over now, so it's your move…"

**(S: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 9,500)**

"It won't help you…" said the Phantom, as he made a draw. "I pay 500 Life Points to keep Fairy Box again…

"Then I summon this chap…"

He played the card, and a well-dressed gentleman in a formal vest, slacks, shirt, and a bow tie, with a pencil-thin moustache, appeared.

He smirked at Stan, then tossed three shiny coins into the air and caught them. (300 ATK)

"Sand Gambler?" asked Stan, almost laughing. "Are you serious? You do know that the chances of getting the favorable result with that card are one in eight, right?"

"I still have my Clock Knights…" said the Phantom.

"Fine…" sighed Stan. "You have a _three _in eight chance. That's still less than even."

"We'll soon see," said the Phantom. "I now toss three coins, and if I get three heads, all your Monsters will be destroyed, and Gogogo Golem's effect will be worthless."

He tossed the three coins, and they fell to the ground.

Two came up heads, but one was tails.

"Not gonna do it," said Stan, crossing his arms.

"I use Clock Knight 12's effect…" said the Phantom.

He tossed the coins again. This time, it was three tails.

"Bet you want to redo _that _one…" said Stan.

The Witty Phantom snarled.

"Clock Knight 3's effect…" he said, through his teeth.

He tossed them a third time, but this time, only one of them was heads.

"Strike three," said Stan. "So now what? You used up both your retries. Care to use Abare Ushioni's effect?"

"Damn straight!" shouted the Phantom.

He tossed one coin.

"Heads!" he shouted.

Then he gasped as he saw that it landed on tails. The Beast-Warrior glowed and snorted angrily, and its owner groaned and held his stomach.

"Want to keep pressing your luck?" said Stan. "Or would you rather quit while you're ahead?"

The Phantom looked ready to explode. But then he took a deep breath and straightened his tie.

"I think I'll stop now…" he said. "It's your move…"

**(S: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 8,000)**

Stan smiled a little as he made a draw.

"I Flip Summon my Monster!" he said. "Trap Master!"

There was a loud cackle, and his set Monster flipped up. It was a clown wearing a top hat and green cloak, with no legs; its lower body consisted of a chainsaw blade, a rotary saw, a drill, and a metal claw. (500 ATK)

"Uh oh…" said the Phantom.

There was a loud buzz, and the Fairy Box card was sawed in half. The pieces shattered.

"Trap Master's Flip Effect can disarm one Trap on the field," said Stan, as he held up a Spell Card. "Now I play… Star Changer. This Spell lets me either increase or decrease the Level of a Monster by 1.

"So, I'll increase Trap Master's Level from 3 to 4.

"So… With Trap Master and Gogogo Golem, I can build the Overlay Network!"

The two Monsters turned into a spiraling vortex of energy.

"I Xyz Summon the mighty Kachi Kochi Dragon!"

With a roar, a large, wingless Dragon that seemed to be sculpted entirely out of white gemstones emerged from the portal. (2,100 ATK)

"Next, I activate… Xyz Effect," continued Stan, as his Trap Card lifted up. "By using this Trap when I make an Xyz Summon, I can destroy one card on the field.

"I choose to destroy… Abare Ushioni!"

Lightning flashed, striking the tattooed bull and blowing it to atoms.

Witty Phantom's three remaining Monsters looked at him nervously.

"What?" he shouted.

"Now, I attack Sand Gambler with Kachi Kochi Dragon!" shouted Stan. "Surging Shockwave!"

The Dragon blasted a bolt of electromagnetic energy from its jaws, blowing the mustachioed Spellcaster to pieces. The Witty Phantom held his gut in pain.

"I'm not done…" said Stan. "By detaching an Overlay Unit from Kachi Kochi Dragon when it destroys a Monster…"

He discarded Gogogo Golem.

"…it can attack a second time! Second Surging Shockwave!"

The bolt of energy blasted again, blowing Clock Knight 3 to bits and knocking the Phantom over.

**(S: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 4,400)**

"With that, the score is tied…" said Stan, as he took the last card in his hand.

He fit it into his Disk, and a set card materialized behind Kachi Kochi Dragon.

"It's your move…"

The Phantom took some deep breaths. He drew a card.

"You are clever…" he said. "Well, she said you would be…"

"She?" asked Stan.

The Phantom looked a little flustered. Clearly he had said something he wasn't supposed to have said.

"Uh… Sydney Meyers!" he said, quickly. "Yeah… That's… That's who I'm working for…"

Stan looked at him oddly.

"I summon Time Wizard!" shouted the Phantom, as he played a card.

In a flash of bright lights and stars, the famous living clock that Katsuya Jonouchi had used as his ante during Battle City appeared in mid-air. (500 ATK)

"Somehow, I just knew you had that card in your deck," said Stan, with a smirk. "Sure you want to use it? With only one Clock Knight, you only have one chance. Think you can make it?"

"What makes you think I can't?" asked the Phantom.

"Dunno…" said Stan, with a chuckle. "If anyone had a face that could stop a clock…"

"Oh, you are asking for it, kid," said the Phantom. "Time Wizard, Time Roulette now!"

The Time Wizard thrust its staff forward, and the arrow on it began to spin. It spun, and spun, and spun…

Then it came to a rest on the topmost crown.

"_Time Magic!" _it chanted, as a vortex of energy opened overhead, and Kachi Kochi Dragon groaned. It started to age rapidly, and then collapsed, turning into a pile of dust and bones.

"Heh, heh…" said the Phantom. "Seems my luck is better than you thought…

"Attack him directly, Clock Knight 12!"

Stan grunted a little as the Clock Knight struck him with his blade. Then he grunted in annoyance as Time Wizard pointed its staff and fired a small spark of energy.

**(S: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 4,400)**

"It's your move…" said the Phantom.

"Oh, I'll move all right…" said Stan.

He drew a card.

_And that's the one… _he thought.

His facedown card lifted up.

"The Trap Card, Xyz Reborn!" he shouted.

In another spiraling vortex of energy, Kachi Kochi Dragon reappeared. (2,100 ATK)

"Not only does this Trap let me Special Summon my Xyz back from the Graveyard," said Stan, "but the Trap Card itself then becomes an Overlay Unit for it."

"But that means…" said the Phantom.

"That's right…" said Stan. "Kachi Kochi Dragon can attack twice again.

"And I also have Mataza the Zapper…"

He played the card, and there was a rush of wind, as a Warrior ran onto the field. It was a shadowy man dressed in Oriental armor, holding a gleaming Katana. (1,300 ATK)

Sweat poured down the Phantom's brow…

"Kachi Kochi Dragon…" said Stan. "You handle the Monsters…"

The Dragon blasted its Surging Shockwave, eradicating Time Wizard. Then Stan discarded the Trap Card, and it fired again, blowing Clock Knight 12 to scrap.

"Mataza, finish him off…" said Stan.

The _ronin _leapt, and the well-dressed Fiend howled as the sharp blade made a slash across his torso.

"And I'm guessing you know," said Stan, "Mataza also gets a second attack! So take another swipe at him!"

Mataza slashed upwards, and the Phantom fell backwards…

**(S: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 0)**

Stan sighed. He took hold of his hat, and turned it right-side forward.

"Well, guess I'm the winner…" he said. "Now…

"Huh? Where'd he go?"

Indeed, the Witty Phantom was gone. All that was left was his hat…

Fortunately, the prize that he had promised, the one Crystal Card, was resting inside it. Stan made a puzzled look as he went over and picked it up.

_He… Must have taken off while I was distracted… _he thought. _Well, at least I got this…_

He looked around. The Naturia Insects and Plants were gone.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Francesca smiled nervously.

_Man, that's brutal… _she thought. _Maybe I won't challenge him…_ _At least not right away…_

_After all… The tournament just started… There's gotta be someone else around…_

She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, and headed on back towards Petalburg.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Neither Stan nor Francesca had realized it, but someone else had been watching the duel, using binoculars from a safe distance behind.

He was a short, wearing a strange outfit. He wore a black shirt with a white "X" on the torso, white gloves, and purple pants. He wore a short purple cape. He also wore a purple cowl that had horn-like protrusions coming out of the temples, and he wore thick glasses. He also had a full, red beard.

As Stan turned to leave, he took a cellular phone out of his pocket, and hit a number.

"Lord Crump reporting," he said. "Stan just dueled the Witty Phantom… The Phantom loused up…"

"No real surprise…" said a sinister female voice on the other end. "He was just a test anyway."

"Yeah, well…" said Crump. "There is one small problem… Stan seems to have found the Sweet Treat card…"

There was a long pause.

"You don't say…" said the voice. "Well, don't concern yourself with that… Continue to monitor the three of them."

"You know," replied Crump, "if you want, I could…"

"NO!" snapped the voice. "Every time I give you an assignment that's the least bit complex you mess it up. Just do as you're told."

Crump frowned as she hung up.

_Why I oughta… _he thought.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

In the dark chamber, the figure leaned back in her chair.

_So, Stanley found the Sweet Treat card… _she thought. _I was wondering what happened to that accursed thing…_

_Well, at least Sweet Treat is the least powerful among them… Finding the ones that I don't have should be a simple matter…_

_It's no big deal that the Phantom failed… In the future, maybe I'll limit his duties to a diplomatic front. After all, I invested a lot of money into the tournament, and I expect to get my money's worth…_

_Still… before the day is out, hopefully, at least one of my prey will be disposed of…_

She turned, and saw six figures behind her, watching.

She smiled.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**CLOCK WORK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Clock Knight 3 in an aura of flashing energy, surrounded by large, multicolored numbers.

**Card Description: **Select 1 "Clock Knight" Monster you control. Special Summon a "Clock Knight" Monster from your hand that is a lower Level than the selected Monster.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**CLOCK KNIGHT 12 (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn, toss 1 coin. If the result is Heads, this card gains 1,200 Attack Points until the End Phase. If the result is Tails, destroy this card. If you control another "Clock Knight" Monster (except for a "Clock Knight 12") you may, once per turn, negate the effect of a card requiring a coin toss and redo the toss.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**CLOCK KNIGHT 3 (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Effect/Lvl1/300ATK/300DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn, toss 1 coin. If the result is Heads, this card gains 1,200 Attack Points until the End Phase. If the result is Tails, destroy this card. If you control another "Clock Knight" Monster (except for a "Clock Knight 3") you may, once per turn, negate the effect of a card requiring a coin toss and redo the toss.

_Note: The Clock Knights were used by Leo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" episode "Mother Knows Best". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**SWEET TREAT (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A gingerbread man holding a pink die.

**Card Description: **Activate only during your Main Phase 1 when you have less Life Points than your opponent. Roll 1 die. Increase your Life Points by 500 times the result. After activating this card, your turn becomes the End Phase.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

_**With one victory under his belt, Stan now has three Crystal Cards, and is off to a good start. But Stan has only seen a brief sample of the wonders of Arcadia.**_

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca has known for a long time that being attractive has always been as much a curse as it is a blessing. When she meets another would-be masher who needs to be taught some manners, opportunity knocks…**_

_**Fran: And it isn't Avon calling!**_

"_**Rock Bombardment" is coming soon. **_


	4. Rock Bombardment

_**A lot of boys claim they can tell when a woman has had cosmetic surgery. Let me tell you, for another woman, it's easier. I can look at an issue of **_**Vogue, Glamour**_**, or the Victoria's Secret catalogue, and if a model has a nose job, face lift, fake boobs, or anything like that, it's pretty obvious to me.**_

_**Now, I'm only sixteen, and even if I was rich enough to afford such surgery, my parents would never allow it. That doesn't stop the boys at school from drooling over me.**_

_**Some people ask me what the secret to natural beauty is. I answer "Utica". **_

_**It doesn't really mean anything. But then, I don't know any easy answers to the question, other than a good diet, hygiene, and healthy living. **_

_**And I've often had to deal with boys who thought I was an easy catch… They quickly learned otherwise…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FOUR**

**0000000000**

**Rock Bombardment**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Francesca sighed as she sat under a tree.

These meadows were so peaceful… So serene…

She heard a giggling from the branches above. Looking up, she saw a group of Naturia Cherries hanging from the branches watching her.

"Ah, heh…" she said.

_Weird… _she thought.

Her stomach rumbled.

She was hungry, not having eaten anything since breakfast on the ship. She looked at the Cherries again.

_No, I don't think eating them would be right… _she thought. _Best get to Petalburg soon._

As she started to get up, a shadow fell across her.

"Someone call Heaven, there's an angel loose!" said a voice.

Francesca frowned, and looked up.

The statement had come from a boy her age, muscular, with sandy brown hair, wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

She stood up and looked at him.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've heard _that _one?" she asked. "Take a hike…"

She turned to leave.

"Just trying to be friendly, babe…" he said.

Then he gave her a quick slap on the behind.

Francesca tensed. She trembled in rage. _That _one was not going to go unchallenged.

She turned and looked at him with an angry glare.

"Guys like you are totally beneath me…" she said.

"Funny…" he said, "that's exactly where I'd like to be…"

She stared at him for a few seconds. She knew the type… Teenagers with hormones coming out of their ears and very little self-control… Guys like this took inspiration from an infamous R-rated movie where a group of teenagers set out to lose their virginity. Translated into real life, it wasn't a very noble goal. Or a safe one.

Then she looked at his Duel Disk and smiled slightly.

"You're in the tournament, I assume?" she asked. "Do you have a name?"

"Jackson Dupree," he said. "Folks call me Stonewall Jackson."

_A masher who names himself after a Confederate general… _thought Francesca. _Well, maybe I can get something extra out of this… I'll make him an offer he can't refuse…_

"Tell you what, Jackson…" she said. "How'd you like to duel with an added ante?"

"Really?" asked Jackson. "Pick your poison…"

"We duel for Crystal Cards, as per the tournament…" replied Fran, "and you wager your rarest card, ala Battle City…"

"And you do the same?" asked Jackson.

"I'll wager something different…" replied Fran. "If you win, you get the deepest, longest, sloppiest French kiss you've ever gotten."

Jackson looked at her. Then he chuckled.

"How can I say no?" he said.

Francesca tossed her duffel bag aside, and shuffled her deck.

"Did you know how your namesake died?" she said. "He was accidentally shot by his own troops, had his arm amputated as a result, and died of pneumonia days later. Not a very glorified death for a general."

**00000000000**

Meanwhile, Stan was approaching from behind. He noticed the duel about to start.

_Hey… _he thought. _She's the one from the ship… The one who was interested in my cards…_

He sat down.

_Well, maybe watching this can't hurt…_

He took a bag of trail mix out of his knapsack.

**0000000000**

Francesca looked over her shoulder and noticed Stan.

_Him again… _she thought. _Well, if he wants to cause trouble, I'll take care of him later…_

She turned to Jackson.

"Let's do this!" she shouted.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Jackson: 8,000)**

"I draw one card…" said Fran.

She made a draw.

"I'll set this Monster…"

A horizontal set card appeared in front of her.

"…and end my turn…"

Jackson grinned as he made a draw.

"I activate my Pot of Duality!" he exclaimed.

He played the card, and a large vase with the Pot of Greed's face on one side and the Pot of Generosity's on the other appeared in front of him.

"By the way…" he said, "this is the card I'm putting up as an ante, in case you're wondering.

"Now, I reveal the top three cards on my deck, and I get to keep one…"

Three cards floated out of the Pot of Duality: Dark Bribe, Koa'ki Meiru Sandman, and Stone Statue of the Aztecs.

"Think I'll choose that one," he said, pointing to the third.

Francesca raised an eyebrow as the card appeared in his hand.

_Not quite as useful as the other two… _she thought.

"Now, I shuffle the others back into my deck," continued Jackson, as he shuffled.

"Then I set one Monster and one facedown card…"

A set Monster appeared, then a set card appeared behind it.

"…and I end my turn…"

_That Monster is clearly Stone Statue of the Aztecs… _thought Fran. _He's up to something…_

She drew a card.

"I summon Mine Mole," she said.

She played the card, and a small creature burrowed out of the ground. It was an adorable-looking mole with a flower on its nose, wearing a hardhat and holding a pick. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I flip Uni-Horned Familiar into Attack Mode," she said.

Her facedown card flipped up, and a small, imp-like creature with sharp claws, a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth, big ears, and a long, single horn on its forehead appeared. It chittered and looked at Jackson with beady eyes. (0 ATK)

"Cute…" said Jackson.

"Now, I Tune my Uni-Horned Familiar and my Mine Mole together…" said Francesca.

The two Beasts flew into the sky, Mine Mole following the impish Tuner. Uni-Horned familiar turned into a set of rings that Mine Mole flew through as it faded into a light.

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

With a loud neigh, Thunder Unicorn leapt onto the field in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Attack his Monster!" shouted Francesca. "Thunder Spear!"

Electricity coursed over Thunder Unicorn's hide, and it galloped towards the Monster, pointing its horn like a lance. Sure enough, Stone Statue of the Aztecs appeared on the card, right before the horn struck it, blowing it into shards of rock.

"Not bad…" said Jackson. "Too bad it was in Defense Mode…"

His facedown card lifted up.

"And I've also got this! Soul Rope! By paying 1,000 Life Points, this Trap lets me Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my deck.

"So let's see… How about another Stone Statue of the Aztecs?"

Another of the large, stone monoliths appeared in front of him. (2,000 DEF)

Fran looked at him hard.

"I end my turn…" she said.

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,000)**

Jackson made a draw.

"Think I'll set down a couple of facedown cards…" he said, as two set cards appeared in his Spell Zone. "And that will be all…"

_Seems to be a defensive player, _thought Fran.

She drew a card.

_Well, I'm more of the in-your-face type._

"Thunder Unicorn, attack!" she shouted.

Thunder Unicorn charged again.

"Not this time…" said Jackson. "I activate… D2 Shield!"

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"It doubles the Defense Score of my Monster!"

(4,000 DEF)

"And due to Stone Statue's own effect, you take double damage!"

As Thunder Unicorn's horn hit the wall, Francesca let out a cry of pain, and was knocked backwards by the backlash, landing on her rump.

**(F: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,000)**

"Hardest part of dueling…" chuckled Jackson. "Luckily, you just fell on your softest…"

Both Francesca and Thunder Unicorn gave him dirty looks.

"I'm liking you less by the minute…" said Francesca.

"Now you know why I'm called Stonewall Jackson…" said Jackson.

"Yeah?" snarled Francesca.

She stood up.

"Want to know something? Your namesake may not have gotten that nickname for the reason that most people believe he did…

"A lot of folks think that General Bee said 'There stands Jackson like a stone wall', and was saying it to emphasize his courage in the face of adversity…

"But… Some historians think otherwise…"

"Eh?" said Jackson.

"You see…" said Fran, "at the time in question, Jackson's army was delayed in coming to Bee's aid when they were under siege by the enemy, and many believe that Bee's statement actually meant that Jackson was simply standing still and ignoring the crisis. What he may have actually meant to say was something along the lines of, 'We're in trouble here, and that moron Jackson is doing nothing but standing there like a stupid stone wall!'

"Not at all what the popular image of the famous Confederate general depicts, wouldn't you say?"

Jackson looked at her. He was clearly angry now…

"I end my turn…" she said.

"I'll show you…" said Jackson, as he made a draw.

"I play Wave-Motion Cannon!"

He played the card, and a large, crazy-looking cannon covered with dials, gauges, and other weird items appeared in front of him.

"This weapon will gain one charge during each of my Standby Phases, and when I fire it, it will deal 1,000 points of damage per charge.

"If my math is right, I'll be able to end this duel in five turns…"

Then he smirked.

"…maybe less… It's your move…"

Fran drew a card.

She looked at it.

"I activate… Battle Mania!" shouted Jackson, as his other facedown card lifted up.

"Now your Thunder Unicorn has no choice but to attack this round!"

"Is that so?" said Francesca. "Then I'd better get rid of Thunder Unicorn…"

She played a card.

"I activate De-Synchro!"

The Spell Card appeared, and Thunder Unicorn faded into grains of light. Uni-Horned Familiar appeared crouching in Defense Mode (1,000 DEF), and then Mine Mole in the same position. (1,000 DEF)

"So your Trap is worthless," she said. "Next, I summon Beast Striker."

With a snarl, a large, ape-like Beast with tusks holding a very large hammer strode onto the field. (1,850 ATK)

"Boy, that guy is ugly…" said Jackson.

Beast Striker let out a loud snarl at him.

"Ever hear the expression 'beauty is only skin deep'?" asked Francesca. "So is ugliness."

Beast Striker calmed down a little, and crossed its arms.

"I'll throw this facedown," said Francesca, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and end my turn…"

_Lovely… _thought Jackson. _Gotta get rid of that Tuner before she summons another Synchro…_

He drew a card.

_Well… Not all of my deck is about defending…_

"My Cannon gains one charge…" he said. "And I summon Koa'ki Meiru Wall!"

He played the card, and the ground shook. A large, bulky golem that looked like a walking brick wall with muscular arms and legs burst out of the soil. (1,900 ATK)

Jackson laughed nervously.

"I know, I know…" he muttered. "It's kinda heavy on the offense for a wall… But I didn't design the card…"

"Attack Uni-Horned Familiar!" he shouted.

The Wall lifted its powerful fist…

"I was hoping you'd do that…" said Francesca. "You see, when Uni-Horned Familiar is attacked when in Defense Mode, I can remove it from play until my next turn, so long as I remove another Monster from play permanently. So I'll get rid of Mine Mole."

The small Mole vanished, and then Uni-Horned familiar followed.

"And that's not all… Koa'ki Meiru Wall is now forced to attack."

"Whatever you say, princess…" he replied.

He pointed, and the Wall rushed at Beast Striker. The ape-like Beast growled a little…

Then its fist hit it in the gut, and the Beast shattered.

"Trap Card activate!" shouted Fran, as one of her facedown cards lifted up. "Miracle's Wake!"

A beam of light fell upon the field, and Beast Striker appeared again. (1,850 ATK)

**(F: 4,350) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,000)**

"Gonna take more than that, fellah…"

Jackson frowned. He was starting to wonder if all this was worth a kiss…

He took two cards and set them in his Disk. Two more facedown cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…" he said. "That means, in order to keep Koa'ki Meiru Wall, I either have to discard an Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my hand, or reveal a Rock-Type Monster from my hand."

He flipped a card in his hand around. Giant Soldier of Stone.

"Incidentally… You try to use a Spell Card, and I can get rid of my Wall to negate it…"

"Then I'll just have to smash your two Rocks without using Spell Cards!" said Francesca.

She drew a card.

"Uni-Horned Familiar now returns to the field…" she said.

The small imp reappeared in a flash of light. It grinned widely at Jackson. (1,000 DEF)

"Next," she said, as she discarded Sunlight Unicorn from her hand. "I'll toss this card, so that Beast Striker can do his thing…"

Beast Striker spit on the ground, and then lifted its hammer over its head. Then it slammed it to the ground, and a small creature popped up in front of it.

It was a small, black blob, with a small face on the front and furry ears. (100 ATK)

"Eh?" said Jackson.

"It's called a Moja," said Francesca, as she held up a copy of Synchro Boost. "We'll get to that in a minute… While I can't play a Spell Card, I can remove this one from play, which is what I need to do to Special Summon Monoceros."

She placed the card in the pocket of her jacket, and in another beam of light, an odd Beast appeared next to Uni-Horned Familiar. It was looked like a horse's head on a rhino's body, with a very, very long unicorn's horn. (1,000 ATK)

"And then…" she said, "I summon Lady of Unicorns!"

There was a loud cry, and a female Warrior leapt onto the field. She was beautiful, with long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and hazel eyes. She wore a toga tied into a midriff over her muscular torso, and also wore sandals. She held a sharp scimitar. (1,400 ATK)

"Whoa…" said Jackson, as the Monster looked at him sternly. "She… She kinda looks like you! Only older… And… ripped…"

He stopped.

"Yeah, she's a lot like me," said Francesca. "Like me, she doesn't take any shit from people like you, and is willing to kick some serious butt if that's what it takes to get her point across."

Lady of Unicorns and Beast Striker nodded to each other.

"Now, let's continue…" said Francesca. "I Tune together Lady of Unicorns and Beast Striker…"

Lady of Unicorns flew into the sky with the hammer-wielding Beast following.

"_Primal rage focused in the heart of one powerful beast. Beat with a pulse of absolute fury and bring destruction to all in your path!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_Synchro Summon… Garnecia Earthshaker!"_

There was a loud trumpeting, and the ground started to tremble.

"What's happening?" shouted Jackson.

As he said that, a huge, humanoid Beast rushed onto the field, a huge ogre with the head and tusks of a pachyderm, with huge muscles and giant fists.

"That's Garnecia Elefantis…" he said.

(2,200 ATK)

"No, it's Garnecia Earthshaker," said Francesca, "an upgraded form.

"And because I summoned it using Lady of Unicorns as the Tuner, I can either make it indestructible in battle, or immune to destruction via card effects.

"Think I'm going to choose the second option.

"Next, I Tune together Uni-Horned Familiar and Monoceros…"

Uni-Horned Familiar flew into the sky again, and the strange unicorn followed…

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

With a loud whinny, Thunder Unicorn galloped onto the field again. (2,200 ATK)

"I'm not done," said Francesca. "You see, when Monoceros is used for a Synchro Summon where a Beast-Type Tuner is used, that Tuner is Special Summoned back to the field."

Uni-Horned Familiar appeared again. (1,000 DEF)

"And that means I can Tune Uni-Horned Familiar, Moja, and Thunder Unicorn to summon something even stronger…"

The three Beasts flew into the sky, and for the third time, the stars flashed.

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

Lightning flashed…

**(*2 + *1 + *5 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

Lightning flashed again, and a far more powerful steed appeared in front of Francesca. It had a hide of metallic gold, three ruby horns on its head, and larger horns on its shoulders. (2,800 ATK)

"Enough summoning…" said Francesca. "Time to attack!

"Garnecia Earthshaker, attack Stone Statue of the Aztecs!"

The ogre snorted, and then let out a trumpet.

"What are you doing!" shouted Jackson. "My Stone Statue has 4,000 Defense Points!"

"True," said Francesca, "but it has really pathetic Attack Points. And Garnecia Earthshaker can change the Battle Position of any Monster it battles."

The brute lunged at Stone Statue, causing the ground to shake. The Rock shifted. (300 ATK)

Jackson screamed in pain as his Monster was literally pulverized.

"Lightning Tricorn, tear down Koa'ki Meiru Wall!" shouted Fran.

Like a bolt of lightning, Tricorn made a rush at the large golem.

"I activate Mirror Force!" shouted Jackson.

His facedown card lifted up, and the golden Beast exploded. Garnecia Earthshaker grunted.

"Well, that was…" said Jackson.

Then he stopped.

Thunder Unicorn was glaring at him, with an expression best described as pissed. (2,200 ATK)

"Where did THAT come from?" he shouted.

"When Lightning Tricorn is destroyed," said Francesca, "I get to summon one of her younger sisters from the Graveyard…

"And it's still my Battle Phase…

"Thunder Unicorn, attack with Thunder Spear!"

The Unicorn charged, and Koa'ki Meiru toppled over, shattering into pebbles.

**(F: 4,350) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 4,700)**

"I don't think I like you anymore, bitch…" said Jackson.

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Shock Draw… I get to draw two cards, one for every 1,000 points of damage I took."

He made two draws.

"HEY, fellah!" shouted a voice.

Both Jackson and Francesca turned, and saw Stan standing there.

"I've seen sore losers before," he said, "but not the type who would say something like that to a lady just because she made a good move."

"And just what are you going to do about it?" said Jackson with a sneer.

"Nothing yet…" said Stan, "but a guy who knows from experience told me that all too often a man who says such things to a woman can often take things too far…

"So consider me the guy who's going to prevent that from happening…"

He looked at Francesca.

"It's still her move, I believe…"

Francesca could only stare at Stan for a minute…

"Uh, yeah… Okay…" she said.

She set her last card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

She nodded.

Jackson looked at Stan, and then at Francesca, and drew a card.

"Heh, heh," he said. "Bad news, sweet cakes! I just drew Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and Stone Statue of the Aztecs appeared again. (2,000 DEF)

"Then, I sacrifice it…"

The Statue vanished.

"For Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"

There was a loud tremor, and a huge, hulking giant made of stone and wearing a cape rose out of the ground. (2,400 ATK)

"And when he's summoned, I can smash one facedown card… Like THAT one!"

Fran's set Trap Card shattered.

"Now I can…"

And then he noticed that Francesca was chuckling softly.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. "My Monster is stronger than either of yours!"

"She's laughing because you made a dumb move," said Stan. "You apparently forgot that you could also have used Monster Reborn to summon a Monster from _her _Graveyard. And while Granmarg is indeed stronger than either of her two Monsters, Lightning Tricorn is stronger still."

Francesca smirked at him. Her two Monsters seemed to think it was funny too…

"I'll show you…" said Jackson. "Attack that crazy elephant! Rock Wrecker!"

Granmarg slugged Garnecia Earthshaker hard in the gut, and the Beast was knocked on its behind. It saw stars before it slowly faded away.

"I'll throw one card facedown and end my turn…" muttered Jackson, as a set card appeared behind his Monarch. "That Unicorn of yours is next…"

**(F: 4,250) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 4,700)**

Francesca drew a card.

She played it, and the Pot of Avarice appeared in front of her. She took Beast Striker, Monoceros, Moja, Sunlight Unicorn, and Uni-Horned Familiar from her Graveyard pile, and shuffled all five into her deck. Then she made two draws.

She looked them over.

"I summon Hypnocorn…" she said.

She threw the card on her Disk, and a Beast with blue fur and a ewe's horns appeared, its eyes hypnotic, multicolored patterns of light. (1,400 ATK)

"Now, I play MY Monster Reborn!"

She played the card, and the golden holy symbol appeared in mid-air. Garnecia Earthshaker appeared again, trumpeting in rage. (2,200 ATK)

"And you called _me _stupid," replied Jackson.

"Oh, I know that Lightning Tricorn is stronger," said Francesca, "but this guy can do more damage. He can move Granmarg to Defense Mode, remember?

"And he also inflicts damage even when attacking a defending Monster. With Garnecia Earthshaker, there's no place for a Monster to hide.

"So… Trample his Rock Monarch!"

Earthshaker trumpeted again, and charged at Granmarg…

"Not this time!" shouted Jackson. "I activate Dimensional Prison!"

His facedown card lifted up…

"Pot of Duality, Mirror Force, Dimensional Prison…" said Francesca. "All the rare and powerful cards a kid could want… But I tend to think that you didn't actually earn even one of them…

"And you'll notice my Monster isn't impressed…"

Indeed, Garnecia Earthshaker didn't miss a step. Granmarg knelt in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF) The pachyderm plowed into it, and Jackson screamed.

"How…" said Jackson.

Francesca took a card from her discard slot.

"Remember this, flyboy?" she asked. "It's the Trap that Granmarg totaled, a special one called Crest of Valarian.

"Before you ask, I have no idea who Valarian is… But his crest is useful, because by removing it from play, I can negate theeffect of a Spell or Trap that targets a Beast-Type Synchro Monster…

"So now that I have…

"Hypnocorn, you're up! Hypno Blast!"

The odd beast shot a spiraling, colored stream from its eyes, and Jackson grunted in pain.

"Thunder Unicorn, finish him off!" shouted Francesca.

The Unicorn eagerly galloped at Jackson, horn first. He screamed as the horn struck him in the chest…

"Good girl…" said Francesca.

**(F: 4,250) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 0)**

Jackson held his chest in pain as the Monsters vanished.

"I believe we had a deal, buddy…" said Francesca.

He grunted.

He took the Crystal Card and the Pot of Duality and threw them at her.

"Choke on them…" he said with a scowl.

Then he got up, and head off in the direction of Rogueport. Stan and Francesca watched as he was out of sight.

"So…" said Francesca. "Who exactly _is _this guy who 'knows from experience'?"

"My uncle," replied Stan. "He's a big shot in the Maryland Department of Corrections.

"He's seen plenty of people come through the system for rape, domestic abuse, and other sex-related offenses against women… And he can tell you that nine times out of ten, people convicted of crimes like that started out like that guy, teenagers who simply couldn't treat a woman the way you're supposed to treat them…"

Francesca looked at him and smiled. She held out her hand.

"Francesca Benedict," she said. "Call me Fran…"

"Stanley Mason…" he said, as he shook. "So…"

Then he gave a little cry of surprise.

"What?" said Fran. "Is there something on my face?"

"That…" said Stan.

She noticed that he was pointing at the pendant she was wearing. It was an odd object attached to a gold chain; the pendant itself was a square with flared edges, made from silvery metal. Etched on it were three star-like symbols in an upside-down triangle pattern, whose outlines had been colored yellow with some sort of paint.

"This?" said Francesca. "Huh… Funny you should mention this, it's kind of a family heirloom… My grandmother gave it to me, although she never told me where she got it from…"

"Fran…" said Stan.

He reached under his shirt, and took something out…

He was wearing a pendant that looked like the same style. It had two differences: the stars were outlined in blue, and the pendant itself was made of black crystal instead of silver metal, but the style was the same.

"It's kind of an heirloom to me too…" he said. "My grandfather gave it me, his grandfather gave it to him… You get the idea…"

The two looked at each other for a long time. Then Francesca changed the subject. She looked at the Spell Card she had won from Jackson.

"Pot of Duality…" she said. "Not a very smart card to use in a deck like mine that depends so much on Special Summoning…"

She took a binder out of her duffel bag.

**00000000000**

"Slut…" said Jackson.

He was also looking through his binder, and had turned to a page that held three other copies of Pot of Duality. He took one of them out.

"She's going to hear from Stonewall Jackson Dupree again…" he said, as he shuffled it into his deck. "Just as soon as I win back what I lost and then some…"

As he headed towards Rogueport, he didn't notice that the Witty Phantom was watching him, rubbing his chin.

The Fiend opened a briefcase by his side, and took out a sheet of paper. It was blank – for now.

He took a pen, and wrote "Jackson Dupree" on the top. Then he placed it back in the briefcase.

Then he faded into the shadows.

**0000000000**

"So…" said Francesca, with a sly look. "We both have three… Maybe one of us can make it four?"

Stan smirked back.

He shuffled his deck, and then stood twenty paces from Francesca. It all seemed normal to the two of them at first…

But then, as they both went to draw their opening hands, something seemed wrong.

Stan just didn't want to start the duel. Neither did Francesca. Something about the whole idea seemed… Wrong…

Stan looked at her.

"You know…" he said. "Maybe we shouldn't rush…"

"Yeah…" said Francesca, slowly. "I would like to get a bite to eat…

"Heh… Care to walk to Petalburg together? I mean… You may be one of the few boys my age I can trust…"

Stan held up his hands.

"I'm taken, actually," he said. "I have a girlfriend back home that I could never leave…

"Still, if I didn't… I wouldn't reject the idea of asking you to dinner and a movie… I mean, what's not to like? Smart, witty, beautiful, and a great duelist…"

Francesca giggled a little.

It was strange… After hearing fake flattery for so long, she had almost forgotten how good it sounded when it was real…

**0000000000**

In the dark place, the shadowy figure stood up...

She waved her hand, and the room became illuminated by hundreds upon hundreds of candles, each lit by a flickering flame.

Seated on a throne made of black crystal was a woman who seemed both young and ageless at the same time. She was beautiful in the same way Snow White's evil queen of a stepmother was. Her dress was an old-fashioned, exotic, and expensive-looking black gown with a plunging neckline, the sort of thing you might imagine a sexy female vampire wearing. She was covered with jewelry, including gold bracelets, diamond earrings, a necklace set with emeralds that were likely worth more than a luxury car, and a golden tiara set with a single blue diamond.

As for the woman herself, she had flawless skin that was the color and texture of porcelain, and her floor-length locks were the color of gold. Her eyes shone like silver, and if they had pupils at all, the shadowy light hid them.

She clapped her hands.

"Children!" she said, cheerily.

Laughter erupted from the entrance to the room, and six orbs of light shot towards her. They were six colors: white, green, red, brown, blue, and black.

The strange woman sighed and leaned her head on her hand as they flew about the room, continuing to laugh.

Then she pointed, and bolts of energy shot from her fingertips. The laughter quickly stopped, and six teenagers appeared, falling to the floor.

"You six have drinking soda for breakfast again, haven't you?" she said, sternly, as she stood up.

The six teenagers, four boys and two girls, nervously stood up.

"Uh, kind of…" said one of the girls.

"And what else did you have this time?" she asked. "Lucky Charms? Cap'n Crunch?

"Maybe Froot Loops? Do you know how much actual fruit is in that stuff? None."

"Well, ah…" said one of the boys, nervously. "Seeing as it isn't called 'Fruit Loops', I don't think you could accuse them of false advertising…"

"Silence!" shouted the woman. "You might as well just eat a bowl of sugar if you're going to be eating that crud! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if there's one thing I _don't _need it's six children that are hyperactive! You don't eat dessert for breakfast!"

The six youngsters bowed their heads.

"Don't forget…" she continued. "You have to be healthy if you don't want to make mistakes… My first heirs knew that much better than you did…"

"Yes mom…" they all moaned.

"Now then…" she said as she sat back down. "Melissa, Kurtis, Tyson, Leopold, Maria, Vladimir… listen closely…

"I trust you six more than anyone else in my employ… That's why you act as my enforcers… You've all done admirable jobs so far…

"But what you've been doing for me up to this point has all been in preparation for now… Warm ups, if you will…

"Every target you've claimed in the past has been insignificant compared to the three I need you to handle now… Much is at stake… Much is at risk…

"Succeed, and the rewards will be great…

"Fail, and… Well, let me put it this way… _Don't _fail."

They all shuddered.

"Now get out there and make mom proud," she said. "And if it's not too much trouble, you can _walk _out this time."

The six of them turned around, and started to walk out of the chamber.

"She tells us what to eat…" said one of the boys, "after she has eight cups of coffee this morning…"

"I heard that…" said their mother's voice from behind.

The six of them started running out.

**0000000000**

In the mountain in the center of Arcadia, the Thousand Year Door stood in the cliffside.

It was an unassuming metal double door ten feet high by eight feet wide. It looked like steel, but a forgotten process had made it far stronger than even titanium.

Only certain people could open it if they owned certain tools… And should someone approach it holding most of those tools, no matter what his native language or even if he was illiterate, he would see and understand the following message written on it:

_**There is no glory to be sought here. There is no treasure here. All that lies beyond this door is death and incredible evil. Do not proceed, lest you perish here and leave your loved ones mourning for you forever.**_

"The coast is clear…" said a voice.

The door slowly opened a crack, and the six teenagers emerged.

They carefully closed the door again. They had learned how to open it, but knew from experience that keeping it open longer than a minute was dangerous – for them.

"So, they're in Petalburg?" said one of the boys.

He adjusted the glasses he was wearing.

"Attacking _en masse _might not be wise…"

"It never is…" said one of the other boys, who had a soft, billowy voice. "Straying too far from our usual MO isn't going to cut it…"

"You want me to go?" asked another of the boys, who seemed to be the oldest.

"And let you hog all the attention?" asked one of the girls.

The last of the boys sighed.

He pulled a handful of grass out of the ground, then took six blades, and then cut one of them. He put them all in his fist.

"Here, we'll draw straws…" he said.

They each grabbed hold of one, and pulled.

The shortest straw went to one of the girls, who let out a little cry of surprise when she realized it.

"YES!" she chimed. "I get first shot!

"Think I'll go after Francesca… I kinda like her…"

"Why are you so eager to defeat someone that you _like?" _asked the boy with the glasses.

"I have my reasons," she said, turning to him. "Leopold, gonna need that card that mom told you to take care of…"

He opened a pouch on his belt, and took out a card.

"This one?" he said, looking at it and adjusting his glasses again. "I dunno… Mom warned us never to use it…"

"I'm not gonna _use _it silly…" she said.

She took it from him.

"If I'm gonna set a trap, I'm gonna need bait… And I know just where to rig it…"

She started to glow, and turned into an orb of golden light.

"See you later, alligators!" said her voice, as she flew over the horizon towards Petalburg.

**0000000000**

**SHOCK DRAW ****(Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A duelist holding three cards being struck by lightning.

**Card Description: **For every multiple of 1,000 in Battle Damage that you took this turn, draw 1 card.

_Note: "Shock Draw" was first used by Yusei in "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers. _

**0000000000**

**GARNECIA EARTHSHAKER (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Earth/Synchro/Effect/Lvl8/2,200ATK/800DEF**

_Tuner + 1 or more Beast-Type non-Tuner Monsters_

**Effect: **When this card attacks a face-up Monster, you may switch the attack target's Battle Position. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position Monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

_Note: "Garnecia Earthshaker" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Torment"._

**0000000000**

**LADY OF UNICORNS (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Tuner/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/800DEF**

**Card Description: **This card is also considered a Beast-Type Monster. This card cannot be used for a Synchro Summon except to summon a Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is used as a Synchro Material Monster, remove it from play; then, select 1 of the following effects and apply it to the Synchro Summoned Monster. * This Monster cannot be destroyed by battle. * This card cannot be destroyed by card effects.

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**CREST OF VALARIAN (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Lady of Unicorns praying as a spiritual unicorn appears over her head.

**Effect: **Activate when a Beast-Type Synchro Monster you control is targeted for an attack. For that 1 battle, the attack target is not destroyed. You may remove this card in your Graveyard from play to negate 1 Spell or Trap Card that targets a Beast-Type Synchro Monster and destroy that card.

**0000000000**

_**Fran has increased her number of Crystal Cards to three, and perhaps made a friend in the process. Things are on the right track…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: Petalburg is a peaceful place, and now it seems that someone has stormed in here to foul it up. I'm not a violent guy by nature, but make me angry and you'll get on my bad side, a side that comes out only when I duel. **_

"_**Power Bond" is coming soon.**_


	5. Power Bond

_Author's note: Because the site now claims that they have taken steps to stop spam, I am now accepting anonymous reviews._

_Do not make me regret this decision, because I can change my mind at any time._

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_**You ever hear the story of Beowulf?**_

_**If not, here's the quick version. Beowulf's first act of heroism is slaying Grendel, a savage, man-eating descendant of Cain, who was preying on a king's men in their own banquet hall. No physical description of Grendel is given in the original poem; later versions typically depict him as a demonic brute or ogre.**_

_**His next heroic act is confronting Grendel's vengeful mother, having to face her in her own lair this time. The original poem does not physically describe her either, and later works tend to describe her as a hag, a female demon, a she-troll (sometimes able to assume a deceptively beautiful form in each case) or simply a powerful female warrior whose skill rivals even Beowulf's. He only survives by finding a magical sword in her lair which he uses to kill her.**_

_**The last part of Beowulf's story takes place many years later when he is a king himself. When a slave steals a cup from a dragon's horde, the enraged beast threatens the kingdom, and Beowulf is called into battle again. Clearly, this is the fight of his life, as he faces a beast far more powerful than Grendel or his dam; he needs help this time, receiving aid from one of his men. And while they manage to slay the beast, Beowulf later dies from his injuries. **_

_**Again, no physical description of Beowulf's final foe exists in the poem, but that is hardly necessary – it's easy for anyone to picture a dragon. And that may be the reason why Beowulf did not survive his third battle; dragons are in a completely different class than Grendel and his parent were. Few creatures of myth and folklore make the imagination run wild more than dragons do… They are the ultimate monster, the greatest staple of fantasy…**_

_**Me? I'm just someone who has loved them for years…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIVE**

**0000000000**

**Power Bond**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Stan and Francesca could see signs of a town as they walked over a hill.

Right before a bridge that led into Petalburg proper, they passed by a fenced-in area that held some sheep…

They stopped, and then looked at the livestock…

Some of them had blue fur, others had pink fur, and ALL of them had golden coins on their tails.

"Mystical Sheep?" asked Francesca.

"Let's keep going…" said Stan.

One of the sheep let out a baa as they passed by, and walked over the bridge.

"Hey, Stan, look at that…" said Francesca.

She pointed to a hill to the north. They both looked, and saw a ruined, forboding-looking castle on the top. It seemed quite out of place in this peaceful area.

"Weird…" said Stan. "Maybe later…"

The pair walked into the beautiful town, a place full of flower gardens and Victorian-style buildings. The townsfolk, who were dressed in clothing that looked to be from the same era, and spotlessly clean, quickly took notice of them. They smiled.

"Uh, hi…" said Stan. "Uhm… Anywhere a couple of duelists can get a bite to eat?"

"The inn is right over there!" said a young woman with pigtails, cheerily. "We had the building converted with the Tournament in mind, in fact! And everything is complimentary for contestants!"

"Uh… Thanks…" said Stan. "I think…"

"I'm Betty, by the way…" she said.

She followed them a short distance as they walked to the building. Stan found this a little too friendly for his tastes, but he didn't want to be rude.

_When you're a guest, behave so that your hosts would want to be YOUR guest. _That was something his parents always used to say.

They walked into the inn, which looked like an old-fashioned tavern on the inside. Andy was already inside at one of the tables, sipping from a mug of root beer.

He quickly took notice of Stan and Francesca.

_Didn't I see those two on the ship? _he thought.

"So what can I get you?" said a serving maid.

"Uh…" said Stan. "I dunno… What would you recommend?"

He paused.

"Although…" he said quickly. "If the house special is lamb or mutton… I think we'll pass…"

She giggled.

"Saw the sheep farm, didn't you?" she said with a smile. "Believe me, kids, around here, a surprise lurks around every corner, but it's all harmless.

"As for what the lunch special is, that would be the shroom fry… If you stay around for dinner, I would suggest the shroom steak."

They looked at her funny.

"You guys can afford to give away complimentary steak dinners to the tournament guests?" asked Francesca.

She smiled and nodded.

"I think I'll try that shroom fry thing…" said Stan.

Another thing his parents had told him about being a guest was not to take advantage of your hosts.

Francesca nodded. The maid left and went into the kitchen.

Andy slowly came up to the table.

"Hey…" he said. "Mind if I join you guys?"

"You're the guy with the Red Eyes, right?" said Stan. "Well sure…"

"I'm Andy…" said Andy, pulling up a chair.

"So, how have you faired so far?" asked Francesca.

"Aw, I haven't found anyone to duel yet…" said Andy. "I guess there's still time today… But…"

"Andy…" said Francesca, interrupting.

"Eh?" said Andy.

"Can I see that necklace you're wearing?" she asked.

"What, this old thing?" asked Andy.

He lifted up a pendant around his neck.

It was the same style as Stan and Francesca's, but made of some sort of violet ceramic, and with the stars outlined in red.

"Okay, this is creepy…" said Stan.

He and Francesca showed them their pendants. The three of them looked at each other for a minute or two.

"Francesca…" said Francesca, extending her hand. "Call me Fran…"

"Yeah…" said Andy. "I… think we met before…"

"Let me guess…" said Stan, "that thing is a family heirloom, and whoever gave it to you doesn't know where it came from…"

"Yes…" said Andy, looking at his like it was some sort of holy relic.

"All three of us have these pendants…" said Stan. "And look at the colors of those stars… Blue, yellow, and red… The three primary colors…"

They all looked at each other.

Andy lifted his Duel Disk.

"Everyone, on the count of three, draw your top card."

"Why?" asked Stan.

"Just do it," said Andy.

"One, two, three!"

They all made a draw.

Then they turned the cards forward, and almost fell over in surprise.

They had all drawn Monster Reborn.

Almost everyone used that Spell Card… But what were the chances?

As they shuffled their decks, the food came to the table. But they had been too surprised to do anything but eat in silence.

**0000000000**

The shroom fry seemed to be just a fancy name for fried beef strips with a lot of mushrooms, but it was pretty good. When nothing remained but greasy plates, Andy finally said something.

"Could it all be a coincidence?" he asked.

"I dunno…" said Francesca. "The more I think about it, the more it gives me a headache…"

Before Stan could answer, he was interrupted by the sound of a loud, noisy motor, followed by a scream.

"What the Hell was that?" shouted Stan.

The three of them got up, and rushed out the door. Black smoke was coming from a chopper-style motorcycle, and Betty – the source of the scream – was being helped up by someone else.

"You almost hit her!" shouted the man who was helping Betty.

"Oh, did I?" said the motorcyclist, in a voice that was clearly female.

She shifted the gear of her bike, and the tailpipe blew exhaust all over Betty and the man who was helping her.

"All right, that's enough!" shouted Andy.

He stepped up to the motorcyclist, who was dismounting her bike,

She took off her helmet and looked at him. She was a tall young woman, about two years older than him, with short blonde hair cut in bangs, a leather jacket over a crop-top, leather pants, and tattoos all over her arms.

"Just who do you think you are?" said Andy. "You think you can storm into here and foul up the place?"

"And who's gonna stop me?" she asked. "You?"

Andy looked around.

"Isn't someone gonna call the town watch?" he said.

"NO!" screamed Betty. "Uh, I mean, really, no, I'm all right…"

Andy looked at the biker chick. He noticed she was wearing a Duel Disk.

"Well it's not all right with me…" he said. "You got a name?"

"Call me Poison," she said.

"Figures…" said Andy. "I take it you're in the tournament, so I'll be your opponent…

"But, if I win, in addition to giving me one of your Cards, you have to get on your bike and get out of Dodge."

"You don't say?" said Poison. "Fine… But if I win, you have to…"

What she said next made everyone gasp, and caused two parents present to quickly cover their children's ears.

"It's a bet!" shouted Andy.

He took his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket, and quickly put them on.

"Is it my imagination…" said Francesca, "or did Andy just assume a completely different personality?"

Simultaneously two Duel Disks activated.

"This is gonna be great…" said Poison.

"Oh, I'll bet…" said Andy sarcastically.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Poison: 8,000)**

"I'm drawing!" shouted Andy, drawing a card from his deck.

"Because I have no Monsters on the field, I'm allowed to summon Cave Dragon!"

There was a low grumble, and a large, sluggish-looking, wingless Dragon appeared in front of him. It looked half-asleep. (2,000 ATK)

"Two-thousand Attack Points," chuckled Poison. "Whatever shall I do?"

"Cave Dragon is a very old Dragon," said Andy. "That makes him very strong, but also very lazy. He can't get motivated to attack unless there's another Dragon on my side of the field.

"But, seeing as I can't attack anyway this turn, that's a moot point…

"I'll set this, and it's your move…"

He threw a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared in a flash behind Cave Dragon.

"All right…" said Poison, as she made a draw.

She giggled a little as she looked over her six cards.

"Guess I have to defend!" she said.

She set two cards in her Disk. First, a set Monster appeared, then a set card behind it.

Stan and Francesca noticed that more people had gathered. Indeed, it seemed the whole town had come out to watch.

"We seem to be drawing a crowd…" said Francesca.

"Duels are always interesting to watch," replied Betty. "It's rather popular here."

"So everyone here duels?" asked Stan.

Betty suddenly looked a little nervous.

"Uh yeah…" she said. "From time to time…"

"Your move, chump!" said Poison.

_Yeah, right… _thought Andy. _This chick needs some serious acting lessons… That Trap could not be more obvious._

He drew a card.

"I summon Doppelganger Dragon!" he shouted.

A small, brown, blob of vicious liquid appeared in mid-air. It undulated and shifted, and slowly took a shape that vaguely resembled a Dragon in general outline. (1,000 ATK)

"A Dragon made of snot?" asked Poison, lifting an eyebrow.

"It has a unique effect," said Andy. "This gets a little complicated, so listen close…

"First I have to choose a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck, where the Fusion Materials include both a Dragon and a Monster of a different Type. Then, I pay 1,000 Life Points, and for as long as Doppelganger Dragon is on the field, its name is considered the same as the non-Dragon Fusion Material.

"I'm choosing Fiend Skull Dragon, by the way…"

His Life Points went down, and Doppelganger Dragon shifted and changed shape again, mutating into a form that vaguely resembled Lesser Fiend.

Andy threw a Spell Card into his Disk.

"This is quite useful…" he said, "because otherwise, I would actually have to have a Lesser Fiend to summon Fiend Skull Dragon…"

A portal appeared behind his two Monsters.

"But with Doppelganger Dragon's help, I can use Polymerization, and fuse it together with Cave Dragon…"

Cave Dragon and the facsimile of Lesser Fiend were sucked through the portal…

With a roar, an entirely different Dragon emerged. It was a fierce creature, standing upright on goat-like legs, with four arms, fiendish wings, and horns. (2,000 ATK)

"I'm so scared…" said Poison, sarcastically. "It's not even any stronger than your Cave Dragon."

"True…" said Andy. "But this Monster laughs in the face of Traps and Flip Effect Monsters… It's incredibly resistant to the first, and the second won't work at all when he's around.

"Attack her Monster! Death Gale!"

Fiend Skull Dragon blasted a cloud of foul wind at the set Monster…

…but Andy was shocked by what sprang up to meet the attack. It was a very large Machine that looked like a cross between a large steamroller and a road grater. (2,100 DEF)

"That's my Road Roller, sucker!" laughed Poison. "No Flip Effect here… Because your Monster attacked it, it's turned upside down!"

Andy raised an eyebrow as Road Roller rumbled forward, literally rolling over Fiend Skull Dragon. It backed off, leaving the Dragon in set Defense Mode.

_Didn't expect that… _thought Andy.

He set a card, and a second facedown card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(A: 6,900) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 8,000)**

"Let's see… What next…" said Poison, as she made a draw.

"I think I'll summon my Strong Shovel!"

As she played the card, another large construction engine appeared. This one was obviously an excavating shovel, but the business end was shaped to look like a set of monstrous jaws. (1,800 ATK)

"Destroy his Dragon!" shouted Poison.

Strong Shovel snapped its jaws menacingly, and lunged for the set Monster.

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" shouted Andy, as one of his Trap Cards lifted up.

The excavator's engine ruptured, and it collapsed before exploding in a blast of flames. Everyone watching cheered.

"Why thank you…" said Poison, with a sly grin. "I was kinda hoping you'd do that…"

Then HER Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Soul of Steel!" she shouted. "By destroying my Machine-Type Monster with a card effect, I'm allowed to Special Summon one from my hand that's exactly one Level higher.

"Time to drill the point home… I summon Jumbo Drill!"

There was the sound of another loud engine, and a third piece of construction machinery appeared. This one was a crane with two hoists, each one terminating in a nasty-looking drilling bit. (1,800 ATK)

_This is gonna get ugly… _thought Andy.

Jumbo Drill's bits started to spin, and everyone looked away as they stabbed downwards, blowing Fiend Skull Dragon to pieces.

"And even though it was in Defense Mode, you still take damage…" said Poison, with a grin. "Of course, MY Monster also has to move to Defense Mode now…"

Jumbo Drill's engines died down. (100 DEF)

"Oh yeah?" said Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Good thing I have Miracle's Wake…" he said, as a beam of light fell on the field. "Guess who's back?"

Fiend Skull Dragon reappeared with an angry roar. (2,000 ATK)

"Just move…" said Poison, as she put her hand on her hip.

**(A: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 8,000)**

Andy made a draw.

_Hey… _he thought. _Not bad…_

"I summon Lancer Dragonute!" he shouted.

A dark, shadowy portal opened, and a humanoid Dragon with green scales holding a spear flew out. (1,500 ATK)

"Guess what, babe?" said Andy. "This Monster also has a trampling effect. Meaning you and your Jumbo Drill are sitting ducks!"

Lancer Dragonute grinned as it flew towards the huge Machine, holding its weapon over its head. It plunged the spear directly into the center, and the blast threw Poison on her behind.

**(A: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,600)**

"Only difference is," continued Andy, "Lancer Dragonute _doesn't _have to switch to Defense Mode after it attacks!"

He sighed, and looked at his two Monsters.

_Kinda wish it did, though… _he thought, _because its Defense Score is stronger than its Attack Score..._

He looked at the two cards remaining in his hand, his eyes falling on one of them.

_If my two Monsters can just survive one more turn, I can summon THIS bad boy next turn…_

"My move…" grumbled Poison.

She drew a card.

"I activate the Awakening From Beyond Spell Card!" she shouted, as she threw a card into her Disk. "You draw twice, but I get Jumbo Drill back from the Graveyard."

Andy drew twice, and Poison took the card from her discard pile.

"Now I'll play… Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the holy symbol appeared, followed by a vortex of energy. Strong Shovel appeared again, snapping its jaws. (1,800 ATK)

"I forgot to mention," said Poison. "When Strong Shovel is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, its Level goes up one notch, to 4.

"Now, I'll summon my Jumbo Drill again…"

With the flashing of hazard lights, Jumbo Drill rolled onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"And Jumbo Drill has an added effect… When it's Normal Summoned, the Levels of ALL of my Machine-Type Monsters go up by 1. That means I now have three Level 5 Machines.

"Which means… I can combine all three to build the Overlay Network!"

Road Roller, Jumbo Drill, and Strong Shovel turned into a large, spiraling portal.

"This is not good!" shouted Stan.

"How so?" asked Francesca.

"There are two factors that determine the power of an Xyz Monster," replied Stan. "The Level of its Overlay Units and the _number _of them.

"A Rank 5 with three Overlay Units is likely gonna be a killer!"

"Oh, you got that right…" said Poison, as a giant Machine started to rise behind her. "Say hello to Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku!"

The metal goliath towered over the buildings of Petalburg. It was a giant bucket wheel excavator with two huge bucket wheels, steam and smoke pouring from its engines. Several children screamed at the sight of the giant monstrosity. (3,200 ATK)

"Scared yet?" asked Poison.

"No…" said Andy, offhand.

"Well, maybe this will scare you…" said Poison.

She discarded Strong Shovel.

"By sending one Overlay Unit to my Graveyard, I can send three cards from your deck to _your _Graveyard. And for each one that's a Monster, Doboku Zaku can destroy one of your cards.

"So dump 'em!"

Andy took the top three cards from his deck. They were Lord of Dragons, Stamping Destruction, and Divine Dragon Ragnarok.

Poison might have said something else, but Doboku Zaku was making too much noise for Andy to hear her, a horrible sound of metal against metal as Lance Dragonute and Fiend Skull Dragon were crushed.

"Still not scared?" he finally heard her say. "I activate Iron Call!"

There was a loud sound like a siren, and Andy covered his ears.

_She sure seems to like things that make a lot of noise… _he thought.

"Now I can summon Strong Shovel back from my Graveyard!" shouted Poison.

The excavator appeared again, now dwarfed by the much bigger Machine. (1,800 ATK)

"And it looks hungry!" she laughed.

Strong Shovel made a rush at Andy, and chomped down on him with its jaws.

"ANDY!" shouted Francesca and Stan at once.

"I'm fine…" groaned Andy.

"Let's see if you're fine after this!" laughed Poison. "Doboku Zaku, attack directly with Mountain Crusher!"

It was a testament to Andy's skill as a duelist that he was able to stand firm as the huge Machine loomed over him, even if the shock from the behemoth's blow knocked him backwards fifteen feet.

**(A: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,600)**

"Heh…" said Poison. "I end my turn… Unfortunately, because I summoned it with Iron Call, that means Strong Shovel goes boom."

The large excavator shovel burst.

Andy held his ribs…

"Well?" said Poison.

"Give me a minute!" shouted Andy.

He got to his feet.

"Nothing worse than someone who's pushy…"

He drew a card.

"You know, Poison…" he said. "In an odd, ironic… deranged way, you kind of helped me with that last move…

"Because now I can play this!"

He held a Spell Card up.

"Dragon's Mirror?" asked Poison.

"That's right!" shouted Andy. "By removing these two Monsters in my Graveyard from play…"

Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared behind him, and combined into a vortex of dark energy.

"I can Fusion Summon the mighty King Dragun!"

From out of the portal, a creature appeared that was both intimidating and majestic at the same time. From the waist up, it was Lord of Dragons, with a somewhat more regal appearance, holding a scepter shaped like the Flute of Summoning Dragon. From the waist down, it was a large, serpentine Dragon. It had draconic wings on its back, and a flowing, white mane. (2,400 ATK)

"And he has a powerful effect…" said Andy, as he held up another card. "I get to Special Summon a Dragon from my hand every turn, like my Tyrant Dragon!"

There was a loud roar, and the biggest Dragon yet rose up next to King Dragon, a powerful-looking wyrm with very large wings and burnt red scales.

It glared at Poison, and smoke poured from its jaws. (2,900 ATK)

"And finally… I summon Luster Dragon…"

There was a flash of blue energy, and a smaller, very beautiful Dragon, seemingly made entirely out of sapphire, appeared. It shimmered in the afternoon sun. (1,900 ATK)

"Yeah?" said Poison. "Don't see what good they're gonna do you… I happen to know that King Dragun makes all your Dragons immune to card effects, including your own. So you can't use a Spell Card to make them stronger."

"True…" said Andy, as he took one of the remaining two cards from his hand. "But when you can't make yourself bigger, another option is to make your opponent smaller.

"I activate Shrink!"

He played the card, and Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku was surrounded by an aura of scintillating energy as it was reduced to half its size. (1,600 ATK)

"Oh, crap…" said Poison.

"Luster Dragon, send that thing to the scrap pile!" shouted Andy. "Sapphire Flash Blast!"

The gemstone Dragon blasted a brilliant beam of energy, and Poison braced herself as an explosion rocked the engine of the contraption…

A second later, the whole apparatus was torn apart.

"You're next!" shouted Andy. "King Dragun, attack directly with Twilight Burn!"

The Dragon Lord pointed his scepter at the biker chick and blasted a bolt of white hot flames.

"ERGH!" she shouted.

She stared at Andy, trembling with anger.

"Didn't… hurt…" she growled.

"Tyrant Dragon…" said Andy. "Imperial Inferno!"

The huge Dragon blasted flames from its jaws, and this time, Poison truly screamed.

**(A: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 1,000)**

"You know how it is with Dragons…" said Andy. "They think of young, nubile maidens as delicacies…

"You, however? I think you'd give them heartburn…"

Everyone laughed.

"Very funny," growled Poison. "Are you done?"

Andy looked at the last card in his hand.

"Yeah…" he said.

Poison made one draw.

She quickly set it on her Disk, and a facedown card appeared in her Spell Zone.

She nodded.

Andy drew a card.

_King Dragun makes these guys immune to most Traps, _he thought. _If that's not Mirror Force, I can finish her off right now…_

"King Dragun, attack…" he started.

Then Poison's facedown card lifted up.

"Call of the Haunted!" she shouted.

The ground rumbled again, and Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku rose out of the ground once more. (3,200 ATK)

"Well, at least it can't use its effect," said Stan. "Not without any Overlay Units…

"That's an Xyz's biggest weakness… Once it loses all of its Overlay Units, it really can't do much except attack…"

"But one attack against Luster Dragon," said Francesca, "and Andy has had it…"

Andy looked at the card he had drawn.

He threw it in his Disk, and it materialized set in his Spell Zone.

"Your move…" he said.

Poison drew a card.

Then she let out a cruel laugh.

"I play Limiter Removal!" she cackled.

The engine of the giant Machine started to go haywire, and its pistons and gears started to pound out of control. Rivets popped. (6,400 ATK)

"It's overkill, I know…" she said, "but hey… It's fun!"

"Yeah?" said Andy. "Well, this one isn't gonna be fun at all…"

His Trap Card lifted up.

"But I'll do it anyway… Activate Burst Breath!"

King Dragun burst into pixels of dark energy.

"By sacrificing King Dragun, I can destroy all Monsters on the field with Defense Scores that are less than his Attack Score!"

What happened next could best be described as a storm of fire. It completely engulfed Andy, Poison, and the three Monsters that remained on the field…

The flames started to die down… Everyone moved to get a closer look…

Only one Monster had survived… Tyrant Dragon.

And it was grinning at Poison, hungrily…

"Well, Poison?" asked Andy.

Poison looked at Tyrant Dragon. It growled a little…

She fell to her knees.

"I give up!" she pleaded. "Just call it off, please!"

Andy deactivated his Duel Disk and the Dragon vanished.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he asked. "Now hand over the card and high-tail it out of here."

Poison didn't say a word. She simply threw the Crystal Card on the ground, and then silently walked to her bike.

Andy took a deep breath and took off his sunglasses as everyone watched her drive away.

"She couldn't go through with it…" said Betty. "Seems she was just a big coward…"

"Most bullies are…" replied Stan.

Francesca looked at Andy.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Ever feel like you've been run over by a semi?" asked Andy. "I'm a little tender, but I'll be fine…"

"You've got a pretty powerful deck there…" said Stan.

"That's what they tell me…" replied Andy, with a sigh.

Francesca looked at her pendant.

"Well people…" she said. "We're here… And we have these…

"Even if it just means our grandparents all visited the same tacky souvenir stand, it does make things interesting…

"Maybe we should stay together for a while, you think? Might make things… fun?"

Andy smirked. He looked at Stan, and the three of them held out their hands, clasping them together.

"So, where to next?" asked Francesca, as the crowd started to disperse.

She turned towards the ominous-looking old castle on the hill.

"Wonder what's up there?"

"You want to know about Hooktail Castle?" asked a voice.

They all turned to the source of the voice, and saw an old woman dressed in a long coat and a hood, sitting in a rocking chair in front of the tavern.

"There's an old story surrounding that place…" she said. "Although, I must warn you, the story has sent a lot of greedy treasure hunters to bad ends."

"I'm not scared of old stories," said Stan.

"That might change," chuckled the old woman. "They say about a thousand years ago, a dragon called Hooktail lived up there."

"Hooktail?" said Stan. "You know, I have the strangest feeling I've heard all this before…"

The Nintendo GameCube was old news, but so much of Arcadia seemed to reflect a certain game that he had heard of…

"Dunno…" said the old woman. "I guess word spread… But she was a nasty critter… She preyed on the people of this town like a wolf on sheep…"

"Hold it…" said Francesca. "You don't actually expect us to believe that a real dragon lives up there, do you?"

"No anymore, she doesn't," replied the old woman. "You see, she met her end at the hands of a brave warrior…"

"This guy wouldn't happen to have been a mustachioed chap with a big hammer?" asked Stan almost laughing.

"Nope," said the old woman. "Not even close. Most of the time with dragons, the knight rescues the princess from the beast. But this time, the dragon-slayer was a princess herself. A warrior princess… A young lass with the heart of the wild beating in her chest. It was said that she commanded the wild beasts, and they counted her among their own.

"She forayed into the castle and confronted Hooktail, slaying her and ending the threat she posed forever…

"She and some friends looted Hooktail's horde… But some people say that they missed one powerful artifact, a mighty magical jewel that remains even to this day…"

She leaned back in her chair.

"Listen closely… They say that deep within that castle, where the battle took place, where Hooktail's moldering bones still lie, a guardian stands guard over the dragon's most precious treasure, and only someone who can master the beasts, like the one who slew Hooktail, can defeat the guardian and claim it…"

She chuckled a little.

"Wow…" said Francesca.

She took out her deck and leafed through it.

"Master the beasts, huh? I've got a deck full of them! I should have no problem!"

"Fran!" said Andy. "You sure this is wise?"

"Oh, come on, Andy…" said Francesca. "The folks running this tournament obviously put things like this around for us to do, like secret levels in video games. The 'guardian' is likely a duelist, and I'm guessing the 'treasure' is probably a card.

"This could help out a great deal…

"Old timer, how do we get up to that place?"

"Just follow the dirt road up the hill north of town…" said the old woman. "It'll lead you straight to it."

"Thanks!" said Francesca.

She looked at Stan and Andy.

"You two coming?" she asked. "It's only four o'clock… We've got plenty of time!"

They shrugged, and as she ran for the north part of town, they followed after.

Meanwhile, the old woman was chuckling softly but quietly.

She lowered her hood, and removed a wig. She wasn't old at all, and calling her a woman seemed to be wrong too. She seemed to be even younger than Francesca.

A couple of townsfolk noticed, and slowly moved away from her in horror.

"I can't believe they fell for it!" she laughed. "Now to get there before they do…"

She threw the long coat aside, and turned into an orb of golden light. As she flew towards the castle, a few of the townsfolk who were watching silently hung their heads. A few of them wept.

Across the street, Lord Crump was watching.

He quickly dialed a number on his mobile.

"Yes?" said the voice on the other end.

"Your majesty," he said, "Melissa is up to something… She's leading your… guests to Hooktail Castle."

"I see…" said the voice. "Interesting…"

"You want me to follow them?" asked Crump, nervously.

"Do you _want _to get in Melissa's way?" asked the voice.

"Uh… No…" replied Crump.

"Then you just answered your own question," she said. "Stay out of her way."

**0000000000**

In her dark chamber, Melissa's mother hung up the phone.

_Hooktail Castle, huh? _she thought. _I stopped maintaining that old place after that brat slew Hooktail… _

_I should still be able to scry it, though._

The crystal ball in front of her flashed to life, and she watched as the three teenagers walked up the hill.

_So, Melissa… What exactly are you planning?_

_We'll soon see…_

**0000000000**

**AWAKENING FROM BEYOND (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A ghostly face superimposed over a group of coffins.

**Card Effect: **Your opponent draws 2 cards. Add 1 Monster Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

_Note: "Awakening from Beyond" was first used by the Pharaoh in the original anime episode "The Final Duel (Part 3)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**STRONG SHOVEL (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/1,800ATK/100DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, increase its Level by 1.

**0000000000**

**ROAD ROLLER (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/600ATK/2,100DEF**

**Effect: **If this card is attacked, flip the attacking Monster into facedown Defense Position after damage calculation.

_Note: "Strong Shovel" and "Road Roller" were first used by Shobee in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 028. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SOUL OF STEEL (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Kozaky looking at blueprints for the Woodborg Inpachi, as the regular Inpachi stands in front of him.

**Card Description: **Activate when one of your Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monsters is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon a Machine-Type Monster from your hand that is 1 Level higher than the Monster returned to your hand.

**0000000000**

**DOPPELGANGER DRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Dragon/Dark/Effect/Level3/1,000 ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Summoned, you may pay 1,000 Life Points and select 1 Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck that lists 1 Dragon-Type Monster and 1 non-Dragon-Type Monster as its Fusion Material Monsters. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, its name is treated as that of the non-Dragon-Type Monster listed as a Fusion Material Monster for the selected Fusion Monster.

**0000000000**

_**Andy claims his first victory, and all three of our protagonists now have three cards? What could possibly go wrong?**_

_**Next:**_

_**Francesca: When things are looking up, that's when something bad happens. It seemed at first that this castle was all smoke and mirrors, but I have to admit, whoever is creating these illusions deserves to work for ILM.**_

_**And my opponent is either a **_**very **_**good method actor, or she actually wants my head. To make things worse, her powerful strategy is not only one I recognize, but one I faced before…**_

_**Not successfully, I might add… And I'm starting to wonder what might happen if I lose…**_

"_**Light Spiral" is coming soon. **_


	6. Light Spiral

_**I came to Arcadia expecting a tournament like none other, and I have to say, this place is living up to its expectations so far…**_

_**Both the wildlife and domesticated animals here look a lot like Duel Monsters. Creating these illusions must take a technological miracle. **_

_**Thing is, me and two friends that I've made are now trekking through a spooky castle, and the illusions are even more realistic…**_

_**And one of the visions I've seen…**_

_**Well… It kinda hits me personally…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL SIX**

**0000000000**

**Light Spiral**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As Stan, Andy, and Francesca walked up the hill, the lush meadows with fruit trees populated by the cute Naturia Monsters quickly faded. There didn't seem to be much wildlife here, and most of the flora consisted of weeds and strange bushes and shrubs.

Francesca kept feeling flushed. Dizziness started to overtake her as they climbed the last hill.

"Guys, guys…" she said. "Can we… Stop and rest for a minute?"

"Sure…" said Andy. "Take… Take all the time you want…"

Francesca sat down…

Then a vision came to her… It was as if she was dreaming, but she knew that she was wide awake…

**0000000000**

A woman was walking down a dungeon corridor, leading a unicorn by the hand. The clothing was almost recognizable – it was Lady of Unicorns, but Francesca couldn't see her face. The unicorn was pure white with a black mane.

The woman and her companion looked around cautiously. The unicorn let out a nervous neigh, causing the woman to hug it closely, as if to calm it. Francesca strained to try to see the woman's face, but each time she tried, the shadows were certain to conceal it…

Then the scene changed, dramatically. The woman was now mounted on the unicorn, and a monstrous sight loomed above them… A giant dragon with rust-red scales, blunt teeth, huge claws, and a giant snout.

The mounted warrior maiden charged at the beast on her steed swinging a scimitar, and a great battle ensued. The dragon tried to sear the warrior and her mount with its fiery breath and stomp them with its feet, but each time, they dodged…

Finally, the rider made a great leap from her mount, and landed on the dragon's back. She lifted her sword above her head and drove it deep between the beast's shoulder blades. With a crash, the terrible dragon collapsed. It was dead.

The victor went back to the unicorn and hugged it lovingly, with sweat pouring down her brow…

And then, Francesca finally saw her face… It gave her quite a shock.

Francesca had thought that Lady of Unicorns had looked like her before… But this time there was no mistaking it…

This warrior who had slain the dragon… The resemblance between the two of them was almost perfect…

This woman _was _her…

**0000000000**

"Francesca?" said Stan. "Hello? Earth to Francesca!"

Francesca's eyes opened.

"Uh, I'm fine…" she said.

She got up. Her head was much clearer now.

"I was… Just daydreaming…"

They started to walk towards the castle again.

_Why did I see myself as one of my Monsters? _she thought. _Fighting a dragon? Am I cracking up?_

**0000000000**

Eventually, the large, forboding castle stood in front of them. The front was shaped like a large skull, the mouth serving as a drawbridge. If the moat ever contained water, it had dried up a long time ago.

"So how do we get in?" asked Stan.

"Uh…" said Francesca.

As if to answer, the drawbridge slowly lowered with a loud creak. They stepped backwards as it slammed down in front of them.

"Welcome to Castle Greyskull…" said Andy. "You still think this is a good idea, Fran?"

They heard a loud caw. They looked up, and saw a large raven looking down on them from the castle balcony up above.

No, not a raven… It was a Yata-Garasu…

Before they could question this, it flew away.

"Come on, people…" replied Francesca. "Ten to one, I just have to defeat some guy who works for Meyers, probably who uses a Dragon Deck, most likely with a custom card named after this Hooktail creature. When I do, I'll get some rare Duel Monsters card that works with Beast Monsters. Nothing more."

**0000000000**

The dark lady was watching them progress through her crystal ball.

_Oh, but it's a lot more, Francesca… _she thought. _A lot more…_

She walked over to a fireplace, and as she did, a bright violet flame lit inside it.

She took a deck of cards from her dress, and started to look through them.

_Think I'll give them something to shake them up before Melissa confronts them… _she thought.

She eventually chose a violet-bordered Monster Card. It was Zombie Warrior, a very old Fusion Monster that no duelist actually used nowadays…

Still, it fit this particular purpose.

She threw the card into the fire, and it burned fiercely…

The next moment, a violet fireball blasted out of the top of the mountain in the center of Arcadia, and shot towards Petalburg…

**0000000000**

The inside of Hooktail Castle was no less scary than the outside. The three duelists were walking down a corridor lit with torches, with ominous suits of armor standing at every twenty paces.

"Hey people…" said Andy. "Think this was supposed to be Hooktail?"

Stan and Francesca looked, and saw that he was looking at an aged tapestry depicting a fierce dragon flying over Petalburg Meadows.

Francesca gulped. It was the same dragon in her vision…

"Let's keep going…" she said.

They came to a door at the end of the hallway. Francesca tried it, and then slowly pushed it open.

"EWWW!" she shouted, as she opened it.

The room was a practical cemetery. Human skeletons littered the floor, some of which clutched broken swords and shields.

Another door was at the far end of the room.

Andy shivered.

"This is creepy…" he said.

Francesca took a deep breath. She slowly started to walk past the bones, towards the other door…

Then, when they were halfway through, there was an eerie clatter… The three of them stopped, a cold chill running up their spines…

They turned around, and saw one of the skeletons rise to its feet, lifting its rusty weapon. No sooner had it done so then another stood up, and then another.

Stan, Andy, and Francesca stood with their backs to each other as the undead creatures glared at them.

"Now what?" shouted Andy, almost in a panic.

"Just follow my lead…" said Francesca.

Then she screamed, and ran for the door that they were headed for. Fortunately it wasn't locked. It seemed like a good idea for Stan and Andy, so they ran after her.

"Keep running!" shouted Francesca.

"They're running after us!" replied Stan. "They run pretty fast for things with no muscles!"

They dashed down the hallway, and into a large, circular room…

Unfortunately, it had no exits.

"We're trapped!" shouted Francesca, almost panicking.

Stan turned as the skeletons started to enter the room.

"Wait…" he said. "Wait… one… minute…"

He held his Duel Disk in front of him, and activated it.

"What are you doing?" asked Andy, frantically.

"These things are Zombie Warriors," replied Stan. "Duel Monsters… Maybe we can fight them with _our _Monsters…"

Andy and Francesca looked at him.

It was the best idea they could think of, so they activated their Disks. The Zombie Warriors let out a horse roar… (1,200 ATK x20)

"I summon… Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Stan.

He threw the card on his Disk, and a pretty female Spellcaster in a blue skirt and wizard's hat leapt out in front of him, holding a crooked staff. (1,600 ATK)

"I'll summon D.D. Unicorn Knight!" shouted Francesca.

She played one of her cards, and a tall, armored warrior with a single-horned helmet, wings on his back, and holding a trident, appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Masked Dragon!" shouted Andy, playing a card.

A rust-red and silver winged Dragon with a metallic hide and an iron mask over the upper part of its face appeared. (1,400 ATK)

The Zombie Warriors charged, but the three duelists' Monsters bravely opposed them. Magician's Valkyria cast a powerful spell, blowing a group of them into dark pixels. D.D. Unicorn Knight fired a blast of energy from his weapon, smashing another group of them to shards.

Then Masked Dragon spread its wings and flew over the remaining Fusion Monsters. It spewed a gout of flame, incinerating them.

"Whoa…" said Andy. "We beat them…"

Magician's Valkyria and D.D. Unicorn Knight looked at each other. Then then shook hands.

Then they turned to Masked Dragon, and pet it affectionately on the head. It growled happily.

"Seems our Monsters make a pretty good team…" said Francesca.

"They seem to think so…" replied Stan.

As the three Monsters vanished, they noticed that the room now had an exit: a spiral staircase leading up, into the ceiling of the room.

"I think we'd better go this way…" said Francesca. "Let's go… This is almost getting fun."

They started to climb the stairway.

**0000000000**

In her dark chamber, the one who had created the Zombie Warriors growled.

"Well, that was a bust," she said. "Didn't scare them at all…

"Fun, huh? We'll see how much fun you find it in the next room…

"Because that's where we stop playing around…"

**0000000000**

Francesca groaned as they finally reached the top of the long spiral staircase.

They were in another long hallway, one with windows on one side. They took a casual glance out, and saw that they were hundreds of feet up.

They walked down the hallway, past faded paintings and torn tapestries, until they came to a large, iron door, decorated with the image of a fierce dragon on the front.

"Man, we'll never get that open…" said Stan.

Then the door slowly swung open.

"Looks like we don't have to…" said Andy.

They walked into a very big room…

And then they gazed, spellbound, at the enormous _thing _inside.

It was beyond belief. A skeleton, about a hundred feet long and ten feet tall was sprawled in the center of the room. It was obvious what it was supposed to have once belonged to: it had the shape of a dragon, far larger than any Dragon that Andy had ever summoned in a duel.

"I think we found Hooktail…" said Andy.

"Don't… Don't be ridiculous…" muttered Francesca.

Still, she doubted her own words. She wanted to believe it was a fake… But this chamber… It was the exact same room that had appeared in her vision, where the mounted warrior who looked like her had slain that dragon.

"If that's fake…" said Stan, "whoever built it should send his resume to the Universal Studios props department."

"You folks are so naïve…" said a girlish voice.

Then there was a giggle, and a golden orb of light flew into the room. It flew at Francesca, and circled around her a few times.

Then it hovered in front of them, and turned into a young girl, about fourteen years old. She had long, platinum blonde hair, and wore silver spandex arranged in a tube top and shorts, and no shoes.

"Hell-o!" she laughed.

"And who might you be?" asked Francesca, suspiciously.

The strange girl's eyes glowed with white light.

"I'm the host of Hooktail Castle," said the strange girl. "And this is as far as you're gonna get on Arcadia, Francesca!"

A Duel Disk appeared on her left arm in a flash of light.

"You're spooking me out, kid…" said Stan.

"I'm supposed to!" laughed the girl. "I'm not the average duelist… I'm one of six siblings who enforce the will of the ruler of this island…"

"Ruler?" said Andy. "Arcadia has a parliament…"

"True, but only the most naïve of them think they really run this place," giggled the strange girl. "As for my little group, we are known as… Drum roll please…

"The Shadow Spawn!"

"Shadow Spawn?" said Francesca.

"I'm Melissa," continued the girl, "the Shadow Spawn of Light! And I knew you'd be easy to lure here with promises of a Beast-themed treasure…"

"So that was a lie?" asked Francesca, getting angry.

"Perish the thought!" said Melissa, looking offended. "I don't lie! I may play a lot of nasty tricks sometimes, I may spread a few stories around, and I may bluff and deceive, but outright lies?"

She pointed behind her, where there was a door.

"The treasure is in there… But… You have to get past me to get it…"

"Shouldn't be a problem…" said Francesca, rolling up her sleeve.

"Fran…" said Andy, putting his hand on Francesca's shoulder. "This is really weird… Maybe we should just ditch this chick and…"

Then the door they had come through slammed shut.

"Uh-uh…" said Melissa. "Afraid that escape is impossible… I'll let your two friends go once this is over, Francesca… But you won't be so lucky…"

Then Melissa pointed at her, and Francesca found her muscles start to go rigid…

Then, to her horror, she was slowly lifted off the ground. Stan and Andy watched in disbelief as she was telekinetically pulled over to the huge skeleton, and set down on the back of its vertebrae.

Then Melissa appeared in front of her, between the giant beast's clavicles.

"Now ain't this interesting?" she said.

Then her expression suddenly turned serious.

"Francesca Benedict," she said, in an accusatory tone, "you stand accused of the crimes committed by your ancestor against the ruler of this principality. How do you plead?"

"Say WHAT?" shouted Fran.

"Answer the question!" demanded Melissa.

"Uh… not guilty?" replied Fran.

"Then we'll just have to duel…" replied Melissa.

"Wait!" shouted Fran. "What happens if I lose?"

"Then I find you guilty," replied Melissa. "And by the way, yes, I do have that authority. Now let's start…"

"You want to duel on top of a giant corpse?" asked Francesca.

"I sure don't hear Hooktail complaining!" laughed Melissa.

**0000000000**

_Very clever, Melissa, _thought her mother. _You realized that, despite being dead for a millennia, Hooktail's rotting carcass still exudes a remnant of my power, and you can draw that power from it to give you an advantage in this duel…_

_Well, you'd better win… Because thanks to your big mouth, one of the secrets that I try to hide from the outside world is no longer completely a secret to the three of them…_

**0000000000**

"I probably should warn you…" said Melissa. "I've been able to duel with the best of them since I was able to read the text on the cards…"

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Melissa: 8,000)**

"All right…" said Francesca.

She looked over her hand of six cards.

_This kid may be bluffing… _she thought. _She may be all talk… This all may be smoke and mirrors… But… A little voice inside me says that it just might not be…_

She fit a card on her Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of her.

"Uh, your move…" she said.

Melissa grinned as she made a draw.

"I play my Foolish Burial Spell Card!" she laughed.

She played the card, and then took a card from her deck, and quickly discarded it.

Then a shining light appeared in front of her.

"And the Monster I discarded has a special effect when it's sent directly from my deck to the Graveyard… Let's just say, it doesn't stay there long…"

From out of the light, a Beast-Warrior appeared. It was a wolfman, but comparing it to Ox's Lycanthrope would be like comparing Cujo to Lassie. This one had soft, white fur, wore golden jewelry and a pure, white breechcloth, and held an ornately decorated halberd. (2,100 ATK)

Francesca flinched a little at the sight of it… This Monster brought back some bad memories…

"Meet Wulf, Lightsworn Beast," said Melissa. "And now I'll summon one of his friends… Jain, Lightsworn Paladin."

There was another aura of intense light, and a young warrior who could best be described as androgynous (possibly slightly on the female side) dressed in shining armor with a cape, holding a sword and a shield, appeared next to Wulf. (1,800 ATK)

"You know about Lightsworns, Francesca?" asked Melissa, with an evil smile.

_Not only do I know about them, _thought Francesca, nervously, _I've dueled against someone using them before…_

_It wasn't a pleasant experience…_

"Attack her Monster, Wulf!" shouted Melissa.

Wulf twirled the halberd around, and leapt at the set Monster. A small flying squirrel appeared on the card, and was cut in half.

"Thanks…" said Francesca. "You just killed my Nimble Momonga… That means I gain 1,000 Life Points, and the ability to set two more of them from my deck…"

Two more set Monsters appeared in front of her.

"Big deal…" said Melissa. "I'll attack another one with Jain…"

Jain lifted her sword.

"And when she attacks a Monster, she gains 300 Attack Points!"

Jain flew at one of the set Momongas, her Attack Score rising to 2,100. She cleaved it in half.

"Thanks again…" said Francesca.

**(F: 10,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)**

"I end my turn…" said Melissa. "And that means that, due to Jain's effect, I have to send two cards from my deck to the Graveyard…"

She quickly discarded two cards.

_I have to win this duel fast… _thought Francesca, as she made a draw. _Before she has enough Lightsworns in her Graveyard to summon…_

She shuddered. The Monster she was thinking of was so powerful, even its name was frightening.

"All right, Shadow Spawn, or whatever you call yourself…" she said, as she held up a Spell Card. "I remove this card from play…"

She pocketed the card.

"…to Special Summon Monoceros."

In a flash of light, the large, bulky, unicorn-rhinoceros cross appeared in front of her. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I'll summon Elephun."

In another flash, a cute baby elephant with sky-blue skin and ears that resembled wings appeared next to Monoceros. It gave Melissa a big smile, and let out a trumpet. (500 ATK)

"Seems pretty friendly…" said Melissa.

"True…" said Francesca. "It's _very _friendly. But the Monster I'm going to summon using it isn't friendly in the least…

"I Tune together Elephun and Monoceros…"

The two Beasts flew into the air, Elephun turning into a set of golden rings and Monoceros flying through them…

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

With a loud whinny, Thunder Unicorn leapt out in front of Francesca. Her beautiful eyes glowed as she glared at Melissa; clearly, she didn't like her at all. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, when Monoceros is used to Synchro Summon a Monster and a Beast-Type Monster is the Tuner," continued Francesca, "the Tuner is Special Summoned back to the field."

A portal opened in the ground in front of her, and Elephun emerged. (300 DEF)

"Next, I'll use Thunder Unicorn's effect," she said. "Because I have three Monsters, I can lower Jain's Attack Score by 1,500 points."

Jain clutched her chest and grimaced… (300 ATK)

"However, Thunder Unicorn is the only Monster that can attack this turn… But she's enough…

"Attack her Lightsworn Paladin! Thunder Spear!"

The Unicorn galloped across the large backbone, and drove its horn into the Warrior's chest, piercing her armor. Melissa giggled a little as she shattered.

**(F: 10,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,100)**

"This is bad…" said Andy. "Each Lightsworn that Fran defeats brings Melissa closer to the requirement for the ultimate goal of a Lightsworn Deck…"

"Judgment Dragon…" muttered Stan. "We can only hope that Fran's luck is better than hers…"

"I'll throw this facedown and my turn is over," said Francesca, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"My turn?" giggled Melissa.

She drew a card.

"I'll move Wulf to Defense Mode…" she said.

The Beast-Warrior knelt, and held its weapon in its lap. (300 DEF)

"Then I'll set a Monster, and another card…"

She played two cards, and two set cards appeared, one behind the other.

"It's your move…"

Francesca nervously made a draw.

"All right…" she said, as she held up a card. "The card that I removed from play to summon Monoceros last turn was this one…"

"Card from a Different Dimension?" giggled Melissa.

"I see you've heard of it," replied Francesca. "Anyway, I get it back this turn, and we both make two draws…"

Francesca drew twice, and her opponent did the same.

"Now I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the unicorn with the blue mane appeared in a beam of light. She looked at Melissa sternly, clearly not liking her any more than Thunder Unicorn did. (1,800 ATK)

"Now I use her effect…"

She flipped the top card on her deck.

"And it's Synchro Boost!" she exclaimed.

She quickly threw it into her Disk.

"It increases Sunlight Unicorn's Attack Score by 500 points!"

(2,300 ATK)

"Now, I'll flip Nimble Momonga into Attack Mode…"

The card flipped up, and the large flying squirrel appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"…and it will attack your Lightsworn Beast!"

The Nimble Momonga glided towards the Lightsworn Beast, swooping down on it and blowing it into golden shards.

"All right, Sunlight Unicorn, attack her other Monster!"

Sunlight Unicorn charged towards the set Monster…

Unfortunately, it was exactly what Francesca had feared it was… A small wolf with pure white fur, wearing golden jewelry.

"You activated the Flip Effect of Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter!" laughed Melissa. "That means I can send three cards from my deck to my Graveyard…"

She discarded the three cards.

"…and your Thunder Unicorn is wolf chow!"

A phantom of Ryko pounced at Thunder Unicorn, grabbing her by the neck with its fangs. Thunder Unicorn collapsed, and both Monsters shattered.

Francesca sighed.

"I guess I end my turn…" she said.

Melissa giggled as she drew a card.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" she laughed.

Her facedown card lifted up, and a Lightsworn appeared that was _definitely _female. She had richly tanned skin and short, blonde hair. She wore a pure white halter top and skirt with gold embroidery. (1,000 ATK)

"Uh… oh…" said Francesca.

"You got that right…" said Melissa. "I use the effect of Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, and ditch one of my cards…"

She discarded a second copy of Wulf.

"…to Special Summon a low-Level Lightsworn from my Graveyard…"

The first Wulf appeared, brandishing its weapon. (2,100 ATK)

"And now, I'll sacrifice my Wulf…"

Wulf turned into an orb of blinding light.

"Come on out, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"

The orb burst, and a far more powerful female form was standing in its place, wearing armor similar to that worn by Jean. She had glorious feathered wings and a tiara on her long, blue hair that was tied in a long ponytail. (2,300 ATK)

"Now, I simply have to send four more cards from my deck to the Graveyard," she said, as she made four more discards, "and Celestia can waste two of your cards!"

Celestia's eyes glowed, and Sunlight Unicorn and Nimble Momonga were both blown to atoms.

"All right Lumina, take care of that elephant! Illusion Blast!"

Lumina's hands became shrouded in pure light, and she blasted twin beams at the Tuner, eradicating it.

"Now comes my favorite part…" said Melissa, with a sly smile. "Well… Second-favorite… Celestia, attack Francesca directly!"

Celestia powered up an even greater bolt of light. Francesca screamed as the burning blast hit her…

She fell to her knees…

**(F: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,100)**

"What… What the Hell happened?" gasped Francesca, as she gasped for breath. "Did… Did my Disk malfunction? That shouldn't have…"

"Oh, right…" said Melissa. "This is your first time, isn't it?"

Francesca looked at her.

"First time?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"You've never played in a Shadow Duel before, have you?" asked Melissa.

She chuckled.

"Let me explain it to you in a nutshell… That pain you just felt… It wasn't the phantom pain that you usually feel from a duel that you're able to shake off in a few seconds.

"In a Shadow Duel, it's quite real…"

"It isn't hurting you when I attack!" protested Francesca.

"Well of course it is!" laughed Melissa. "Thing is, I've been in _lots _of Shadow Duels! You get used to it after a while. You would too if you got the chance…

"But I'm not going to give you that chance… You're going to lose here… And you won't be doing much dueling at all after that…"

"We'll see about that," grunted Francesca.

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Damage Gate!"

She stood up.

"Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard with an Attack Score equal or less to the amount of damage I just took."

Sunlight Unicorn appeared again, clearly a little angry now. (1,800 ATK)

"Well then…" said Melissa. "I end my turn… Meaning I have to send three cards from my deck to my Graveyard due to Lumina."

She discarded the three cards.

Francesca drew a card.

The cards in her hand were Key Mouse, Chain Dog, Uni-Horned Familiar, Lock Cat, Magical Stone Excavation, and Card from a Different Dimension.

_She must have the four required Lightsworns in her Graveyard to summon Judgment Dragon by now… _she thought. _It's all a matter of when she'll draw it… Or when she'll draw Monster Reincarnation if she's already discarded a copy._

"I use Sunlight Unicorn's effect…" she said.

She flipped the top card on her deck. This time, it was Beast Striker. She frowned, and put it at the bottom of her deck.

"Now, Sunlight Unicorn, destroy Lumina!"

Sunlight Unicorn charged, and speared the Lightsworn Summoner. She toppled backwards and shattered.

Francesca took Uni-Horned Familiar and set it on her Disk. The set Monster appeared next to her Unicorn.

"Done…" she said.

Melissa drew a card, and looked over the cards in her hand.

"Heh, heh, heh…" she said. "You are one lucky bitch, Francesca…"

Celestia blasted her bolt, atomizing Sunlight Unicorn.

"But your luck can't hold out forever… I set one card facedown, and end my turn…"

A set card appeared behind Celestia.

**(F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,100)**

"Then I'll draw…" said Francesca.

She drew a card.

It was Hypnocorn.

_Let's see here… _she thought. _Hypnocorn is a Dark Monster… That means I have what I need to Synchro Summon my Dusk Unicorn…_

_If I did that, all of Melissa's Light Monsters couldn't use their effects… I could even keep Judgment Dragon from destroying all the cards on the field…_

_The problem is, I couldn't stop Melissa from summoning it, and Dusk Unicorn only has 2,300 Attack Points, compared to Judgment Dragon's 3,000. In fact, Dusk Unicorn can't even defeat Celestia… It would be a temporary solution at best…_

_There has to be another option…_

Then something suddenly came to her…

_Hey… _she thought. _I just had the craziest idea…_

"I summon Hypnocorn!" she shouted.

In an aura of shadow, the small, shaggy-coated, ram-horned Beast appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Next, Uni-Horned Familiar moves to Attack Mode…"

The set card flipped forward, and the small, horned imp appeared. (0 ATK)

"Then, I play Magical Stone Excavation," she said, as she played a Spell Card. "So I'll toss two cards…"

She discarded Key Mouse and Chain Dog.

"…to get back Synchro Boost…"

She took the Spell Card from her discard slot.

"…which I'll Equip to Hypnocorn, increasing its Attack Score by 500, and its Level by 1."

(1,900 ATK)

"That means I can Tune together Uni-Horned Familiar and Hypnocorn…"

The Familiar flew towards the ceiling, and faded into the glowing rings once again. Hypnocorn flew through them.

"_Where lightning does indeed strike twice, a Beast of incredible power and twice the ferocity is born!"_

**(*2 + *5 = *7)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Voltic Bicorn!"_

With a loud neigh, a unicorn larger than Thunder Unicorn, but not quite as large as Lightning Tricorn, appeared on the field, glowing with radiant energy. It had two long horns, a shaggy green mane, and its coat was black with golden lightning bolt designs. (2,500 ATK)

Its eyes glowed as it looked at Celestia.

"Attack!" shouted Francesca. "Double Shockwave!"

Voltic Bicorn blasted twin bolts of lightning from its horns. Celestia grunted, and then was blown to gibbets.

Melissa frowned.

**(F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,800)**

"I hope you enjoyed that…" said the Shadow Spawn of Light, "because you're going down…"

"It's your move…" said Francesca, nervously.

Melissa drew a card and looked at it.

"I set this," she said, as she set it in her Spell Zone.

"And then I activate _this!"_

The Trap Card she had set on her last turn lifted up.

"Beckoning Light!" she exclaimed.

She held up the remaining three cards in her hand.

"I send every card in my hand to the Graveyard…"

She discarded all three of them.

"…and in return, I get to recover three Light-Attribute Monsters _from _my Graveyard!"

Francesca almost bit her tongue in fright. Her plan had a slim enough chance of working as it was… If Melissa managed to summon _two _Judgment Dragons, the chance would become even slimmer.

Melissa smirked as she took three cards from her discard slot.

"And now, here he comes…" she said, as she played a card.

The aura of light now was almost overwhelming.

"The almighty divine punisher… I summon… _Judgment Dragon!"_

The powerful, dreaded King of the Lightsworns flew out of the light, a huge, silvery winged Dragon covered with sharp feathers, with a look on its face that conveyed both power and wisdom. (3,000 ATK)

Francesca trembled.

"Now, before I show you what he can do…" said Melissa.

The card she had just set lifted up.

"I activate my Pot of Avarice!"

She took five Monsters from her discard slot, combined them with the cards remaining in her deck, reshuffled, and made two draws. Whether this was good for her or bad, Francesca didn't know… She'd see in a minute.

"Now, I use Judgment Dragon's effect…" said Melissa, as she pointed her hand forward, and the light surrounding the Dragon started to intensify. "I give up 1,000 Life Points to destroy all cards on the field except itself!"

Again, the light became overwhelming, but strangely, Voltic Bicorn glared at Judgment Dragon defiantly…

Then, she was blown to pixels.

"Hey, Melissa!" shouted Francesca. "You just activated my Bicorn's effect…

"When she's destroyed, either by battle or my opponent's card effect, both players send seven cards from their decks to the Graveyard!"

"Say WHAT?" shouted Melissa.

Francesca took seven cards from her deck. She quickly looked at them, and then discarded them.

"You heard me…" she replied. "Dump 'em…"

Melissa growled, and took seven cards from her deck.

"Now I see…" said Andy. "With a Lightsworn Deck, the downside is the self-milling effect. It can be dangerous if the duel goes on too long…

"By using Voltic Bicorn's effect, Francesca just made it even more dangerous for Melissa."

"You're gonna pay for that, bitch," said Melissa, as she played another card. "You remember, Jain, right?"

She played a card, and Jain, Lightsworn Paladin appeared underneath the Dragon. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack Francesca directly!"

Jain lunged at Francesca, and stabbed her in the torso with sword. Fran grunted in pain.

"And now for my _absolute_ favorite part…" said Melissa. "Judgment Dragon, your turn! Ultimate Divine Judgment!"

The huge Dragon breathed a bolt of pure, destructive energy. It hit Francesca like a sledgehammer, and knocked her backwards, clear off of Hooktail's skeleton…

"Oh no you don't…" said Melissa.

She lifted her hand, and an energy field stopped Francesca from falling, and then pulled her back onto the skeleton.

"You don't get out of this that easily!"

Francesca coughed and held her ribs. That one had hurt even worse than Celestia's attack…

Another one, and she knew she was finished…

**(F: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,800)**

"It's your move, Francesca…" said Melissa. "Hurry up and make it… There's a TV show on at seven that I'd like to get back in time to watch…"

"Hey, Melissa!" shouted Stan. "Don't forget, you have discard four cards from your deck due to Judgment Dragon."

"Plus two for Jain!" added Andy.

Melissa growled and discarded the six cards.

"You creeps aren't gonna get away with this…" she muttered.

Francesca didn't answer. She just made a draw.

"I summon Lock Cat!" she shouted.

She played the card, and a very sassy-looking white cat with a padlock attached to its collar appeared in front of her. (1,200 ATK)

"By Normal Summoning it, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level 1 Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard, with its effect negated. So, I'll Special Summon Lock Cat's friend, Key Mouse."

A small, white mouse with a key on its tail and another key and a padlock on a collar appeared next to Lock Cat. (100 DEF)

"And because I have two Beasts on the field," she continued, "I can Special Summon their mutual friend Chain Dog from my Graveyard."

Another Beast, this one a beagle with a waistcoat made of golden chains, again with a key and a padlock on its collar, appeared next to the two Beasts. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, I Tune together Key Mouse, Lock Cat, and Chain Dog…"

The three Beasts flew towards the ceiling, Key Mouse leading the way. The smallest Beast turned into glowing rings, and the other two flew through them…

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*1 + *3 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

Lightning flashed, and the powerful, triple-horned unicorn with golden armor appeared in front of Francesca. (2,800 ATK)

"Next I play… Megamorph!" shouted Francesca.

She played the card, and Lightning Tricorn reared up on its hind legs, giving a fierce neigh. (5,600 ATK)

"Attack Judgment Dragon!" shouted Francesca. "Giga Volt Charge!"

Lightning Tricorn charged at the much larger Monster.

"I don't think so…" said Melissa.

She quickly took a card from her discard slot, and Lightning Tricorn was halted by an aura of darkness.

"Thanks to my Necro Gardna, your attack is cancelled out…"

Sweat started to form on Francesca's forehead.

_Then it all comes down to what happens on Melissa's turn… _she thought.

She looked at her deck.

"I… end my turn…" she said.

"I draw one card…" said Melissa.

She made a draw.

"And again, I pay 1,000 Life Points to use Judgment Dragon's effect!"

Again, the light in the room became overpowering, and Lightning Tricorn was blown to bits. Jain was too, but Melissa didn't seem to care.

"Now then…" said Melissa.

"I activate Lightning Tricorn's effect!" shouted Francesca. "When it's destroyed, I get to Special Summon Thunder Unicorn or Voltic Bicorn from my Graveyard!"

Voltic Bicorn appeared again, sitting in Defense Mode. (2,000 DEF)

Melissa gave a look of shock.

"So tell me, Melissa…" said Francesca, looking sternly at her foe. "Just how many cards does your deck have left?"

Melissa flinched nervously.

_I have exactly seven left… _she thought. _If I use Judgment Dragon's effect a second time, I'd lose them all!_

_But… I'm not considered decked out unless I don't have any when I actually have to draw one… And if I attacked directly with Judgment Dragon, the duel would be over before that ever happened…_

_Nice try, Francesca…_

"I use Judgment Dragon's effect a second time!" she shouted.

The powerful light shone again, and Voltic Bicorn was blown to pieces.

"I use Voltic Bicorn's effect…" said Francesca.

"I know!" replied Melissa.

They both discarded seven cards, which in Melissa's case, left her with nothing left in her deck.

**(F: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,800)**

"It was a noble try, Francesca, but I haven't lost yet…" she said. "You, on the other hand…

"Judgment Dragon, attack Francesca directly!"

Judgment Dragon let out a loud roar… Andy and Stan forced themselves to look away…

…and then, it suddenly stopped…

"What are you waiting for!" shouted Melissa. "Finish her off!"

Francesca looked at her. She smirked.

"It can't…" she said.

She took a card from her discard slot.

"It was close, Melissa…" she said. "But when I sent seven cards to my Graveyard just now, one of them was this little guy…"

She held it up.

"It's called an Electromagnetic Turtle… Because it was sent to the Graveyard this turn, I was allowed to end the Battle Phase any time I wanted to. So your Dragon can't attack me."

A look of horror appeared on Melissa's face.

"Anything else you'd like to do?"

Melissa hung her head.

"No…" she moaned.

"Then I draw one card…" said Francesca, as she drew.

She looked at Melissa.

"You know," she said, "if I was feeling really cocky right now, I might think that I could use this card to blow your Dragon away and bring this duel to a truly epic finish…

"But I'm not, and it can't… So I'm just gonna end my turn…

"And because you don't seem to have any cards left to draw, I think that means you lose…"

Melissa fell to her knees. Judgment Dragon let out a loud moan, and then fell to the ground with a crash, apparently dead. Then it slowly vanished.

"So now what, Melissa?" asked Francesca.

Melissa didn't answer. An aura of darkness surrounded her, and she vanished.

"Huh?" said Francesca.

"Uh…"

She looked to both sides.

"Can you guys help me down from this thing?"

Andy and Stan held out their hands, and caught Francesca as she leapt down from the large skeleton. Francesca brushed herself off. She took a few deep breaths.

"Man, Francesca…" said Andy, "I thought you were dead meat… How were you so sure that Electromagnetic Turtle would be sent to the Graveyard that turn?"

Francesca sighed.

"I didn't…" she said. "There were seventeen cards left in my deck, so the odds of it being among the next seven were less than even. I just crossed my fingers and hoped it would…"

Then the same aura of darkness appeared in mid-air, and the three teenagers watched as someone new appeared. Melissa's mother slowly materialized, with a look on her face that was hard to interpret.

"Bravo," she said, clapping. "You've managed a feat that's never been done before, Francesca."

"Who are you?" demanded Francesca.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" she replied. "Ah, no matter… I'm sure it will come to you eventually…

"But I will tell you three that Melissa wasn't the only Shadow Spawn, and that she was the youngest. The others are more experienced, more mature, and wiser. Watch your backs, you three. The rest of them will come for you soon, when you least expect it.

"This is only the beginning…"

And then, she vanished in the same aura of darkness.

Francesca looked at Andy and Stan. Then she looked at the door that Melissa had pointed to.

"Well…" she said. "I had to take a 3,000-point direct attack to win that duel, and I still ache from it… Might as well see what I came all this way for…"

She carefully approached the door, and opened it… Behind the door was a small room, no bigger than an alcove. In the center was a pedestal.

On the pedestal was a single Spell Card. Francesca picked it up.

"It's called Earth Tremor…" she said.

She read the description.

"Whoa, this _is _pretty powerful…" she said.

"Well, you've certainly earned it…" said Stan. "And we might need some help… I don't know who Elvira over there was, but it seems someone might have it out for us…"

"Look people…" said Francesca… It's getting late… What do you say we stay here for the night… You know, 'rough it'?"

"You want to camp out in a haunted castle under the bones of a dragon?" asked Andy.

He looked around.

"Well…" he said nervously. "I suppose it might keep anyone else from bothering us…"

**0000000000**

Melissa appeared in a dark place, and landed with an unceremonious thump.

She looked around. She was in a large dungeon cell… One that she recognized. She shivered…

And she shivered even more as her mother appeared from out of the shadows in front of her.

"Mom, please!" she pleaded. "I'm sorry!"

"Not as sorry as I'm going to make you!" said her mother, as she grabbed her by the throat.

She lifted Melissa off the ground.

"Mom, I can't breathe!" gasped Melissa.

"That's because I'm choking you," said her mother.

She relaxed her grip slightly.

"Do you realize what's going to happen, Melissa?" she asked. "Several people in Petalburg saw you, and they know your target was one of those three.

"When all three of them come back unscathed, they're going to know that the unthinkable has happened… That one of the Shadow Spawn was defeated!

"And that's going to be very, very bad… For all of us…"

She slammed Melissa against the wall, and shackles and manacles grabbed the Shadow Spawn's wrists and ankles, while more chains restrained her waist and torso.

Her mother let go of her, but Melissa was chained to the wall. And Melissa knew that struggling was pointless… These chains were enchanted to hold one specific person – her.

"Start hoping that your siblings can do their job better than you did, Melissa," said her mother, "because until they succeed, you're grounded…"

She left, leaving the Shadow Spawn of Light alone… Melissa sighed, but deep down, she knew she was lucky… As far as her mother's punishments were concerned, this was considered lenient…

**0000000000**

As the moon rose over Hooktail Castle, Stan, Andy, and Francesca were sitting around a campfire under the giant skeleton, toasting marshmallows over a campfire.

"You know…" said Francesca, "if even a week ago someone told me that I'd be camping out alone with two boys my age toasting marshmallows… I'd have told him he was crazy…"

"So why exactly are you so defensive around boys?" asked Stan.

Francesca sighed.

"I wasn't always…" she said. "I guess it all goes back to my first real boyfriend, back when I was a freshman…

"You know what it's like to be a freshman, I trust… You're looked down on by the upper classmen, and the popular boys never give the time of day to the freshman girls…

"Well, I could _really _one-up the other freshman girls there… I was asked out by one of the most popular boys in the senior class.

"He was a kid from a rich family… Born with a silver spoon in his mouth… Why he was in a public school and not some fancy prep school, I have no idea…

"Anyway, he was real sweet at first, and it all went well for the first month…

"Then he wanted to take it too far… We went to a spring break event, and he told me to meet him somewhere, somewhere where he promised we'd be alone."

"You never met him there, I hope," replied Stan.

"Course not," replied Francesca. "I took off, and called my folks to ask them to pick me up.

"I thought it was over, but it wasn't. See, this guy was used to getting everything he had wanted, and he was angry that a girl had said 'no' to him.

"So when school started again, he started telling everyone that the exact opposite had happened. That he had scored. Word spread quickly, and the story became more lurid every time he told it. All of a sudden, the whole school started looking at me like I was some sort of cheap whore.

"This guy didn't fear retribution because he was rich. He thought that no-one would ever have the guts to question his word…"

She sighed.

"Fortunately, there were indeed two people that this jerk was afraid of… His parents. When they found out, they were furious, and demanded the whole story. He broke down and admitted that it was all a lie.

"That made it even worse for him. See, the reason that his family was rich was because they were big names in the local media. As bad as it would have been for their son to have taken advantage of a fourteen-year-old girl, spreading a story that was libel was far worse in their eyes.

"I never saw him again… I have no idea what happened to him… But it taught me to be more defensive around boys whose bodies were clearly older than their minds…"

Andy changed the subject.

"So…" he said. "Who's up for a ghost story?"

"Oh… I'm great at stories…" said Francesca.

She opened her duffel bag, and took out a deck of cards.

"You ever hear that all cards have stories behind them?" she said, as she shuffled the deck. "There are forty Monsters here, and I know the story behind each of them…"

She held out the deck.

"Pick one… You can't go wrong…"

Andy slowly drew the top card.

It was The Unfriendly Amazon.

"Hmm, interesting one…" said Francesca. "You know, despite that Warrior's name, she isn't an Amazoness, and Amazoness support cards don't work on her…

"But that wasn't always the case… And there's a reason why she's called 'unfriendly'…

"The Amazoness tribe, you see, always prided themselves on their strength and martial skill… But long ago, one of them was born who was a 'runt', so to speak, one who could not match the strength or skill of her sisters. Her original name and title has been forgotten by now, but it doesn't really matter. No matter how much she trained, she couldn't come close to their abilities. She couldn't even match Amazoness Blowpiper's skills on the battlefield.

"She got tired of the other members of the tribe treating her as a 'little sister'. She wanted to be accepted as an equal, dreaming of getting it by matching their power… Eventually, the dream became an obsession…

"So against her better judgment, she made a deal with a dark power. It isn't known who this demon was. Some say that it was Dark Ruler Ha Des, other believe it was Dark Master Zorc.

"But whoever it was, she got her wish. In her next battle, she found that her strength had more than doubled. She was now able to toss enemies aside with ease and shrug off wounds that had caused her pain before.

"But before long, it was clear that her newfound strength had a downside. She now seemed to lack the concepts of honor, mercy, and fair play. She started ignoring the Rules of Engagement. When a foe threw down his weapons and surrendered, she killed him anyway. When a foe turned tail and ran, she ran after him and stabbed him in the back. And when there wasn't a battle to be fought, she tried her hardest to go looking for one.

"Eventually, this particularly violent Amazoness who refused to follow the Rules of War was becoming notorious among all people who knew of her tribe, and her sisters were starting to take notice. None of them were angels, but the Amazoness tribe was starting to get a bad name, and people were starting to lose respect for them. Allies threatened to break off relations and more enemies were made. The Amazoness Queen tried to discipline the rogue, but punishments seemed to make her more violent.

"The breaking point came when she attacked a village full of innocent civilians and started killing everyone in sight. Two of her sisters came and tried to restrain her, only to be killed themselves.

"Now with a murderer on her hands, the Queen ordered the criminal brought before her in chains. It took five of them to manage it. Unfortunately, the Amazoness tribe had no death penalty for one of their own. As punishment, the murderer was stripped of her title and all her powers as an Amazoness, and then banished from the tribe forever.

"Although she was clearly evil, it was taboo for them to refer to an Amazoness, even a former one, as such… From that point on, the disgraced member of their tribe would be known simply as The Unfriendly Amazon.

"Where she went, no-one knows… The irony is, the pact that she made with that demon may have made her a powerful warrior, but in the end, it never gave her what she had truly wanted…

"…acceptance. As her new title suggested, she never found friends willing to see her as an equal. It seemed that she would be forever denied what she truly longed for."

Stan and Andy looked at her.

"Heh… Quite a story…" said Stan.

**0000000000**

"Yes, quite a story…" said Melissa's mother, who was still watching through her crystal ball.

She stood up, and picked up a deck of cards.

"And I have to thank you Francesca… Because you gave me one Hell of an idea… Maybe the folks in Petalburg won't have to know that someone defeated Melissa after all…"

She found the card she wanted in the deck, and the fireplace burned with purple fire again.

"You think being near Hooktail's bones is going to keep my minions from 'bothering you'?" she asked. "I beg to differ…"

She threw the card into the fire.

"Arise…" she said.

A pair of eyes appeared in the flames…

**0000000000**

**ELECTROMAGNECTIC TURTLE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/EffectLevel4/0ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect: **During a turn where this card is sent to your Graveyard, you can remove it from play to end the Battle Phase. You choose the timing for this effect.

_Note: "Electromagnetic Turtle" was first used by Yugi in the original anime episode "Clash in the Colosseum (Part 3)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**CARD FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A strange machine crackling with energy with a Duel Monsters card being created inside.

**Card Description: **If this card is removed from play, return it to the owner's hand during his or her next Standby Phase. Then, both players draw 2 cards.

_Note: "Card from a Different Dimension" was first used by Kaiser in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Graduation Match (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca: I've woken up in the middle of the night by a duelist who seems to be another of the special duelists that Meyers mentioned… Like the Witty Phantom, she seems to be wearing a costume that makes her look like a Duel Monster…**_

_**Thing is… Given **_**what **_**Duel Monster, it seems a pretty big coincidence… After all that's happened, I have to wonder… Is all truly what I think it is?**_

_**And this is made worse by the fact that her strategy much more powerful than the Phantom's… **_

"_**Burden of the Mighty" is coming soon. **_


	7. Burden of the Mighty

_**Something very strange is going on here…**_

_**There was the vision, and then Duel Monsters attacking us… Then Melissa, who claimed to be an enforcer of some sort, who accused me of a crime I don't remember ever committing. She claimed it was a Shadow Duel… I don't know whether to believe her or not, but one thing's for certain… It **_**really **_**felt like those Lightsworns were trying to kill me!**_

_**Now I've been goaded into another duel by someone who seems to be the same deal as Witty Phantom, a duelist wearing a costume that makes her look like a Duel Monster… The thing is, given the story I told to Stan and Andy before we went to sleep, this seems like too much a coincidence…**_

_**I'm starting to wonder… Maybe all of this is more than it seems… **_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL SEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Burden of the Mighty**

**0000000000**

**00000**

In the dark sorceress's throne room, a figure was kneeling in front of her.

"You know what you have to do?" she asked.

"Yes, your majesty," replied the figure. "It is an honor to serve you."

"Don't you forget it," replied the dark lady. "One thing before you go…

"I know about that rare Trap you tend to use… Use caution while using it. Francesca has one or two cards that are… Incredibly dangerous… If she uses a card that you don't recognize, do not try to use that Trap Card.

"You know what to do… Get moving…"

The figure vanished in a bonfire of purple energy.

The sorceress sighed. She would have simply ordered the duelist to remove the Trap from her deck, but she couldn't duel without it. With this particular breed of duelist, there were some cards that defined them that they couldn't do without.

The dark sorceress picked up a deck of cards and looked though them.

_Francesca is probably asleep by now… _she thought.

She looked at a card.

Dreamsprite.

_Think I'll have a little fun while my duelist is getting ready…_

She threw the card into the violet flames, and they burned fiercely. A girlish giggle came from the flames.

"Go, Dreamsprite!" she chanted. "Give Francesca a taste of your nocturnal naughtiness!"

She laughed as the fireball shot out of the top of the mountain, heading towards the direction of Petalburg.

**0000000000**

The three teenagers' campfire had burned down to low embers. Next to Hooktail's ancient bones, the three teenagers were indeed asleep. The room seemed surprisingly secure, despite the ominous nature of its occupant. Outside, the clouds passed by a full moon.

None of them heard anything as a figure appeared in the room, making no more noise than a mouse.

It looked like a young girl with blue skin, red hair, and dragonfly wings on her back, wearing absolutely no clothing – in other words, a Dreamsprite.

Slowly, the living Duel Monster snuck up to Francesca, and knelt down. She started to massage the sleeper's temples. Francesca didn't wake up, but she groaned a little as her dreams started to turn ugly…

**0000000000**

Francesca dreamed she was back in Petalburg Meadows, dueling Jackson again. Just like before, she had Thunder Unicorn on the field, while he had a set Monster.

"Attack his Monster!" shouted Francesca.

Thunder Unicorn neighed, and then charged. But it wasn't Stone Statue of the Aztecs this time… This time, it was a large, disgusting ball of puss.

Francesca groaned a little as it burst into a pool of filth.

"You just smashed my Giant Germ," said Jackson. "That means you take 500 points of damage, and I get to call out two more of them…"

Two more of the ugly protozoa appeared. (1,000 ATK x2)

"Uh…" said Francesca. "I end my turn…"

"I draw one card…" said Jackson.

His eyes glowed with evil light.

"I play Monster Reborn to bring back the first Giant Germ!" he shouted.

He played the card, and the first bacteria appeared next to the others. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, these Germs are gonna make you sick," he said, as they combined into an aura of shadow, "because I'm gonna sacrifice them…"

The sky darkened, and the ground split up. Francesca screamed in horror as the titanic form of Raviel, Lord of Phantasm rose in front of her… (4,000 ATK)

"Attack Thunder Unicorn!" ordered Jackson, in a demonic voice. "Shivering Scraper!"

The demon god lifted its mighty claw…

**0000000000**

Francesca woke up in a cold sweat. Dreamsprite fled, flying out the window behind her.

Not noticing her, Francesca took some deep breaths…

"A dream…" she muttered.

She took some slow, gasping breaths.

"Hopefully, that will be as close as I'll ever come to dueling someone who uses a… Sacred Beast…"

She sighed. She looked at Stan and Andy, who were still fast asleep.

_Ah, I'll never get back to sleep… _she thought. _Maybe I'll go for a walk…._

She stood up…

Then she remembered those Zombie Warriors.

She picked up her Duel Disk and put it on.

_Just in case… _she thought.

She strode out of Hooktail's chamber, back out into the torch-lit hallway…

Then, as she wandered down the hallway, she saw a door on the side.

_Huh? _she thought. _Didn't see that on the way here…_

She opened it, and saw a stairway going down.

"_Francesca?" _said a soft voice.

"Who?" said Francesca.

The soft voice called her name again. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down the stairs.

She straightened her pants, and frowned.

"Okay…" she said. "Whoever it is down there who wants to see me… Far be it from me to disappoint you…"

She started walking down the stairs.

**0000000000**

Stan opened his eyes, still half asleep.

"Andy?" he muttered.

"Yeah?" replied Andy.

"Did you hear that?" asked Stan.

"No…" replied Andy.

"Eh… Neither did I…" said Stan.

They both fell asleep again.

**0000000000**

As Francesca walked down the dark stairs, small, curious eyes watched her from the shadows.

Then she caught glimpses of the whole creatures… Small, furry creatures with claws.

_Kuribohs? _she thought.

Then they looked at her with sinister glances.

_Probably not… _she thought. _Probably Wretched Ghosts of the Attic…_

"SHOO!" she shouted.

The Wretched Ghosts all flew away.

Francesca saw a door at the bottom of the stairs. But what caught her eye was a painting on the side of the wall.

It seemed to depict Hooktail again… And she was attacking a herd of fleeing unicorns.

_Going to get to the bottom of this… _she thought, as she opened the door.

"Good evening…" said a female voice, as she walked in.

"Who's there?" asked Francesca.

A match lit, and someone lit a lantern. Then several more lanterns lit up in response.

Francesca looked around. She seemed to be an armory of some sort. Very old weapons, shields, and suits of armor were hanging from racks in the walls.

As for the woman who had spoken, Francesca recognized her quickly.

"The Unfriendly Amazon?" she gasped.

It sure did look like her. The drab grey battle dress with spiked shoulder pads, along with the long ponytail made her a dead ringer for the Warrior on the card.

She was about six-foot-five in height, which made Francesca nervous, although she supposed that was to be expected of an Amazon, and seeing as she did have a sword strapped to her side, Francesca figured that it might be best to treat her with respect.

She noticed that the Amazon was also wearing a Duel Disk.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Fancy… Meeting you here…"

The Warrior smirked.

"I kind of figured you came a long way, coming to this castle, and didn't get much out of it, Francesca," said the Warrior.

She held up a Crystal Card.

"So I thought I might offer you a chance for an added prize…"

"You're another one of those cosplay duelists working for Meyers?" asked Francesca.

"Maybe…" said the Amazon, with a sinister smirk.

_This is really weird… _thought Francesca. _I tell Stan and Andy that story, and just six hours later, someone dressed as the main character shows up?_

"You aren't going to kill me with that sword if I lose, are you?" she asked.

"What kind of a barbarian do you think I am?" asked the Amazon. "My part of this ends when the duel ends…"

Francesca looked at her suspiciously… She activated her Duel Disk…

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Unfriendly Amazon: 8,000)**

"I see you've decided to accept my challenge…" said the Amazon. "Well then… Make the first move if you dare…"

Francesca drew a card.

Her hand consisted of Sunlight Unicorn, Uni-Horned Familiar, Beast Soul Swap, Damage Gate, and Key Mouse.

"Sunlight Unicorn, come out!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the brilliant white steed trotted out in front of her. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, her effect…" she said.

She flipped the top card on her deck.

"And it's Ribbon of Rebirth!" she exclaimed. "Think I'll Equip it to Sunlight Unicorn…"

She threw the card into her Disk, and a blue ribbon covered with runes appeared draped around the unicorn's neck.

"I'll set this," she said, as a facedown card appeared Sunlight Unicorn, "and I'll end my turn…"

"My draw…" said the Amazon, drawing a card.

"I summon Giant Orc!" she shouted.

With a loud grunt, a huge, pale-skinned ogre, holding a club made from a large animal's femur, appeared in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Uh huh…" said Francesca. "Going to attack with that guy? You might want to think about it first…"

"Oh, you bet I do…" said the Amazon. "Attack! Bone Basher!"

With all the subtlety of a five-lane highway, Giant Orc clobbered Sunlight Unicorn with its club, smashing her to pieces.

Francesca chuckled a little.

"Not the best idea…" she said.

Giant Orc stumbled and fell on its behind with a crash. It saw stars. (0 DEF)

"Because now it has to defend… Not that's it capable of doing so."

"I end my turn…" said the Amazon.

**(F: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 8,000)**

"Great…" said Francesca. "And because Sunlight Unicorn was Equipped with Ribbon of Rebirth, it makes a quick recovery!"

A cloud of pixels quickly coalesced, and Sunlight Unicorn reappeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I draw!" shouted Francesca.

She drew a card.

"I'll use Sunlight Unicorn's effect again…"

She flipped the top card. It was Urgent Tuning.

She frowned, and placed it on the bottom of her deck.

"Sunlight Unicorn, smash that big lug!" she shouted.

The mount charged, spearing the huge ogre with its lance-like horn. The brute shattered into pixels.

Then Francesca's facedown card lifted up.

"Now, Beast Soul Swap!" she exclaimed. "I return Sunlight Unicorn back to my hand…"

The unicorn turned into an aura of light and flew back to Francesca's hand.

"…and then I Special Summon a Beast-Type Monster of the same Level, meaning I can summon Sunlight Unicorn again!"

Sunlight Unicorn reappeared. (1,800 ATK)

"And because it's still my Battle Phase, she can attack you directly! Go! Shining Rush!"

The Unfriendly Amazon frowned at Sunlight Unicorn made a rush at her. She simply held out her hand, and blocked the horn with her bare palm.

**(F: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 6,200)**

"Ah, heh…" said Francesca, nervously. "Not bad… Uh… Moving to Main Phase 2, I can use Sunlight Unicorn's effect again…"

She looked at the top card on her Disk.

"Crap…" she said, as she placed it on the bottom.

"I'll set these…" she said.

A set Monster and a set card in her Spell Zone appeared.

"…and then you go…"

"My draw…" said the Amazon.

She drew a card.

"I summon the Courageous Locomotive Brave Poppo!" she shouted.

The room shook, and a huge freight locomotive materialized in the center. Smoke poured from its stack. (2,400 ATK)

"A train?" gasped Francesca.

"And it isn't the Little Engine that Could!" replied the Amazon. "Now, this Machine has to cut its Attack Score in half in order to attack, so your Unicorn is safe…

"But let's see about that other Monster…"

The Brave Poppo rumbled forward, its Attack Score lowering to 1,200. Uni-Horned Familiar appeared on the card, and covered its eyes just before it was run over.

"I'll set two cards facedown…" said the Amazon, as the locomotive's Attack Score returned to 2,400.

Two set cards appeared in two flashes of light.

"…and then it's your move…"

Francesca nervously looked at the huge train as she drew a card.

"I… I use Sunlight Unicorn's effect…" she said.

She took the top card off her deck and looked at it. It was Hyena.

"Not having much luck, are we?" asked the Amazon.

"Yeah…" said Francesca, as she took a card from her hand. "Guess it's time for someone different…

"I summon Key Mouse!"

With a squeak, the adorable mouse Tuner appeared on the field. (100 ATK)

"Now, I'll Tune together Key Mouse and Sunlight Unicorn…"

The two Beasts flew towards the ceiling, turning into a cluster of stars…

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

Thunder Unicorn leapt onto the field, electricity sparking across its hide. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I use Thunder Unicorn's effect…" said Francesca.

"Actually, you'll do no such thing…" said the Amazon.

One of her facedown cards lifted up.

"No…" gasped Francesca. "Skill Drain?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" asked the Amazon.

Francesca looked dumbfounded. Come to think of it, maybe she should have seen it coming…

"I pay 1,000 Life Points…" said the Amazon, "and all Monsters on the field have their effects negated…

"Anything else?"

Francesca looked at the remaining cards in her hand.

She set one, and it appeared facedown.

She nodded.

"All right, Francesca!" shouted the Amazon, showing far more enthusiasm all of a sudden. "First I draw…"

She drew a card.

"Then I attack! And with Skill Drain in play, my Brave Poppo can use all 2,400 of its Attack Points this time!"

Rushing like the freight train it was, Brave Poppo slammed into Thunder Unicorn, blowing her into shards.

"I activate Damage Gate!" shouted Francesca.

Her facedown card lifted up, and Uni-Horned familiar appeared again.

**(F: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 5,200)**

_Not sure what I'm gonna do with it, though… _she thought. _The odds are completely in her favor now…_

**0000000000**

"Andy, wake up!" shouted Stan, as he shook Andy.

"What?" asked Andy, as he did indeed wake up.

"Remember that noise that we both didn't hear?" asked Stan.

"Yeah…" replied Andy.

"Well, I just didn't hear it again," said Stan, "and now Francesca is gone!"

Andy looked, and then stood up.

"Good lord, we have to find her…" he said. "I'm starting to get kinda suspicious about some of the stuff in this place…"

**0000000000**

"You know, Francesca…" said The Unfriendly Amazon. "That story you told wasn't entirely accurate… I do have a few friends… Sort of…

"Flash Assailant… Nuvia the Wicked… Boar Soldier… Basically Monsters who did the same dumb thing I did, who I can commiserate with…"

"I don't follow…" said Francesca.

"You've heard of the Law of 1,900, haven't you?" asked the Amazon. "It's an unwritten law among Duel Monsters that states you can't have an Attack Score higher than 1,900 unless your Level is higher than 4.

"_Unwritten _law, mind you. It's possible to break that law, but the penalty for doing so comes hard and fast. Your effect quickly turns into a liability.

"Sometimes so much of a liability that your card becomes worthless! You ever see anyone using my card these days?

"That story you told was a dramatic version of the story of a Duel Monster who broke the Law of 1,900 and paid dearly for it… Every Monster who dared to do so has a tragic story like that… It almost never ended well for any of them."

Francesca realized she was right… That special deck that she used for storytelling… The Unfriendly Amazon wasn't the only Monster in it that was Level 4 with an Attack Score that was above the usual limit…

"What about Gene-Warped Warwolf?" asked Francesca.

The Amazon snarled at her angrily. Francesca shivered; clearly, she had hit a nerve.

"That guy is a burp in the universe!" shouted the Amazon. "And believe me, he's not well-liked by Monsters like myself…"

"So…" said Francesca. "I guess Skill Drain is a godsend to people like you…"

The Amazon bowed her head.

"For _most _people like me…" she replied. "The cruel joke is, the nature of the curse I was inflicted with is one that even Skill Drain can't remove…"

_Oh, that's right… _thought Francesca. _Her card… The effect is a Maintenance Cost… Skill Drain doesn't negate that…_

She lifted an eyebrow.

_Still… This duelist… If this is a case of method acting, she's pretty good…_

_Hell, if this were a movie, she'd deserve an Oscar!_

She looked hard at the six-foot-five female duelist.

_Something tells me that she may not be acting at all…_

The Unfriendly Amazon threw a card into her Duel Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind Brave Poppo.

"Make your move…" she said.

"Okay, let's see here…" said Francesca, as she drew a card.

"Because I have a Tuner on the field, and Skill Drain doesn't change _that,_ I'm able to Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight."

She played the card, and the Warrior that she had used against the Zombie Warriors materialized in a beam of light, kneeling in Defense Mode. (900 DEF)

"I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn…" she said, as a facedown card appeared behind her two Monsters.

The Amazon made an evil smile.

"Trap Card activate!" she shouted.

The card she had set on her last turn lifted up.

"Zero Gravity! Now, all Monsters on the field switch Modes!"

Brave Poppo hardly seemed to move. (2,000 DEF) However, Uni-Horned Familiar stood up (0 ATK) and D.D. Unicorn Knight followed suit. (1,800 ATK)

_This is bad… _thought Francesca.

"My move…" chuckled the Amazon.

She drew a card.

"Now for something completely different…" she said. "The dreaded Malevolent Mech – Goku En!"

She threw the card on her Disk, and a creeping shadow appeared on the field. It slowly took shape, taking a form that resembled Majestic Mech – Ohka made entirely out of dark flames. (2,400 ATK)

"I thought your deck is made up of guys who broke the Law of 1,900…" said Francesca, nervously.

"Not all of it…" replied the Amazon. "True, Goku En is Level 6, and normally, if I summon it without a sacrifice, I have to make sure I have other Zombies on the field. If I don't, it goes to the Graveyard when I end my turn, and I take 2,400 points of damage. But Skill Drain clears that problem right up…

"Next, I'll move Brave Poppo back to Attack Mode…"

(2,400 ATK)

"…and it will mow your D.D. Unicorn Knight down!"

Smoke blew from the train's stack again, as it crashed into the Knight, crushing him.

Then Goku En roared, and blasted shadow flames at the Uni-Horned Familiar. Francesca tried to brace herself, but she was still thrown backwards and landed on her back.

**(F: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 5,200)**

"Fran! Fran! Get up!" shouted Andy's voice.

Fran slowly sat up and saw that Andy and Stan had rushed into the room as Goku En had made its attack.

"You guys found me…" she said.

"We would have been here sooner…" said Stan, "but we were mobbed by Wretched Ghosts of the Attic… Nasty pests…"

"Lovely…" said the Amazon. "I had hoped to finish this without a Peanut Gallery…"

"The Unfriendly Amazon?" said Andy, looking at her.

"Ho boy…" said Stan. "Skill Drain? Been there before…"

"Don't worry guys…" said Francesca, as she stood up. "I can handle it…"

"Just move…" said the Amazon, sounding annoyed.

Francesca drew a card.

She took one of her two cards, and set it on her Disk. It appeared set in her Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…" she said.

"You think that scares me?" asked the Amazon.

She made a draw.

"Well… No getting around it this time…" she said. "I need a sacrifice to summon this one…"

Brave Poppo dissolved into grains of light.

"Fortunately, thanks to Skill Drain, I can do with one…"

The creature that appeared this time was hideous. It was a huge, demonic hound with large horns on the sides of its face, blades down the length of is spine, and razor-sharp teeth. Its muzzle was pierced by rings connected by chains that were linked to shackles on its ankles. (2,600 ATK)

"Whoa…" said Francesca. "Never saw _that _before."

"It's called an Emissary from Pandemonium," said the Amazon. "Now, normally, when I summon this charming creature with one sacrifice, its Attack and Defense Scores are cut in half…

"But not this time!"

Then Francesca's facedown card lifted up.

"Threatening Roar?" shouted the Amazon. "You're trying my patience, Francesca.

"I end my turn…"

Francesca drew a card.

She took all three of the cards in her hand, and set them in her Disk. One was a Monster, and the other two went behind it.

She glared at the Amazon.

Her opponent laughed a cruel laugh as she made a draw.

"This one will do…" she said. "I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei!"

She played the card, and a hulking brute wearing a breastplate, with the legs and tail of a stag, appeared next to the other two Monsters. (2,300 ATK)

"Attack that Monster, Lei Lei!" she shouted.

The Beast-Warrior snarled, and leapt at the set Monster. Moja appeared on the card, and was crushed.

"I activate Moja's effect!" shouted Francesca. "When it's destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I get to take a Level 4 Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard."

"Your Monsters can't use their effects, remember?" replied the Amazon.

"They can if their effects don't activate on the field," said Stan, "and Moja's clearly doesn't. What kind of Skill Drain duelist are you?"

"Exactly…" said Francesca.

She took Sunlight Unicorn from her discard pile.

"Fine…" said the Amazon. "Not that it matters much… Emissary, attack her directly!"

The hound from Hell bore its teeth…

"I activate… Hyper Refresh!" shouted Francesca.

Her Quickplay Spell Card lifted up, and a rush of energy hit her as she glowed with fiery light.

"Because you just declared a direct attack, and the combined Attack Scores of your Monsters is greater than my Life Points, my Life Points are doubled!"

**(F: 8,800) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 5,200)**

"You just won't give up, will you?" asked the Amazon.

The Fiend pounced, sinking its sharp fangs into Francesca's shin. Fortunately, the surge of power from the Hyper Refresh card kept her standing.

Goku En blasted its shadow flames next, and she was knocked down, but she still wasn't hurt as much as she expected…

**(F: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 5,200)**

"Thank you…" said Francesca, with a grin. "Thank you very much!"

Another of her facedown cards lifted up.

"I activate Shock Draw!" she shouted. "I took 5,000 points of damage that turn, and because 1,000 goes into that number five times, I get to make five draws!"

The Unfriendly Amazon gasped as Francesca got up and drew five times.

The Warrior snarled. She threw two cards in her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

"Make… your… move…" she said through her teeth.

"Gladly," said Francesca, as she drew a card.

She was shocked when she saw what it was. Her first thought was, this card wasn't supposed to be in her deck… But then she realized it was the Earth Tremor card that she had won from Melissa.

She gave her foe a sly look…

_Think I'll give it a test run… _she thought.

Her last facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Limit Reverse!" she shouted.

Moja appeared in front of her. (100 ATK)

"Eh?" said the Amazon.

"Now I play… Enemy Controller!" said Francesca, as she played a Spell Card. "By sacrificing one of my Monsters, I can take control of one of yours!"

A large video game control pad appeared in mid-air.

"So…" she said. "Right, Left, A, B, and… Start…"

Moja vanished, and Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei was dragged over to Francesca's side of the field.

"You fool…" said the Amazon. "You could have taken the Emissary."

"I want you to keep the Emissary!" replied Francesca. "See, I wanted Lei Lei so I could use the Earth Tremor Spell Card."

She threw the card into her Disk.

"By sacrificing a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant-Type Monster," she said, as Lei Lei dissolved into grains of light, "I can deal 500 points of damage times the Level of the most powerful Monster you have!"

"WHAT?" shouted the Amazon.

Then she yelled in pain as the floor literally erupted around her, exploding in blasts of dirt and stone.

**(F: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 1,700)**

"Next…" said Francesca, "I'll discard Sunlight Unicorn to Special Summon my Egotistical Ape."

She discarded the card, and the small monkey appeared on the field, followed by its demonic shadow. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, due to your Skill Drain, I can't use its effect to lower or increase its Level… But hey, Level 5 is just right…

"I summon Mine Mole!"

She played the card, and the cute little mole with a hardhat appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I Tune together Egotistical Ape and Mine Mole…"

The small monkey flew towards the ceiling with Mine Mole following. Lightning flashed as the two faded into stars.

**(*5 + *3 = *8)**

In another flash of lightning, Tricorn appeared in front of her. The Amazon snarled… (2,800 ATK)

"Mine Mole's effect activates in the Graveyard too…" she added. "That means I get to draw one card because I used it to summon a Beast-Type Synchro Monster."

She drew one card. She looked at it, and the other card she had left.

"Send that hound back to Hades!" she shouted. "Giga Volt Charge!"

"I activate… Destruct Potion!" shouted the Amazon, as one of her facedown cards lifted up.

Emissary from Pandemonium exploded into shards.

"Seems your Tricorn just lost its target…" she said. "And I gain Life Points equal to Brave Poppo's Attack Score."

"Peachy…" said Francesca. "In that case… My Tricorn can pick a new target."

Tricorn charged again, and Malevolent Mech – Goku En roared as lightning shocked its dark hide… Then it burst.

Francesca threw both of her two remaining cards into her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared behind Lightning Tricorn.

"I'll end my turn there…" she said.

**(F: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 3,900)**

The Unfriendly Amazon glared at her as she drew a card.

"All right, Francesca…" she said. "I was saving this…

"I play Card of Demise… Now I get to draw until I have five cards…"

She made four draws.

"But you lose your entire hand in five turns.

"Shouldn't be a problem…" said the Amazon. "I summon Beast King Barbaros!"

With a loud bellow, the most infamous Monster used in a Skill Drain Deck leapt onto the field. From the waist up, he was a muscular barbarian with a lion's mane, holding a spear. From the waist down, he was a huge, black panther. (3,000 ATK)

"Barbaros, turn that horse into glue!" she shouted.

The Beast King charged at the three-horned unicorn. Tricorn glared at it defiantly as the spear struck it, reducing it into golden motes.

"I activate… Option Hunter!" shouted Francesca, as one of her facedown cards lifted up. "Now I gain Life Points equal to the Attack Points of the Monster you just destroyed.

"And I've got news for you… Skill Drain doesn't work on Tricorn either…"

With a flash of light, Thunder Unicorn appeared in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, Call of the Haunted!" continued Francesca.

Her other facedown card lifted up, and in an aura of light, Lightning Tricorn appeared again. (2,800 ATK)

**(F: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 3,900)**

The Unfriendly Amazon grit her teeth…

"Okay…" she snarled. "This is where I get vicious…"

One of her facedown cards – the one she had set the same turn she had set Skill Drain, in fact – lifted up.

"Imperial Custom?" asked Francesca.

"Yes…" said the Amazon. "I was going to use this in case you tried to destroy Skill Drain… But you're starting to annoy me…

"So, I'm going to play Magic Planter to send it to the Graveyard and draw twice…"

Imperial Custom vanished, and she made two draws.

She smirked.

"First, I'm using this Monster Reborn card to bring back Lei Lei," she said.

The holy symbol appeared, and the Indomitable Fighter rematerialized. (2,300 ATK)

Then her other facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Lost Pride!" she shouted.

"That card certainly fits you," said Andy.

"Shut up!" shouted the Amazon. "I send this Spell Card to the Graveyard…"

She discarded Magical Mallet.

"And I get a Spell Card from _your _Graveyard."

The Earth Tremor card flew out of Francesca's discard slot.

"Now, I'm gonna use it," she sneered, "and sacrifice my Indomitable Fighter to see how you like it!"

She played the card, and the Beast-Warrior vanished. Francesca screamed as the ground erupted around her.

"Lightning Tricorn is an even higher Level than Emissary, so you even more damage than I took when you used it," said the Amazon. "Oh course… I take 1,000 points of damage because I used Lost Pride to take the card from your Graveyard… But it was a small price to pay to give you a taste of your own medicine…

"Now for your Tricorn…"

She played another card, and Mystical Space Typhoon appeared on the field. The cyclone blew Call of the Haunted to pieces, and Lightning Tricorn along with it.

"Your move…" she growled.

**(F: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 2,900)**

"Fran?" said Andy.

"I'm… I'm fine…" said Francesca. "This isn't over yet…"

_Then again, maybe it is… _she thought. _Thunder Unicorn wouldn't be able to defeat Barbaros even if I somehow drew MY Mystical Space Typhoon… I don't know what I can do…_

She drew. She looked at the card.

_It all comes down to this…_

"I play Pot of Avarice!" she shouted, as she threw the card into her Disk.

"Lucky…" said the Amazon.

Francesca quickly took Lightning Tricorn, Sunlight Unicorn, Moja, Uni-Horned Familiar, and D.D. Unicorn Knight from her Graveyard and shuffled her deck.

She made two draws.

"So…" said The Unfriendly Amazon with a chuckle. "Did you get what you needed?"

"See for yourself…" said Francesca. "I summon Beast Striker…"

She played the card, and the large, tusked ape holding its mighty hammer appeared next to Thunder Unicorn. (1,850 ATK)

"So that was the best you could do, huh?" asked the Amazon.

"No, this is," replied Francesca. "The Equip Spell, Megamorph!"

She threw the card into her Disk, and Beast Striker let out a roar as it doubled in size. (3,700 ATK)

"HEY!" shouted the Amazon. "Wait a minute…"

"No more waiting!" shouted Francesca.

Beast Striker roared again, and slammed its hammer down, flattening Beast King Barbaros with one squash.

"Thunder Unicorn, attack directly and take this home!"

"No… no…" gasped the Amazon, as the steed charged.

Then she screamed as the electric-powered horn hit her in the chest. There was a blast of super-intense light…

**(F: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (UA: 0)**

And then, to everyone's surprise, The Unfriendly Amazon disappeared in a burst of black smoke…

Francesca held her chest… She took some deep breaths…

She looked where her opponent had been… A Crystal Card was lying on the floor…

"Boy, Francesca…" said Andy, "that was probably the luckiest use of Pot of Avarice I have ever seen…"

Francesca picked up the card.

"So, you think it's safe to assume that these costumed weirdoes are everywhere on Arcadia?" asked Stan.

"I dunno…" said Francesca. "Call me crazy, but…"

She looked around.

"I'm starting to wonder whether or not she and the Witty Phantom were wearing costumes at all…"

"Where do you think she went?" asked Andy.

**0000000000**

The answer to that question was simple. She was back in the presence of the dark sorceress who had sent her… And to say that she was angry was an understatement.

"_Idiot!"_ shouted the dark lady, as she clubbed the kneeling Amazon over the head with a scepter.

"Your excellence, please!" begged the Amazon. "Don't hit me again!"

"You deliberately disobeyed me!" shouted the sorceress. "When I told you that Francesca had 'dangerous cards', that Earth Tremor card was _exactly _what I was talking about! I _specifically _told you not to use Lost Pride to use cards you were unfamiliar with!"

"But… But it worked…" pleaded the Amazon.

"Yes… It 'worked'…" hissed the sorceress. "But Earth Tremor is one of a set of cards that only certain duelists can use without side effects… They put a curse on any other duelist who uses them…

"Her friends think that she won because of a lucky topdeck… But in truth, her final move of the duel had nothing to do with luck… Once you played that card, it was a certainly that she'd draw what she needed to defeat you…

"And I can't tolerate disobedient minions…"

She stepped away from the Amazon.

"What… what are you doing?" asked the Amazon.

The dark sorceress didn't answer. As she turned her back, shadows started to rise around The Unfriendly Amazon…

Then the shadows turned into phantasmal claws. The Amazon screamed as they grabbed her… Slowly, she was dragged away into the darkness…

The sorceress looked. The Amazon was gone.

"Bah…" she said.

**0000000000**

**CARD OF DEMISE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **An executioner about to chop a deck of cards in half with a guillotine.

**Card Description: **Draw until your hand consists of 5 cards. On your fifth Standby Phase after activation, send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard.

_Note: "Card of Demise" was used by Kaiba frequently in the anime, originally in "Clash in the Coliseum (Part 4)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**HYPER REFRESH (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A shadowy, muscular man holding a bottle of a beverage labeled "Refresh".

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares a direct attack and the combined total of the ATKs of his or her face-up Monsters is greater than your current Life Points. Double your Life Points before Damage Calculation.

_Note: "Hyper Refresh" was first used by Jonouchi in the original anime episode "Down in Flames (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**LOST PRIDE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A boxer being punched in the face; his right glove is transparent, and reveals that he is wearing brass knuckles underneath it. (The boxer slightly resembles Kaiser Ryu; this card symbolizes how he gave in to his dark side, transforming from the honorable duelist he once was into the selfish, brutal Hell Kaiser.)

**Card Description: **Send 1 Spell Card from your hand to the Graveyard. Add 1 Spell Card from your opponent's Graveyard to your hand. If you use this Spell Card, you take 1,000 points of damage.

_Note: "Lost Pride" was first used by Kaiser in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Schooling the Master". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**COURAGEOUS LOCOMOTIVE BRAVE POPPO (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/2,400ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card attacks, reduce its ATK by half for the Damage Step only.

_Note: "Courageous Locomotive Brave Poppo" was first used by Anna in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 052. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**EARTH TREMOR (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A village being torn apart by an earthquake.

**Card Description: **Tribute 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant-Type Monster you control. Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent times the Level of the highest Monster your opponent controls. If this amount would reduce your opponent's Life Points to zero, you may not activate this card.

**0000000000**

_**Francesca now has four Crystal Cards, but the mystery surrounding the Thousand Year Door Tournament deepens… Clearly, all is not as innocent as it seems…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: We've left Petalburg behind, and the Boggly Woods are a nice change of venue. In this place, things are seen pretty much in terms of black and white, at least physically.**_

_**I've met another tournament contestant, and I have to admit, after that creepy castle and its nasty occupants, a normal duel might well be enjoyable. **_

"_**Major Riot" is coming soon. **_


	8. Major Riot

_**The Boggly Woods seems a whole different world than Petalburg Meadows…**_

_**This windswept woodland seems very lacking in color, with black and white dominating the entire place. The wilderness is still teeming with life, and it's still not the typical fauna.**_

_**Still, after the encounter with Melissa and The Unfriendly Amazon, we're all ready to get back to the tournament proper, and it seems an opportunity has appeared… After that creepy castle, this should be a walk in the park.**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL EIGHT**

**0000000000**

**Major Riot**

**0000000000**

**00000**

It was eight in the morning when the three of them walked back into Petalburg, tired, hungry, and in need of a shower.

The first person they saw was Betty, who was watering a flower garden outside the inn…

And she screamed in surprise when she saw them.

"You all came back!" she shouted.

"Uh… is that bad?" asked Stan.

"Melissa…" gasped Betty, as more people looked at them.

"Uh, I dueled her…" said Francesca. "I won…"

Betty could only look at Francesca with her mouth opened wide in surprise for a few minutes.

Then she opened the door to the inn.

"Marilynn!" she shouted. "Get three orders of the shroom omelet deluxe ready!"

"What's wrong?" said Francesca. "Shroom omelet deluxe?"

"It's for you three…" said Betty. "Please… You have to tell us what happened…"

She led them into the inn, and many of the other townsfolk followed.

**0000000000**

The three duelists weren't the only ones having breakfast. In a dining hall lit by several candles, Melissa's mother was eating alone.

She and her six children were the only ones allowed to eat here, and with Melissa "grounded" (so to speak) and the other five out "on assignment" she was alone.

She didn't need to eat, actually, but food was one thing that gave her pleasure, and such things had helped keep her sane over the years…

To say she was angry was an understatement. The Unfriendly Amazon had lost because she had _deliberately _disobeyed her.

Even worse was Melissa's loss. Not only did she lose the Earth Tremor card because of it, this would undermine her authority greatly. And while she was angry at Melissa, she was even angrier at Francesca.

And unfortunately, she was helpless to punish Francesca the same way until one of her minions had succeeded where Melissa had failed.

When she pushed the plate aside, she picked up a cell phone and dialed a number.

_Wonder where that fool is? _she thought, as it rang. _Probably sleeping on the job..._

Then someone answered, sounding surprised, as if he actually had been asleep.

"Crump!" she shouted.

"Uh, your majesty!" he replied.

"Wake up and listen!" she shouted. "I don't think those kids are going to stay in Petalburg much longer… Follow them, and watch what they do.

"I want detailed notes on any information you find about them or their decks, you hear me?

"Don't let yourself be seen, and if you are, don't tell them anything!"

"Are you kidding?" he replied. "I am…"

He paused.

"LORD CRUMP! They could torture me and they wouldn't make me talk!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she said, with a sigh.

"They could burn me with hot pokers," he said, "they could pull my fingernails off, they could tie me up and force-feed me baked beans…"

"All right!" she shouted. "If they threaten to do THAT, then you can talk your head off! Just do as you're told for now!"

She hung up. She glared at the phone.

"Emperor Palpatine had Darth Vader, a henchman who practically upstaged him in terms of notoriety," she mused. "The Red Skull had Crossbones, a guy who came closer to killing Captain America than anyone else ever had…

"Why are henchmen like that so hard to come by these days?

"Well… The first thing I'll do when I regain my true power is contact the Company of Malice… I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from me again…"

Then the phone rang. She answered it.

"Yeah, Kurtis?" she asked.

"Mother," said a soft, billowy voice. "I'm at the Great Tree, and I think those three brats will likely end up here soon. I'd like to volunteer to duel one of them to make up for Melissa's failure."

"So the plan is to do it in front of witnesses to quash the support they're getting right now?" she replied, as she leaned back in her chair. "You realize that such a plan will backfire tremendously if you lose?"

"Don't worry," replied Kurtis, "I'll target Stan this time… I think I can handle his Xyzs…"

"You'd better…" replied his mother. "And so long as you're at the Great Tree… There's something that might be there that I want you to look for…"

**0000000000**

Stan, Andy, and Francesca thought that it was best that they got out of Petalburg… Before their heads exploded.

The shroom omelet deluxe was apparently the best item on the breakfast menu; it was a very large omelet made with cheese, mushrooms, bacon, and avocado. It was delicious, but clearly not something for someone who was watching his weight, and the three teenagers got the idea that it was only made for special occasions.

Everyone wanted every little detail of how the duel with Melissa had gone down. It soon became apparent that Melissa wasn't someone that was well-liked around here. But questioning people about who exactly she was didn't get a straight answer.

Betty would only say, "She's a very bad person, and we never thought we'd see the day that someone put her in her place."

When the three of them suggested moving on, Betty suggested the road to the west, which led through the Boggly Woods and eventually to the Great Tree (which she quickly explained was another town). It seemed like a good idea, so after showering and stocking up on supplies, the whole town, it seemed, saw them off.

**0000000000**

It didn't take long before the terrain changed; it came almost suddenly. The lush meadows and fruit trees turned into a windy, grassy area with black firs and white elms, with high grass that was also white. According to their map, this was the Boggly Woods.

"Strange place…" said Andy.

As they walked on, a rabbit hopped out in front of them.

"Cute…" said Francesca, with a giggle.

"Fran…" said Andy, as the rabbit looked at them. "That's a Creepy Coney…"

They looked at the living Duel Monster. It twitched its whiskers, and then hopped away.

They heard a snickering noise above them. They turned, and saw a koala watching them from a tree with a curious expression.

"Is that a Des Koala?" asked Stan.

"Guys, this whole place is spooking me out…" said Andy, nervously.

"These guys?" asked Francesca. "Even if they're Duel Monsters, rabbits and koalas are herbivores. Hell, they're kinda cute!"

"Yeah, Fran," said Andy, "_these _guys are cute, but aren't Des Koalas supposed to pal around with Big Koalas? What happens if we come across one of those?"

"I would handle it in a proper manner…" said Francesca. "Running the other way as fast as I could…"

"Maybe we should be more worried about running into the three Shadow Sirens…" muttered Stan.

They looked at him.

"You guys don't think it's… funny that so many things here are named after that old video game, do you?" he said.

He looked around.

"Okay, okay," he said, "for a moment, let's assume that Hooktail was real, and that was really her skeleton in that castle…"

He expected an objection from Francesca, but she was quiet. She still couldn't get that vision out of her head.

"That castle was much, much older than that video game…" continued Stan. "So was the town we just left… And so was Rogueport…

"Now, unless the government of Arcadia decided to rename every town after the locations in the video game, it would seem that this place wasn't inspired by the game…"

"More like vice-versa?" asked Andy.

"Probably…" said Stan.

"You think that someone who works at Nintendo might have grown up here?" asked Andy.

"That would be plausible, if only the town names were the same…" said Stan. "But… Things like Hooktail…

"And living Duel Monsters? Including ones that can actually duel?"

"I guess it's…" started Francesca.

Then they heard someone yell.

They ran in that direction, and saw someone with his foot caught in the ground.

"Are you okay?" shouted Francesca.

"Ugh…" said the young man. "I'm fine… Stupid rabbit hole…"

He pulled himself up.

"So much for making a dramatic entrance…" he said with a chuckle.

They looked at him. He was a tall young man, about nineteen years old with sandy-brown skin and hazel eyes. He was wearing a pair of torn jeans and a t-shirt with an odd picture on it; it was the Marvel Comics character the Green Goblin.

"Hey," he said, "I was looking for Petalburg, and I seem to have gotten lost…"

"You're on the right track…" said Francesca. "Just keep going that way for about three miles."

"Uh, thanks…" he said. "I'm Ryo, by the way…"

He looked at them, and saw their Duel Disks.

"I see you three are contestants…" he said with a grin.

"If that's a challenge, I have to opt out…" said Francesca. "I dueled three times yesterday, and four Crystal Cards in enough for now…"

"Four?" asked Ryo. "If you lost once, you would have lost one of them…"

"Uh, it's a long story…" said Andy nervously, as he interrupted. "But hey… If you want a duel…"

He looked at Stan. They held up their fists, and shook them.

Andy's two fingers jutted out, scissors, while Stan's palm opened up, paper.

"Okay, I'll duel you…" said Andy, turning to Ryo.

He shuffled his deck, and then took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

"So let's throw down!"

**0000000000**

About two-hundred feet behind them, Lord Crump was on a branch in a large white elm, recording what they were doing with a video camera.

_Okay… _he thought. _I've got a good view from here… Now all I have to do is watch, and find out what Andy is made of…_

_What could be simpler?_

He paused for a minute.

"Say…" he said. "Wonder how I'm gonna get down from here?"

**0000000000**

"So, Andy is it?" asked Ryo, as his Disk swung into position. "I gotta warn you, the guys in my deck play kinda rough…"

"So do mine…" replied Andy.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ryo: 8,000)**

"All right…" said Andy, as he made a draw.

"I'll set a Monster," he said, as a hidden Monster appeared in front of him. "And that will be all."

"Defending, huh?" asked Ryo, as he made a draw. "Well, I always say that the best defense… Is an aggressive offense!"

"I summon Goblin Attack Force!"

There was a series of rude grunts, and a gang of goblins holding spiked clubs emerged from the underbrush. (2,300 ATK)

_Don't tell me this is another Skill Drain Deck… _thought Francesca.

"Attack his Monster!" shouted Ryo.

The mob made a rush at the set Monster, and Masked Dragon appeared on the card. It shattered under a pummeling of clubs.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect!" shouted Andy, as he took his deck from his Disk. "I get to Special Summon a Dragon with 1,500 Attack Points or less…

"I think I'll choose… A second Masked Dragon…"

The rust-red Dragon with metallic wings, wearing a mask over its face appeared. (1,400 ATK)

The five goblins sat down, and one of them took out a deck of cards and started to deal them out to the others. (0 DEF)

"Eh, goblins…" muttered Ryo. "Always slacking off…"

He took two more cards from his hand.

"I set two cards," he said, as two facedown cards appeared in his Spell Zone, "and I end my turn…"

Andy made a draw.

"Go, Luster Dragon!" he shouted, as the blue gemstone Dragon appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Masked Dragon, smash those goblins!" he shouted, as the Dragon flew towards the gang of goblins.

"Gotcha…" said Ryo.

One of his facedown cards lifted up.

"I activate Final Attack Orders!"

"Oh… no…" said Andy.

Goblin Attack Force threw their cards away, and sprang to their feet. (2,300 ATK) The one in the lead walloped Masked Dragon with its club, and the Dragon shattered.

**(A: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 8,000)**

_Fell right into THAT one… _thought Andy.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect…" he said, "to summon a third Masked Dragon…"

Yet another of the small Dragons appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"I end my turn…" he said, slowly.

**0000000000**

_Heh, heh… _thought Crump. _Andy's in trouble now…_

Then he noticed something.

A Des Koala was next to him, looking over his shoulder.

"Do you mind?" he said to it, rudely. "Scram! Shoo!"

The Des Koala scurried to another branch.

"Duel Spirits…" he muttered. "Annoying…"

**0000000000**

"My draw…" said Ryo, drawing a card.

"I summon Goblin Decoy Squad," he said.

There was the sound of loud horns and bells, and another gang of goblins with noisemakers ran onto the field. (1,000 ATK)

"What's with all the goblins?" asked Andy.

"I like goblins…" said Ryo. "Now, Goblin Attack Force, destroy his Luster Dragon!"

The mob of goblins made a rush at the third Dragon, and just like before, they clubbed it to pieces.

"My Goblin Attack Force still has to move to Defense Mode after it attacks," said Ryo, as they sat back down, "but thanks to Final Attack Orders, that only lasts a second."

The goblins stood back up.

"Now, I play the Rush Recklessly Spell Card," he said, as he played a card. "It will give my Decoy Squad a little more oomph."

(1,700 ATK)

"Goblin Decoy Squad, attack his Masked Dragon!"

The second gang rushed at the Dragon, blowing their horns and ringing their bells. The one in front rammed the Dragon with its shoulder, blowing it to pieces.

"What's your problem?" said Andy, annoyed.

"Goblin Decoy Squad is pretty weak compared to most teams of goblins," said Ryo, "but when they do manage to deal out damage, I get to draw one card."

He made a draw.

"Well, I can still use Masked Dragon's effect," said Andy. "Twin-Headed Behemoth will do this time…"

There was a gust of wind, and a large Dragon with violet scales, wings, and two heads appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

The Decoy Squad sat down, forced into Defense Mode, but again, Final Attack Orders glowed, waking them up and moving them back to Attack Mode.

"I'll throw another card facedown, and end my turn…" said Ryo.

**(A: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 8,000)**

Andy drew a card, and looked at it.

_With Final Attack Orders on the field, I can't defend either… _he thought. _Even if I set a Monster, it will move to Attack Mode when he attacks it…_

_Still, I should be able to at least get rid of those guys…_

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

He threw the Spell Card into his Disk, and a dark portal appeared on the ground. Masked Dragon emerged from it. (1,400 ATK)

"Next I play… Dragon's Gunfire!" he shouted, as he held up a Spell Card. "Since I have at least one Dragon on the field, I can vanquish a Monster with 800 or less Attack Points.

"Your goblins have zero Defense Points, which puts them in a bad situation right now…"

Masked Dragon exhaled a stream of flames at Goblin Attack Force, and they were blown to little pieces.

"Ergh…" said Ryo. "I activate… Soul Rope!"

Another Trap Card lifted up.

"I pay 1,000 Life Points, and I get to Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my deck… I think Goblin Recon Squad will do this time…"

Three grappling hooks shot from the trees, and three goblins slid down them, dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing night-vision goggles. They fidgeted as they looked around. (1,700 ATK)

"Well…" sighed Andy. "At least I can get rid of your Decoy Squad…"

Twin-Headed Behemoth exhaled a cone of freezing vapor, and the noisy goblins froze solid. Then they shattered into pixels.

"Thank goodness…" said Francesca. "They were more annoying than the Attack Force…"

"My turn is over…" said Andy. "Let's see what else you've got…"

**(A: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,500)**

"Oh, I've got plenty…" said Ryo, as he drew a card. "That's the thing with goblins… They aren't much of a threat when you find one alone…

"But the thing is, you'll almost never find one alone…

"I summon Goblin Black Ops."

As he played the card, another squad of goblins somersaulted out of the brush, landing in front of Ryo and assuming fighting stances. These ones were dressed like Ninja, holding daggers, clawed gauntlets, and other weapons associated with assassins. (1,300 ATK)

"Now I have seen everything…" said Andy.

"They have a rather weak Score," said Ryo, "but they can attack directly!"

The Black Ops threw a flurry of shuriken at Andy, and he winced as they cut into him.

The Black Ops sat down, and fell asleep, but once again, the Final Attack Orders card glowed, and they woke up.

"Recon Squad, your turn," said Ryo. "Aim for Twin-Headed Behemoth."

Several small, metal spheres rolled towards the Dragon… Its two heads looked at them, confused…

Then the spheres exploded, blowing Twin-Headed Dragon to shards.

"Ugh…" said Andy.

**(A: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,500)**

"Again, my Final Attack Orders moves my goblins back on the offensive…" said Stan.

"Yeah…" chuckled Andy. "They're the most _offensive _guys my Dragons have ever fought! I'm downwind from them here!"

Ryo sighed.

"You've obviously never dueled a guy who uses Ojamas…" he mumbled. "I end my turn…"

"That means Twin-Headed Behemoth's effect activates…" said Andy, "and it returns to the field, minus a few of its points…"

There was a blast of wind, and a burst of pixels reconfigured themselves into Twin-Headed Behemoth. (1,000 ATK)

_But he'll be a goner next turn unless I find a way to deal with these guys… _he thought.

**0000000000**

_Man, maybe she was right, _thought Crump. _Why do I need to duel anyone when I can watch from the best seats in the house?_

_I'd kill for a bag of popcorn right now…_

Then he looked up from the video camera. The same Des Koala was looking over his shoulder again.

"Look, I told you…" said Crump.

He struck the creature in the nose with the camera.

"…beat it!"

The Beast squealed in pain, and scurried further up the tree.

_Marsupials… _thought Crump. _When the man upstairs thought them up, He must have been having a migraine…_

**0000000000**

"My move!" shouted Andy, as he drew a card.

It was Red Eyes Black Dragon. The other cards in his hand were Super Rejuvenation, Cave Dragon, Pot of Avarice, and Polymerization.

_Let's see here… _he thought. _I have the necessary two sacrifices to summon Red Eyes, and he's stronger than any goblin that I know of…_

_But… Maybe if I took a chance, I could do even better…_

"Masked Dragon," he said. "Attack…

"…Attack Goblin Recon Squad!"

"Eh?" said Ryo.

Masked Dragon blasted a cloud of flame at the goblin scouts. As it did, a grid of red laser lights blocked the blast, and it fell back on Masked Dragon, blowing it to pieces.

"Perfect!" said Andy. "Now I can use Masked Dragon's effect… To summon Spirit Ryu!"

There was a bright aura of energy, and an odd Dragon appeared. It looked like a Dragon's head and tail connected by a long strand of ectoplasm. (1,000 ATK)

"Is that so?" said Ryo.

His last facedown card lifted up.

"A Rival Appears!" he shouted. "Now, I can Special Summon a Monster from my hand with a Level that matches one of yours…

"I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force!"

There was an aura of energy, and three goblins wearing plate armor and scarlet capes, holding long spears appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"I see…" said Andy. "In that case, change of plans…"

He pointed at Goblin Elite Attack Force.

"There's your target, Spirit Ryu!"

"HUH?" said Ryu.

The strange Dragon blasted a bolt of pure light at the three well-armored goblins…

"And for each Dragon that I discard when Spirit Ryu attacks," said Andy, as he discarded Cave Dragon and Red Eyes, "it gains 1,000 Attack Points!"

(3,000 ATK)

The three goblins dropped their spears, and tried to hide behind the Black Ops. Unfortunately, the assassins dodged aside, and the elite soldiers were vaporized.

"Don't be so smug, you guys…" said Andy, looking at the Black Ops. "I play… Pot of Avarice…"

He played the card, and took all three Masked Dragons, Cave Dragon, and Luster Dragon from his discard slot. He reshuffled his deck, and made two draws.

"Bingo!" he said. "I summon Doppelganger Dragon!"

He played the card, and the small Dragon made entirely of plasma appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I pay 1,000 Life Points, and choose a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck that has one Dragon and a different Type of Monster as it Materials. Doppelganger then assumes the name of the non-Dragon."

Doppelganger started to change shape, slowly assuming humanoid form, until it vaguely looked like Warrior Dai Grepher.

"So now, with Polymerization," he said, as he played the fusion card, "I can fuse it with Spirit Ryu…"

A vortex formed, and the two Monsters were drawn through.

"Summoning… Ryu Senshi!"

There was an explosion of energy, and a tall Warrior stepped from out of the vortex. His armor was similar to Grepher's, with a helmet and mask shaped like a Dragon's head, and shoulder pads on his armor shaped like Dragon's wings. He held a gleaming sword. (2,000 ATK)

"Not bad…" said Ryo.

"I set one card, and end my turn…" said Andy, as a set card materialized behind Ryu Senshi. "Which means, I can play Super Rejuvenation."

A Quickplay Spell Card appeared in front of him.

"So I get to draw one card for each one that I discarded with Spirit Ryu's effect…"

He made two draws.

**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,700)**

Ryu drew a card. Then he sighed.

_Might as well make the most of this… _he thought.

"Black Ops, attack Andy directly again!" he shouted.

Andy cringed again, as the flurry of shuriken cut into him.

"Now, my Recon Squad will finish what they started last turn…" said Ryo.

Another set of grenades rolled towards Twin-Headed Behemoth… Andy braced himself as the Dragon was blown into little pieces.

**(A: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,700)**

"I set one card, and end my turn…" said Ryo, as a set card materialized in his Spell Zone. "It's coming down to the wire now…"

"Maybe so…" said Andy, as he made a draw.

He looked at the card.

"I activate my Trap Card!" shouted Ryo.

His facedown card lifted up.

"It's called Minor Goblin Official, and I can activate it because you have less than 3,000 Life Points. As long as it's in play, you'll take 500 points of damage during each of your Standby Phases…

"Starting with this one."

Andy grunted as a sickening green aura surrounded him.

"Goblins not only play rough," said Francesca, "they play dirty…"

"I know…" said Andy. "But it's still all over for those guys…

"I summon Lancer Lindwurm!"

He played the card, and a humanoid Dragon wearing armor holding a double-bladed spear appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Wipe out those Black Ops!" he ordered. "Thunder Lance!"

Lancer Lindwurm shot a stream of lightning from its weapon, and the goblin Ninjas were enveloped in electricity before dissolving into particles.

"Ryu Senshi, destroy his Recon Squad with Dragon Soulsword!"

The Fusion Warrior made a rush at the team of scouts. They screamed, dropped their equipment, and fled the other way, disappearing into the underbrush.

"Works for me, I guess," said Andy with a shrug. "Next I play… Stamping Destruction!"

He played a Spell Card, and a shockwave tore across the field, blowing the Final Attack Orders card to little bits.

"Not only can your goblins no longer stay in Attack Mode," said Andy, "but due to the effect of that card, you take 500 points of damage."

**(A: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,000)**

_True… _thought Francesca, _but why didn't Andy destroy the Minor Goblin Official? With that on the field and Ryo using Monsters that tend to be a lot more powerful than his, it's going to be a big problem..._

"I'll set this," said Andy.

A facedown card appeared behind Lancer Lindwurm.

"…and then turn it over to you…"

Ryo slowly drew a card.

"Hey…" he said. "Not bad…

"I'm bringing out Goblindbergh!"

There was the sound of a noisy engine, and a biplane piloted by a goblin wearing an aviator's helmet and a scarf flew over the trees, towards the two duelists. (1,400 ATK)

"By summoning it, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my hand…"

He took the last card in his hand.

"So… I summon… Tardy Orc!"

He threw the card on his Disk.

There was a long pause.

"So where is he?" asked Andy.

Ryo sighed.

"Give him a minute…" he said, sounding a little annoyed.

Then they heard someone panting, and a large humanoid creature rushed up from behind. It looked exactly like Giant Orc, only carrying a large suitcase. It was out of breath, clearly having been in a rush. (2,200 ATK)

"Late again, I see?" said Ryo, looking at it sternly.

Tardy Orc shrugged and grinned, looking a little embarrassed.

"Anyway…" continued Ryo. "This guy has a completely different liability than most of the Monsters I use… Simply put, it can't attack on a turn where it's Normal Summoned…

"But… If I Special Summon it, like I did with Goblindbergh…"

"It can start smashing heads right away…" said Andy.

"Exactly!" said Ryo. "Of course, Goblindbergh has to move to Defense Mode since I used its effect…"

The goblin pilot landed, and its engines stopped. (0 ATK)

Then Tardy Orc pulled a large, bone club out of its suitcase.

"…but I think I can wrap this up…"

Tardy Orc lumbered towards Lancer Lindwurm, making the ground shake…

"I activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and the ogre's club slammed against an invisible barrier.

"Not only is Lancer Lindwurm safe now, but I gain 2,200 Life Points…"

**(A: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,000)**

Ryo grinned. Then he laughed.

"Oh, this is just rich!" he said. "I'll end my turn there… Keep going… I can't wait to see what comes next…"

Andy took a deep breath. He drew a card.

"By the way…" said Ryo, "Minor Goblin Official's effect still activates…"

Andy grunted again.

"I move both my Monsters to Defense Mode…" he said.

Ryu Senshi knelt and held his sword down. (1,200 ATK) Lancer Lindwurm assumed the same defending position. (1,200 DEF)

"Then I'll set this Monster…" he said.

A hidden Monster appeared to the right of Lancer Lindwurm.

"…and then you go."

**(A: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,200)**

Ryo snapped the top card off his deck.

"I play… Banner of Courage…" he said.

He fit the card into his Disk, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared.

"This makes my goblins 200 points stronger, at least during my Battle Phase. Now I'll move my pilot into Attack Mode."

Goblindbergh's propellers started, and it lifted off. (1,400 ATK)

"All right, big guy," he said, "smash that Fusion Monster!"

Tardy Orc lifted its club and brought it down hard, its Attack Score rising to 2,400 as it did, causing a violent tremor than blew Ryu Senshi to little pieces.

"Now let's see… Goblindbergh…"

He looked at Lancer Lindwurm and the set Monster.

"That one…" he said, pointing to the latter.

Goblindbergh's Attack Score rose to 1,600 as it fired machine gun shells at the hidden Monster. Morphing Jar appeared on the card and was blown to dust.

Ryo chuckled.

"Fine with me…" he said.

They both had no cards to discard, so they simply made five draws.

Ryo looked them over.

"I'll set this…" he said, as a facedown card appeared in front of him, "and my turn is over…"

"All right!" shouted Andy.

He drew a sixth card. Then he grunted as the effect of Minor Goblin Official kicked in.

"I summon Goddess with the Third Eye!" shouted Andy.

He played the card, and the slim Fairy woman in a green gown appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, I play… Dragon's Mirror! I'll fuse her with Red Eyes Black Dragon in my Graveyard…"

The Goddess's two regular eyes closed, and her third one opened. She faded from view, and a transparent image of Meteor Dragon appeared. Then, Red Eyes rose behind it, and the two were drawn into a vortex…

With a loud roar, Meteor Black Dragon rose in front of Andy. It let out a loud roar, and both Tardy Orc and Goblindbergh shuddered… (3,500 ATK)

**0000000000**

_Whoa… _thought Crump, who was still recording. _This is intense… Maybe I can post this on YouTube…_

Then he heard a familiar chitter. He sighed.

"Look, I told you…" he said as he turned his head, expecting to see the Des Koala.

But it was not just the Des Koala. It had brought a friend back with it, a Tree Otter, and they were looking at him from the tree trunk with a look that didn't seem at all friendly.

Then the two Beasts started to gnaw on the tree limb that Crump was perched on.

"Wait!" shouted Crump. "Don't do that! Don't!"

He tried to rush at the two creatures, but as he did, the branch gave way, and he fell to the ground with a crash. The two Beasts chuckled.

Lying on the ground, flat on his face, Crump realized he could at least stop worrying now about how he was going to get down…

**0000000000**

"Did you hear something?" said Stan.

"Eh…" said Francesca.

She looked behind them. Due to the tall grass, she didn't see Crump. She just shrugged, and turned back to the duel.

"I move Lancer Lindwurm back to Attack Mode!" he shouted.

Lancer Lindwurm reassumed a fighting stance. (1,800 ATK)

"Meteor Black Dragon, destroy his Tardy Orc! Meteor Flare!"

"I activate… Staunch Defender!" shouted Ryo, as his Trap Card lifted up. "Now your Dragon is forced to attack Goblindbergh!"

The blazing ball of fire hit the biplane, blowing it out of the sky and knocking the goblin duelist on his rump…

**(A: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

_Odd… _thought Stan. _He took more damage in order to protect Tardy Orc… He's planning something…_

"I this facedown…" said Andy, as he threw a set card into his Spell Zone, "and then it's your move…"

"First I draw a card…" said Ryo, as he drew, "then my Orc attacks Lancer Lindwurm!"

Tardy Orc made an underhanded swing with its weapon, knocking the Dragon-man over Andy's head and over the trees behind him.

**(A: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,900)**

"Now, moving to my second Main Phase, I set a facedown card, and then summon Goblin Marauding Force."

The facedown card appeared in his Spell Zone, and a new mob of goblins appeared, and it was easy to see why they were called a "marauding force". They were all wearing blonde wigs (which did not even come close to looking like real hair) and their armor was an imitation of the style used by a famous Warrior-Type Monster (but far from the same quality). (1,900 ATK)

"So why are they trying to look like Marauding Captain?" asked Francesca. "Isn't he the guy who defeated them at their own headquarters?"

"Maybe you just answered your own question…" said Stan.

"That should do it for my turn…" said Ryo, slowly.

He was trying hard not to look at his facedown card, but it was the key to turning the duel around right now.

_If he tries to attack either of my Monsters, _he thought, _my Covering Fire will increase its Attack Score by the Attack Score of the other one, giving it 4,100 Attack Points, enough to defeat that big Dragon… I'll be able to win on the next turn…_

Andy drew a card. He cringed a little as Minor Goblin Official's effect kicked in.

Then he looked at the card.

"Bad news, Ryo…" he said with a smirk.

He played it.

"I activate Enemy Controller!"

The same video game control pad that had appeared when Francesca had played the card appeared in mid-air.

"So…" said Andy. "Up, Left, Down, Right, A, and… Start…"

Tardy Orc fell on its behind, and fell asleep. (0 DEF)

"I thought so…" said Andy. "It may not have the same liability as your goblins, but it does share one thing in common… A nonexistent Defense Score…"

_Well, at least it IS in Defense Mode… _thought Ryo. _So…_

Andy's facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Dragon's Rage!" he shouted. "With this Trap Card, ALL of my Dragons inflict piercing damage!"

_Oh… crap… _thought Ryo.

"Attack Tardy Orc!" shouted Andy. "Meteor Flare!"

The huge Dragon's blast incinerated the sleeping ogre, and Ryo screamed…

**(A: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

**0000000000**

_The video camera… _thought Crump. _Gotta get the video camera…_

Then he passed out.

Unbeknownst to him, another man had been watching the duel, and that man was now only five feet away from him, holding the dropped video camera.

The man removed the diskette from it, and then snapped it in half. Then he dropped the camera, leaving Crump to snooze.

The man turned towards Andy and his two friends.

"I th-th-think and explanation is l-l-long overdue…" he said.

**0000000000**

Ryo handed Andy a Crystal Card.

"Maybe we'll see each other again…" said the goblin duelist. "For now… I'm heading to Petalburg.

"Good luck!" said Andy, as he walked down the road.

"Try the shroom fry when you get there!" called Francesca.

"And stay away from Hooktail Castle!" added Stan. "Trust me on that one!"

Andy took his sunglasses off, and sighed.

"So where are we headed next?" he said.

"Betty said that there's a town around here called the Great Tree," said Francesca.

She took the map out of her duffle bag and looked at it.

"Think it's really a tree?"

"I wouldn't be surprised…" said Stan.

As the three walked in that direction, they had no idea that someone was following them…

Meeting this person would be a turning point in their careers… But they didn't know it yet…

**0000000000**

_**Andy now has four Crystal Cards, half what he requires! What other challenges are there to face in the Boggly Woods?**_

_**Quite a lot, to tell the truth.**_

_**Next:**_

_**?: I've lived here in secret for years… I doubt that the Queen even knows I'm still alive… If she knew, my life would be in terrible danger…**_

_**But I live here by choice… Leaving was never an option. I swore to a mission long ago, and I will pursue it until I no longer am able to. **_

_**After all these years, they've finally come… And I must meet them before the Queen strikes at them again… **_

_**Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.**_

"_**Past Image" is coming soon. **_


	9. Past Image

_**I've always been taught to respect my elders. From the point when I was very young, I was taught that when an adult speaks, it's only polite to listen.**_

_**Of course, on the other hand, I was also told as a child never to trust strangers, not to talk to them, and NEVER to take gifts from them.**_

_**Now, an old man has approached us who says he wants to help, and the story he tells is kind of farfetched… He may just be a crazy old geezer…**_

_**But I'm hesitant to write him off just yet… Because his story is pretty gripping, and we've seen such strange things so far…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL NINE**

**0000000000**

**Past Image**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"So, your uncle works with corrections officers?" asked Andy. "Is that a nice name for police officers?"

"No, Andy," said Stan, with a sigh. "That is a nice name for prison guards…

"My uncle says he'll write me a recommendation if I ever want to get into the business, but he advises against it. Being a corrections officer pays well, but it's not a very rewarding job. It's a very challenging work environment, and it typically causes high levels of stress, burnout, health problems, high turnover rates, low life expectancy, and decreased quality of life.

"Heck, my uncle is the boss at the North Branch Correctional Institution, but even he has to go through the metal detector, submit to a pat-down, and have his briefcase searched each time he goes to work in the morning."

He looked at his deck.

"Maybe that's why he gave me these cards… He wanted my life to be more rewarding than his… Less of a hassle…"

"Hey, people…" said Francesca. "Notice how quiet it got all of a sudden?"

They looked around. The Boggly Woods were indeed rather quiet now… Even the wind had seemed to cease…

**0000000000**

Watching through her crystal ball, the sorceress smirked at them.

She took a card from the pile, and hurled it into the fireplace. The purple flames rose again…

Then the fireball shot out of the center of the mountain, towards Boggly Woods…

"You want noise?" she asked.

**0000000000**

Stan, Francesca, and Andy were startled by a loud tremor… Then another one. Giant footsteps?

No… It seemed like the sound made by something very big _jumping _towards them.

Then there were some loud shouts, and a herd of panicked Des Koalas, Tree Otters, Creepy Coneys, and Rescue Rabbits burst out of the underbrush. They all ignored the three teenagers, rushing right past them.

"WHA?" said Andy.

"Hold on…" said Stan. "They're running from something they don't like…"

There was a loud roar, and a colossal _thing _hopped out from the forest in front of them. It looked like a rabbit the size of a Dragon… Or perhaps a Dragon with the features of rabbit… It was hard to tell. Whatever the case, nature had clearly gone bonkers when it had decided to create this creature. (2,950 ATK)

"That's a Rabidragon!" shouted Andy. "I saw a guy use this in a tournament where he used a Normal Beatdown deck… Everyone figured that whoever approved the card design meant it as a joke…"

Francesca quickly drew the top card from her Disk, and looked at it.

"Let's hope Trap Cards work on these things as well as Monsters do…" she said. "Shadow Spell!"

The card glowed, and loops of iron chains grabbed hold of the mad Dragon, securing it to the ground. (2,250 ATK)

"Nice job!" shouted Stan.

Then Rabidragon roared, and started pulling at the bonds.

"It's gonna break free!" shouted Andy. "Can it _do _that?"

Stan threw a card on his Disk, and Gagaga Magician appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"He can't beat that thing!" screamed Andy.

"Then I'll give him some help," replied Stan. "I'll use his effect to increase his Level to 8."

Four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then the number doubled.

"Then, the Equip Spell, Bound Wand!"

The magic wand appeared in the Spellcaster's hand, and he glowed with a burning surge. (2,300 ATK)

"And now he should be just strong enough…"

Gagaga Magician aimed a blast at Rabidragon, and an explosion shook the whole forest.

The three teenagers slumped to the ground, sweating and wiping their brows with relief.

"Everything is completely harmless…" said Stan, repeating the words of the serving maid. "Right…"

"W-w-well done, youngsters," said a voice.

They looked up.

The statement had come from an old man, who they estimated to be about seventy years old. He was tall and lanky, with a thin face, and wore very think glasses perched on a very long nose. His hair was pure white and frizzy, bringing to mind someone who had stuck his finger in an outlet. He wore clothing that, while formal, seemed rather drab. He also wore a Duel Disk.

"Uh, hi…" said Stan, getting up.

_This guy looks like something out of one of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales… _he thought.

"N-n-nice work with the Rabidragon," said the old man. "I'm afraid that the d-d-dangers of Arcadia are only going to get w-w-worse from this point on, I'm afraid.

"But wh-wh-where are my manners? You may call me M-M-Merlow."

**0000000000**

As the sorceress was watching through her crystal ball, it suddenly went dark.

"What the…" she said, as she got up.

She angrily pounded on the thing.

"This is the third time this month!" she shouted.

She sighed. She would send this crystal ball back for a refund, but she was pretty sure the warranty had expired by now…

She picked up her cellphone and speed-dialed a number.

"Crump!" she shouted into it. "Are you still watching those kids?"

"Uh, yes, your majesty!" he replied. "Yes I am!"

He was lying. He was actually sitting on the ground, nursing a bad headache.

"Well, don't let them out of your sight!" she ordered. "I've got a crystal ball to fix!"

Crump grumbled as she hung up.

**0000000000**

The three teenagers looked at the strange old man for a minute or two.

"So, I see you're a duelist?" asked Stan.

Merlow looked at his Duel Disk.

"F-f-from time to time," he replied. "I don't h-h-have time for a duel now…"

"Uh, say…" said Andy. "My folks know someone who could help with that problem of yours…"

"Wh-wh-what problem?" asked Merlow.

"Never mind!" said Andy, quickly.

"So, is there a Mrs. Merlow?" asked Francesca. She didn't feel like this was a conversation at all, and thought it best to start one.

"Oh, I was m-m-married once…" said Merlow. "Dear Lydia p-p-passed away after taking ill many years ago…"

Francesca felt like she had been kicked in the gut.

"I am SO sorry!" she pleaded.

"It's okay…" said Merlow. "All m-m-mortals die… What is truly tragic is when their l-l-lives are cut short when they are young…

"And I want to p-p-prevent that from happening…

"Sit down youngsters… An explanation is long overdue."

"Uh, there's nothing to sit on…" said Stan.

Then, to his incredible surprise, three very large mushrooms the size of chairs had appeared behind them.

He chanced to try one, and it seemed pretty solid, yet soft, like a cushion. He turned to Francesca and Andy and nodded, and they sat on the other two.

Merlow sat on a fourth one that had appeared behind him. Then he snapped his fingers, and a larger mushroom appeared in the center of then, on which a tea service and a plate of pastries appeared in the center.

"Tea and scones, youngsters?" he asked, as he picked up the teapot.

They hardly knew what to make of these bizarre things he was doing. Still, they didn't think it would be polite to say "no", even though none of them had ever developed a taste for tea. They simply nodded, and he poured the tea into the cups.

They picked them up and sipped it slowly. It wasn't half-bad… It had a sweet flavor to it that they couldn't place…

"I wish I could have met you three in a happier place and time," he said. "Maybe warned you beforehand… But that was impossible… It's started now, and there's no way out.

"The incident with Melissa at the Castle was only the beginning. As you have already deduced, someone does indeed 'have it out for you'."

The three teenagers were a little surprised, not only by the ominous statement, but by the fact that he had said five whole sentences without stuttering.

"When Meyers suggested in jest that the Shadow Queen might lurk behind the Thousand Year Door, it couldn't have been truer," continued Merlow. "She's in there… And she wants to get _out._

"I'll start at the beginning. That's always the best place to start a story. The Shadow Queen first came to power a little over a thousand years ago. She was an incredibly powerful dark sorceress who was in league with foul creatures from the underworld.

"Her goal was nothing short of world conquest. Leading an army of demons, she invaded many lands, conquering them and enslaving their people, forming an Empire of Shadow."

"Hold on…" said Francesca. "Back up for a minute… If there was a tyrant named the Shadow Queen back then who ruled an Empire of Shadow, how come it isn't mentioned in our school history classes?"

"A lot of important events from the Dark Ages have been forgotten," replied Merlow.

"Anyway, eventually, the Shadow Queen's power became so great, that she founded her capital right on this island, which she named Arcadia, and built the Palace of Shadow, a monument to her greatness."

He pointed to the mountain in the center of the island, the one that loomed ominously behind them.

"Seeing a mountain as invincible and as immortal as she believed herself to be, she hollowed it out, creating a dark stronghold where she, her army, her numerous consorts, and her servants could live in luxury. Beneath this complex she made her prison, where those who defied her languished.

"At the risk of getting ahead of myself, the only description of her cruel prison came from those who were rescued after she was finally defeated. It was made up of nine layers, built that way to give a prisoner the feeling that he was being condemned to Hell, which also has nine parts. The tortures for the inmates got worse with each deepening layer. Criminals who offended her more – or, rumor had it, whom she feared more – were sent to deeper layers. Apparently, the ninth layer was never used for some reason, possibly being saved for a special occasion.

"Anyway… Because the Queen and most of her servants could transport themselves to any location on Earth using magic, the Palace of Shadow would only have one well-fortified and well-guarded physical entrance located on the side of the mountain. Magic was needed to enter it, and anyone who did enter uninvited would soon beg for death.

"It is called the Thousand Year Door now…

"The Queen's campaign of terror went on for years… All attempts at rebellion among her subjugated lands failed… More kingdoms were enslaved, and her evil empire grew…

"But this would not last forever…"

"Uh-huh?" said Francesca, who was starting to enjoy this story. "I suppose that a hero emerged to oppose her?"

"Not one hero," replied Merlow. "Three. Three saviors appeared. They had each lost their families to her dark armies, and had nothing to lose by opposing her. They gained power on their own in secret, and formed a partnership. Their names are forgotten, and exactly _how _they met, no-one knows. Folks just call them the Three Heroes now.

"It would be wrong to put them in any sort of order, but… One of them studied sorcery himself, becoming a powerful master of the dark arts, second only to the Shadow Queen herself. His mighty incarnations could lay waste to an army of demons."

Stan lifted an eyebrow. He looked at his deck.

Then he drew the top card.

It was Gagaga Magician.

"Interesting card there, Stanley?" asked Merlow.

"Please go on…" said Stan.

"The second was a young, chaste woman who commanded the power of nature," continued Merlow. "Her purity and connection to the natural world was so great, that she tamed a unicorn and convinced it to become her mount. Astride her steed, the forces of the wild heeded her commands."

Francesca had the same funny feeling that Stan just had. She looked at her deck, and drew the top card.

Lady of Unicorns.

She shuffled her deck as Merlow went on.

"The third one was the most mysterious. Some said that his father was actually a dragon that had taken a human woman as a consort. Whether this was true or not, while most humans were afraid of dragons, these mighty beasts bowed to him, doing as he commanded and coming to his aid."

Andy looked at him strangely.

Then he took the top card from his deck.

Lord of Dragons.

"But even these three knew that they were no match for the Shadow Queen as they were," continued Merlow. "They knew that all attempts to bring her down had come to bad ends. Thus, they took a different route than other failed insurrections.

"How's the tea, folks?"

"Uh, good…" said Stan.

"I've f-f-found that a touch of sarsaparilla enhances the flavor g-g-greatly…" he said. "Now where was I?"

"You said they were going to take a different route…" said Francesca.

"Exactly…" said Merlow. "They came to Arcadia, and challenged the symbols of the Queen's authority, starting with the weakest, and moving upward. Extensions of her might like Hooktail and King Boo…"

_King Boo? _thought Stan. _He wasn't in that video game…_

"Eventually," continued Merlow, "they started to show to her subjects that the Queen wasn't invincible, and that freedom was possible. Little by little, they gained support behind them.

"After several weeks, the whole population of Arcadia was behind them, and their deeds were spreading to the other lands of the Empire of Shadow. When they knew they were ready, they stormed the Palace of Shadow.

"As they did, a dark cloud eclipsed the sun, moon, and stars, plunging the whole world into darkness. For the next three days, no light shone on the world as humanity's three saviors fought in that accursed place. The Three Heroes battled their way through the Queen's army of demons and monsters, until they confronted her in her throne room.

"They had come looking for a fight, and they would get one. The Shadow Queen held nothing back. Eventually, the Three Heroes were ready to collapse, their power almost spent. The Shadow Queen mocked them, calling their efforts pathetic…

"But something incredible happened. In every part of the Empire of Shadow, the people realized that their saviors were about to fall. Having experienced hope for the first time in years, they wouldn't let that happen.

"At the same time, the voices of a million people gave their support. From all lands where the Shadow Queen's claws had touched, they gave their cheers and ovations…

"And deep within that den of evil, the Three Heroes heard. Their power flowed back into them, and the fight not only continued, it turned around dramatically. From that point on, their blades dealt terrible wounds to the Shadow Queen, while her spells could not scratch them.

"Finally, the wicked sorceress fell before them, defeated… It was over…"

"Bravo!" said Andy. "Great story… You ever think of making this into a book?"

"I'm not finished…" said Merlow. "You see, the Three Heroes knew that the Shadow Queen deserved death, but when they tried to execute their prisoner, they couldn't. It seemed she simply _couldn't _be killed.

"So they did the next best thing…

"They stripped her of her powers, bound her in chains in her own prison, and then cast a powerful curse that would prevent her from ever leaving the Palace of Shadow that she had so proudly built.

"Then they sealed the doorway, and left her alone, a prisoner in her grand palace.

"But… It wouldn't end there…

"It took three centuries, but the Shadow Queen finally recovered enough of her strength to break the chains and emerge from her cell. More years passed, and she recovered more of her power. She recruited new servants who desired the power she offered, and eventually seized control of one small part of her former Empire – Arcadia.

"As Melissa suggested, the parliamentary council that seemingly rules this place is a farce. Almost all of its members are political puppets that work for the Queen, who truly rules Arcadia.

"But the Queen still only possesses a fraction of her former power, and still cannot leave the Palace of Shadow. The curse placed upon her by the Three Heroes makes her both the ruler and a prisoner of this land, forcing her to rule it via intermediaries, and keeping her from expanding her rule past its shores. Should she escape, she'd do away with the Arcadian Parliament entirely, and start ruling her subjects openly."

"Before she started trying to form her Empire again, I assume?" asked Stan.

"P-p-possibly…" replied Merlow. "You see, if there's one t-t-thing that the Shadow Queen has learned from her millennia of imprisonment, it's to realize her limits. She realizes now that she isn't invulnerable, and that she was lucky she survived. She r-r-realized that she has to be more cautious than she was before.

"That doesn't mean she's grown to accept her imprisonment… She'll do _anything _to escape… Betray anyone, c-c-commit any crime…

"And after centuries, she's found a way… She must recreate th-th-that ancient battle… And she must win.

"If either she or someone working for her defeats the heirs of her j-j-jailers, in a fair contest, her curse will be lifted, and she will be free to leave."

There was a long pause.

"So… Just why are you telling this to us?" asked Francesca.

"Isn't it obvious by now?" asked Merlee.

"_You _are those heirs. She intends to do it using Duel Monsters as a m-m-medium…"

Stan, Andy, and Francesca looked at each other.

Then they burst out laughing.

"Right, right," laughed Stan. "My great, great, great, great grandfather was the master of the mystic arts…"

"Old timer, that has so many holes in it…" said Francesca. "How can I be descended from a 'chaste maiden'? Are you going to debunk the Bible and say that there was more than one immaculate conception?"

Then Merlow snickered a little.

"Of course there w-w-was," he said. "The birth of Christ was _far _from the only case of a child being born to a virgin m-m-mother. Practically every culture on Earth has a legend in their mythologies of it happening. And a lot of them predate the New Testament by s-s-several centuries.

"You know that Trap Card you have that has an effect that you activate from the G-G-Graveyard?"

Francesca gave him a strange look. Then she leafed through her deck until she found the Crest of Valarian card.

"This one?" she asked.

"You say you don't know who Valarian is…" said Merlow. "I'll tell you exactly who he is… He's a p-p-powerful nature spirit who acts as the patron of unicorns.

"And if ever a maiden who has t-t-tamed a unicorn wants a child, she can perform a ceremony at a special site of power and invoke his name. If she is worthy, she will be granted a d-d-daughter without ever having to couple with a man.

"That is what your f-f-forbearer did… In fact, all three of the Three Heroes took steps to ensure that their bloodlines continued, because there is an added f-f-factor to this story.

"If their heirs defeat the Queen a second time, her defeat will be final. She will truly die.

"That is the r-r-reason the Queen didn't have you kidnapped and dragged to the Palace of Shadow so she could f-f-fight you personally. Like I said, she knows she must use caution this time. She has chosen to host this Duel Monsters t-t-tournament, and use her enforcers to deal with you. She knows that confronting you herself is dangerous, so she won't do that until every option is exhausted.

"Gramps, I have to admit," said Andy, "you tell a great story… But if I did have dragons in my family, I think I would know about it."

"Explain those," said Merlow.

He pointed to the pendants that they were wearing.

"Y-y-your ancestors made them as a symbol of the bond between them. And when you came here, they br-br-brought you together.

"Want more proof? F-F-fusions, Synchros, and Xyzs… The three aspects of the Extra Deck… Each of you specialize in one of them as a duelist. You three form a tr-tr-triangle of power that has now been brought together.

"Here's more proof that you three are chosen ones… The Sweet Treat and Earth Tremor cards are not normal Spell Cards.

"Francesca, do you know why you made such a lucky draw after The Unfriendly Amazon used that card against you?"

"It wasn't luck?" asked Francesca.

"No…" replied Merlow. "The Three Heroes created eight powerful Spells when they set out on their journey, created from powerful good magic. They later wrote the spells down on scrolls, and entrusted them to powerful wizards. When the Queen and her minions started using Duel Monsters, the spells were infused into eight Enchanted Cards.

"Only the powers of Good can safely use these cards. If the Shadow Queen or her minions try to use them, they become cursed."

"So where are the other six?" asked Andy, getting excited.

"The Queen's m-m-minions have a couple of them," replied Merlow. "Sadly, some of the people entrusted with them were defeated and captured. Others are still in the hands of those they were entrusted with.

"But if you follow the path before you, d-d-destiny will lead you to all eight."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Look…" said Stan. "Assuming all you're telling us is true… If the Shadow Queen can't leave the Palace of Shadow… How was she able to appear in front of us and talk to us after Francesca dueled Melissa?"

"I assume that was her?" asked Francesca.

"Yes and no…" said Merlow, as he stood up. "A simple tr-tr-trick of wizards… Watch… First you have to see a place, like that grove over there, or view it with a scrying device, l-l-like a crystal ball.

"Then, the right incantation, and…"

He waved his hand and muttered something under his breath, and a duplicate of himself appeared in the grove.

"See?" said the duplicate. "It's called Project Image. You s-s-see me here…"

"But I'm really over here," said the real Merlow. "The Shadow Queen's version is more powerful. She can make an illusory clone of herself appear anywhere in her d-d-domain."

The image vanished.

"I assume you're a wizard?" asked Francesca.

"Not as powerful as the Queen, but y-y-yeah," replied Merlow.

"So what's keeping us from simply telling her to go to Hell?" asked Andy. "Can't we just get on a ship and leave this place?"

Merlow sat back down, and sipped his tea.

"You youngsters f-f-fail to understand how strong the Queen's control over this place is," he said. "If she knows that you three are on a ship, that ship will not get clearance to l-l-leave Arcadia's ports.

"And even if you find a captain that's willing to risk arrest by d-d-defying the port's orders and t-t-try to smuggle you out, the Queen could create a storm around the island that would make it physically incapable of leaving.

"I realize that you three never s-s-signed up to be heroes… But if you refuse, then sooner or later, the remaining Shadow Spawn will find you…"

They looked at him.

"Can you tell us some more about these Shadow Spawn?" asked Francesca.

"I suppose I have time to do that…" said Merlow. "The Shadow Spawn are her children, her most trusted henchmen, and her most powerful enforcers. Each one has a fraction the powers possessed by his or her parents. None of them have the same father… She bore them after seducing six powerful individuals in an effort to create heirs.

"Her first consort was also the most mysterious. I think he may have been a dark wizard of some sort, and quite possibly the closest thing she ever had to a permanent consort. But the relationship apparently didn't last… Rumor has it that there was a fight between them, and he lost. I don't know if he's still alive… I can definitely say he hasn't been seen since. But she was carrying his child at the time; Vladimir was born nine months later, the Shadow Spawn of Darkness, her heir apparent.

"She quickly found a new consort, and this one was not even human. He was a marid, a powerful elemental spirit of water. Marids are known for being proud and egotistical, and all of them have some claim to nobility in the realm that they call home. He likely thought that he would take her as _his _consort eventually. But she had no intention of keeping this one, and in the end, her will was stronger. When she was carrying his child, she killed him, and the result of the union was Maria, the Shadow Spawn of Water.

"She was hardly done. Her next target was a dao, an elemental spirit of earth. Daos are notorious slave traders who deal with powerful evil extradimensional entities. He saw her as a potential target that would be worth a fortune. It was the last mistake he ever made. She got what she wanted from him, and then disposed of him. Leopold, the Shadow Spawn of Earth, was the result.

"Her next task would be hard. She chose an efreeti, an elemental spirit of fire. Efreeti are known to hate humans, so she had to use powerful magic to make him her slave. Soon, she was carrying another child, she killed the father, and Tyson was the result.

"The next one would be even harder. Djinns, spirits of elemental wind, are noble creatures that aren't vulnerable to mind control. In order to seduce this target, she had to assume a pleasing disguise and use magical trickery. She succeeded, killed him, and bore Kurtis.

"Bearing her final child would the hardest yet. The father this time was not an elemental spirit, but a divine being. An angel if you will. His name was Galadriel."

Francesca looked at him in shock, but he continued.

"I'm not exactly sure how the Queen managed to make him surrender to her charms. Possibly, it was nothing less than rape."

"A woman can force herself on a man?" asked Andy.

"Contrary to popular belief, it _is _possible," said Stan, "but it's _incredibly _rare."

"Whatever the case," said Merlow, "you'll be glad to know that Galadriel, alone of all their fathers, managed to escape unscathed. But she got what she needed from him. Melissa was born soon after. She inherited her father's power over Light, but very little else from him.

"You know, I had once thought that there was hope for Melissa… I approached her once, hoping to turn her to my side, thinking that some of her father's Good might have been in her… I was wrong… I barely escaped with my life that day…

"The six Shadow Spawn are the Queen's enforcers now… The people of Arcadia are deathly afraid of them, because they enforce their mother's will. When one of them shows up, it's a sure sign that someone has angered the Queen, and is going to be punished for doing so…"

"So…" said Stan. "If all this is true… What we have to do is win enough Crystal Cards to enter the Thousand Year Door, confront the Queen in an epic battle, and defeat her?"

"Before she defeats us?" asked Francesca. "And what if she does?"

"Then your lives will be in terrible danger," replied Merlow. "She will take every step possible to make sure she isn't imprisoned a second time…

"She may not stop with you… She may try her hardest to see to it that every one of your living relatives are eradicated.

"I'm not trying to scare you… You just have to know."

Merlow stood up again. He took a set of cards out of his jacket. There were seven in all.

"If I still can't convince you…" he said. "These fellows may…"

He carefully arranged the cards on the table. The three teenagers looked at them.

"In their quest to overthrow the Queen," said Merlow, "the Three Heroes were j-j-joined by seven individuals… Some called them s-s-servants, others called them l-l-lackeys.

"To them, they were Companions.

"Eventually, these Companions died, as most m-m-mortals do, but not before a great artist immortalized their images in paintings. Recently, a descendent of that artist somehow m-m-made these card versions of the paintings…

"He told me that the s-s-souls of the Companions lie within the cards, and are eager to help fight the Queen again…

"Add them to your d-d-decks, and they will tell you that themselves…"

He sighed, and stood up again.

"Before I go…" he said, "I should tell you I have allies on Arcadia…"

He took another card out of his jacket, and showed it to them.

"Noble Knight Artorigus?" asked Stan.

"It's not a very c-c-common card…" said Merlow, "but it's not all-that powerful either… Still, the Queen doesn't l-l-like it for… some reason. Owning or using this card is illegal in Arcadia. Simply possessing it here is p-p-punishable by flogging.

"I'm not going to give it to you and g-g-give her even more of an excuse to hound you… But… If someone owns this in d-d-defiance of the law… Then he is an ally of mine. I guarantee it.

"We will s-s-see each other again."

And then he walked off. They looked at the seven Monster Cards on the table.

**0000000000**

Crump was watching, and he was shaking like a leaf.

_This is terrible! _he thought. _I've got to call the Queen…_

He was about to dial the number on his cell phone.

_What am I doing? _he thought. _If the Queen finds out about this, she'll flip her wig! She'll get mad, and when she gets mad…_

He trembled.

_But I gotta do something… Think… Think Crump, think…_

_I know! I'll go tell Sir Grodus… He'll think of something…_

He rushed to a clearing, where an old, beat up ATV was parked.

He hopped on, and started it up, sending a plume of soot and black smoke into the air.

_Hope this stupid thing doesn't break down before I get to Rogueport… _he mused.

The noisy ATV started up, and sped down the forest path.

**0000000000**

"Seven cards and three of us," said Stan. "They're all powerful… So who gets the odd one?"

"Well, you should definitely get that one, Stan," said Andy, pointing to one of them, "because you're the only one who can use it…

"And Fran, you take that one, same story there…"

Stan and Andy each picked one up.

"You two choose one each," he continued. "Then I'll take two of the remaining three…"

"Ladies first…" said Stan, looking at Francesca.

Francesca looked at the remaining five, and picked up one of them, one of the two out of the seven that was high-Level.

"I kinda like this one…" she said.

Stan looked at what was left, and quickly took one.

"I could always use another Spellcaster…" he said. "Kinda cute, too…"

Andy looked at the remaining three. He picked up two of them.

"No Dragons," he said, "but in a deck like mine that focuses on damage, these would fit."

"One left…" said Francesca, looking at the last one.

Andy thought for a minute.

"Everyone, shuffle your decks…" he said.

The three of them shuffled.

"Now, everyone draw…" he said. "Whoever draws the Monster with the _lowest _Attack Score gets it."

"Sounds fair," said Stan.

Andy drew a card.

It was Masked Dragon.

Francesca drew a card.

She smirked. It was Egotistical Ape.

Stan made a draw.

"Trap Master!" he said, holding it up.

"Ah, well…" said Francesca, as Stan picked up the last one.

**0000000000**

Of all the nobility of Arcadia, Sir Grodus was one that stood out.

Probably the most unusual thing about him was his appearance. His cranium was a dome of crystal, and he wore a pair of glasses with lenses that looked like mirrors. He also liked wearing dark wizard's robes, and was rarely seen without a long scepter topped with an orb that looked like his cranium.

Still, he was such a frequent sight in Rogueport that the locals were used to him.

Not that they liked him much. In truth, most people hated him.

Grodus was a member of the Arcadian Parliament; as previously stated, most members of that body were nothing more than puppets for the Shadow Queen.

Almost none of them liked that arrangement, however. But it suited Grodus just fine. He not only worked for the Shadow Queen by choice, he made sure that the others didn't have a problem with doing so; if they did, they would answer to him.

Grodus was also the only member of the Parliament allowed into the Palace of Shadow, which made the others suspect that he had _other _duties. Exactly what they were, they had no idea.

Of course, while Grodus knew that everyone hated him, he really didn't care. And he wasn't doing anything really sinister at the moment… He was at a sidewalk café, having lunch.

Just because he was allowed into the Palace of Shadow didn't mean he liked being there, and eating at the place was something to avoid. The sorry excuse for Chinese food he was having at the moment (and they forgot to leave the MSG out again, of course) wasn't exactly the healthiest choice, but the Palace could be much more unpleasant…

Then he was startled as he heard an annoying and familiar noise.

"Oh no…" he groaned.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin, and turned to see Crump driving down the street in his slipshod ATV. He quickly stood up.

"CRUMP!" he shouted.

The henchman drove up to him.

"CRUMP!" repeated Grodus. "Crump, will you turn that stupid thing off? You're getting soot all over my robe!"

Crump shut the vehicle down, causing its tailpipe to backfire.

"You're like a canker sore, do you know that?" asked Grodus.

He grabbed the henchman.

"And when was the last time you washed these clothes? I can tell what you had for dinner for the past three nights!"

"Sorry boss," said Crump, as he dismounted, "but we've got big trouble… I had to tell someone, and I didn't think telling the Queen would have been a good idea."

"Define 'big trouble'," said Grodus.

"Well, here's the thing…" said Crump. "You know those kids that she told me to spy on? They were talking to an old guy…"

He took a deep breath.

"…and he said his name was Merlow…"

"MERLOW?" shouted Grodus.

Sparks of electrical energy appeared in his cranium.

"Don't blow a fuse…" said Crump.

Grodus grabbed him again.

"Are you sure you were sober?" he hissed.

"As a judge," replied Crump. "He clearly said his name was Merlow. I don't think that's a very popular name…"

"That's impossible Crump…" said Grodus, almost under his breath, "the guy is supposed to be dead…"

"Well, maybe he was a ghost…" said Crump. "We've seen stranger things… Don't wizards like you have some sort of technique that you use that lets you live forever?"

"That's called lichdom, Crump," grumbled Grodus, "and only lunatics do it…

"Look, did you get a picture of this guy?"

"Uh, come to think of it, I did…" said Crump.

He took his cellphone out of his pocket, and punched some numbers in it.

"Let's just hope it isn't another close-up of your thumb…" grumbled Grodus.

Crump handed it to Grodus. The picture was pretty clear, and looking at it made Grodus nervous.

"Yeah, that's him all right…" he muttered, nervously. "Well, you did the right thing for once by not telling the Queen… When she finds out he's alive, she'll be angrier than she usually is…"

"So what do we do?" asked Crump.

"We keep quiet about this!" replied Grodus. "From what I heard, Merlow is a wizard who's even more powerful than I am! The last thing we need is her telling us to look for him!"

Then the phone started to ring. Crump took it back.

"Oh, spit…" he said, as he looked at the number.

He answered it.

"Yes, your majesty?" he said, nervously. "Look, if you want to know why I'm not…"

"Crump!" interrupted the Shadow Queen. "Shut up and listen! Kurtis is going to meet those brats at the Great Tree, and I want you to stay out of his way. Go to Rogueport or something until I tell you otherwise."

She hung up.

"Well, that went rather well…" said Crump, as he wiped his brow.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the three teenagers were walking through the Boggly Woods…

And then it came upon them. They walked into a _huge _clearing, and that's when they saw it.

The Great Tree.

Certainly, this had to be it. There couldn't possibly be a second tree in the forest this grandiose.

Calling it "great" may have been an understatement, in fact. It was the grandest, most magnificent tree they had ever seen. It was the size of a small skyscraper, its branches spanning almost a mile in all directions. Clearly, this huge oak had been here for countless centuries.

As they got a closer look at the colossal plant, they saw that it had windows of various sizes in its mighty truck. Clearly, the town was built _inside _the tree.

"Whoa…"said Andy, looking at the huge tree in awe.

"How did they even _do _that?" gasped Francesca.

As the three of them walked towards the entrance, someone was watching from its highest boughs.

_Come to me, Stan… _he thought.

He looked at a Duel Monsters card, one that depicted a sinister, birdlike creature.

_My flock is ready to roost…_

**0000000000**

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: Melissa was bad enough, but it seems that she was only the tip of the iceberg in this demented family. I'm face-to-face with one of her older brothers, and he's coming at me like the birds of prey that his deck is based on.**_

_**It's a good thing Merlow gave us those cards… I have a feeling I'm gonna need them…**_

"_**Poisonous Winds" is coming soon.**_


	10. Poisonous Winds

_**I've met a lot of folks who, quite honestly, I didn't like. As someone who duels in tournaments, this includes a lot of duelists too. **_

_**Duelists I don't like include people who gloat, poor sports, sore losers, and most of all, cheaters. **_

_**This guy I'm up against… The duel hasn't even started yet, and already, I don't like him. The underhanded way he's gotten me to agree to this duel is one of the most despicable things I've ever seen. **_

_**You know, even if there is someone out for us, which seems likely, I doubt that the story Merlow told us about the three of us being descended from three saviors has any basis in fact… But… I kinda wish it were true… Because if this is how the Shadow Queen operates, I'd be VERY proud if a member of my family had taken her down. **_

_**So let's do this…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TEN**

**0000000000**

**Poisonous Winds**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The inside of the Great Tree was like a cave… A cave made of wood. It had several levels, with houses and businesses built into the inside of the trunk at each level.

The ground floor was like a large, circular cul-de-sac, separated from the outside by a large door made of stained glass. That was the public entrance; there were other entrances, but they were less extravagant.

In the middle of the cul-de-sac, a man was nervously pacing back and forth. He was about forty years old or so, somewhat portly, and had a bushy moustache. He was wearing an expensive-looking black suit, vest, and a tie.

"_Punio…"_ said a soft, billowing voice that echoed through the cul-de-sac.

The well-dressed man growled. He didn't answer right away.

"_Punio!" _said the voice, more forcefully this time.

"WHAT?" he shouted back.

"_They'll be here any minute now," _said the voice. _"I trust you know what to do…_

"_And once I'm done with them, we can discuss that other thing…"_

"For the third time," shouted the man, who was clearly angry, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"_We'll soon see…" _said the voice.

Punio waited a minute to see if he'd say anything else. Then he looked at the door.

_The Shadow Queen's flunkies can tear this place apart and they'll never find it… _he thought. _This guy seems pretty important to her… I can only pray that whoever he is, he manages to escape…_

**0000000000**

A sign was posted outside the front door of the Great Tree:

**WELCOME TO THE GREAT TREE**

**No Littering**

**No Vagrants**

**Absolutely No Fire Allowed**

"Well, I guess that makes sense…" said Francesca.

They heard a loud caw. They turned and saw a Yata-Garasu perched on a bush, looking at them.

Then it flew away.

"Man…" said Andy. "If there's one Duel Spirit that would give me the chills, it's _that _one…"

"Oh, don't worry…" said Francesca. "It only has 200 Attack Points, and fighting this weird wildlife isn't the same as facing a duelist using it. If it tries to mess with us, it's history."

She rang the bell, and an odd chime echoed through the clearing. The large stained glass doors slowly opened.

They walked in, and marveled at the sight of the strange town.

"Seems awfully quiet for a town…" said Andy.

"Uh, hello!" said Punio's voice.

The three of them turned to see him. He quickly shook their hands.

"Ivan Punio, at your service!" he said, trying hard not to show how nervous he was. "I'm the mayor of this humble berg… Call me Ivan…

"Welcome… Contestants…"

"Uh… Hi…" said Andy. "Uhm… Does everyone get this warm welcome?"

"Uh… Only since the tournament started…" said Ivan.

"Uh… My sister and I were going to have lunch… It would be our pleasure if you'd join us… My treat…"

"Your treat?" said Andy. "I thought food was complimentary for tournament contestants."

"Uh, yes, so it is…" said Ivan. "Still… We'd love for you to join us… There's a Japanese restaurant on the top floor that not many people know about, and…"

"Uh, buddy?" said Andy, nervously. "You can stop shaking my hand now…"

Ivan slowly retracted his hand. Andy looked at his hand, which was covered with sweat.

"Can we have a minute?" he asked, as he wiped it on his shirt.

He backed away, and huddled with Stan and Francesca.

"Guys…" he said with a shiver. "This guy is hiding something…"

"No kidding…" said Stan. "I think he _wants _us to be suspicious… It's like he's telling us 'come in' but really means 'get the Hell out of here'."

"Fran… How far is it to the next town?"

Francesca unfolded the map. She sighed.

"Unless you count Petalburg, about ten miles away…" she replied. "That's where this Twilight Town place is…

"There's a place near here where you can take a blimp or something to a town called Glitzville, but apparently, you need a permit from the Arcadian Parliament for that…"

"Which we don't have…" said Andy, nervously.

"Guys…" said Stan. "This Punio guy… I think he may be in just as much trouble as we are…"

He sighed.

"I know we didn't sign up to be heroes, and we don't have to make a habit out of it…"

"You don't' actually believe that fairy tale, do you?" asked Andy.

"No…" said Stan. "But… If something is wrong here… Maybe we can at least see what it is?"

"All right, fine!" said Andy. "But if it's another living Duel Monster, _you're _handling it!"

They turned towards Ivan.

"Sure, Mr. Punio, we'd love to join you…" said Stan.

**0000000000**

A glass elevator took them to one of the highest floors of the Great Tree, giving them a view of the whole town. Strangely, no-one seemed to be out and about.

_This is bad… _thought Stan. _Something has made everyone too scared to come outside. _

Ivan hadn't been lying. A very fancy restaurant with Japanese letters on the front was in the promenade of the floor they stopped at. He straightened his tie, and opened the door.

As they walked into the main dining room, a beautiful woman who seemed to be about ten years younger than Ivan was waiting for them. She had long, blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes.

And she looked scared.

"Ivan…" she started.

"Petuni, get out of here…" he whispered. "I'll handle this… Don't look back…"

"No, Punio…" said a voice from a chair at the table. "Tell your sister to stay right where she is… The more the merrier, I always say…"

"Listen, buddy…" said Stan, looking at the chair, "you're not fooling anyone… Are you going to show your face or do I have to come over there?"

The chair turned around, revealing a young boy about Stan's age with a face that was hard to forget. He had pale skin, and snowy, white hair. He was dressed in a wool outfit, colored blue and white.

"Who are you?" demanded Stan.

The strange boy leaned his elbows on the table.

"Kurtis," he replied. "The Shadow Spawn of Wind… I believe you three have met my sister…"

"Kids, I'm so, so, sorry!" stammered Ivan. "He's been holding this place hostage since this morning…"

"Calm down…" said Stan.

"This fifteen-year-old has been holding the town hostage?" asked Francesca, in disbelief.

Kurtis chuckled, and put his whole arms and hands on the table, a move that made everyone in the room flinch. His hands were bird-like talons.

"I don't know who gave you that manicure," said Francesca, "but I'd ask for a refund."

"Real funny…" said Kurtis. "Melissa's loss is a stain on our family, and I'd love to correct that, Francesca…

"But… I'm here to duel Stan."

"Suppose I say no?" replied Stan.

Kurtis grinned.

"Suppose I say no, he says…" he muttered.

He pointed his talon, and a fierce wind blew through the dining room. Then the wind literally snatched Ivan's sister, and lifted her off the ground.

"Petuni" shouted Ivan.

She screamed as the wind pinned her against the wall.

"Stop it!" shouted Stan.

"There's more to me than these talons…" said Kurtis. "I can control the wind itself… Melissa is the baby of the family… Her powers are nothing compared to what I can do.

"People take the air they breathe for granted… Maybe I can demonstrate just how lethal it can be by sucking it right out of this woman's lungs…"

"Kurtis, NO!" shouted Stan. "Let her go! I'll duel you!"

Kurtis waved his hand, and Petuni fell to the ground. Andy, Francesca, and her brother rushed to pick her up.

"You beast…" snarled Stan. "She was defenseless… You think you can force me to duel you by threatening people?"

"Dunno…" said Kurtis. "Can I? I'll do it again if I have to…"

Stan looked at him with a look of rage.

"You're nothing but a bully, Kurtis…" he said. "And bullies need to be put in their place…

"So fine… I'll duel you… Just name the place…"

Kurtis smirked, and got up.

"Seeing as Punio promised you three lunch, I'll give you one hour to do that…" he said.

"I'd rather get this done with as soon as possible," said Stan.

"Are you going to let the food that Ivan ordered for you go to waste?" asked Kurtis. "Besides, a condemned man is always entitled to a last meal.

"I expect you on the observation deck in no less than an hour… If you aren't… I may just decide to blow this whole tree over… Which would be a shame… Because a town of this type is pretty much irreplaceable…"

Everyone looked at him with fury as he left the room.

**0000000000**

The "no fire allowed" law in the Great Tree had been on the books since the town's founding a thousand years ago (as Ivan claimed), and was taken very seriously by its citizens. Fire was a problem for any town, and could be a disaster for this one.

As a result, most food in the Great Tree was imported fully prepared and then eaten cold or heated using microwave ovens. Food that was actually prepared here had to be done without using heat. The place was home to a great many chefs who were experts at doing just that. The restaurant they were in specialized in sushi, and it would have been magnificent if the immediate problem wasn't hanging over their heads.

So, exactly twenty minutes before Kurtis's deadline, the five of them rode the elevator to the very top floor. Stan tried to tell Ivan and his sister not to come, but they insisted.

"Ivan…" said Stan. "Do you know what kind of deck he uses?"

"Each Shadow Spawn has multiple decks," said Ivan, with a sigh. "They always stay within their Attributes, but they keep their victims guessing as to what they'll actually face."

"Well, the Wind Attribute is rather neglected as far as archetypes go…" said Andy. "You've got your Armed Dragons, Dragunities, Mist Valley, Gusto… And not much else…"

They got out of the elevator, and Ivan opened a door to a stairway leading up.

"I can't offer much help except to say that the whole town is supporting you," he said, as they walked up. "This is far from the first time one of those thugs has been here…"

He opened the final door, and they saw it.

The observation deck.

The view was phenomenal. They could see almost half of Arcadia from this point. But there was no time to enjoy it… Kurtis was leaning against the guardrail, now holding a Duel Disk.

"You actually came…" he said with a low chuckle. "Most folks try to run if they think they have a chance… Not that they get very far…"

"I didn't _want _to run, Kurtis…" said Stan. "You're a class-A sadist, and I'm taking you down."

Kurtis looked at him strangely.

"What?" asked Stan. "Surprised you finally found someone who's willing to stand up to you?"

"I don't know whether you're really brave or really stupid…" replied Kurtis. "Either way, your big mouth isn't gonna be saying such things for much longer…"

His Duel Disk activated.

"Stanley Mason…" he said, "you stand accused of the crimes committed by your ancestor against the ruler of this principality. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty…" replied Stan.

"Then shut up and duel…" said Kurtis.

Stan turned the cap on his head forward… Then he activated his Duel Disk.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Kurtis: 8,000)**

"Are all trials on Arcadia done like this?" stammered Andy.

"Only the ones that these kids preside over…" sighed Punio. "If they accuse someone and he pleads not guilty, the 'defendant' has to duel them… If the 'defendant' loses – which always happens – he's declared guilty and is never seen again…"

"And if they plead guilty?" asked Francesca.

"I have no idea…" replied Punio. "No-one is foolish enough to actually do that after what these kids have done…"

"Well?" asked Kurtis. "What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?"

"I take it you want me to go first…" muttered Stan, as he drew his first card.

He set a card in his Monster Zone, and a set Monster appeared.

"Move…" he said.

Kurtis grinned as he made a draw.

"I think I'll defend too…" he said, as a set Monster appeared on his side of the field. "And I end _my _turn."

_Okay… _thought Stan, as he made another draw. _Here goes…_

"I summon Frontier Wiseman!" he shouted.

He played the card, and a Spellcaster materialized in front of him. It was an old man with a beard, wearing a green robe, a crown on his head, and a monocle in his right eye. He held an old, leather-bound book. (1,600 ATK)

"Next, I Flip Summon Magician's Valkyria…" he said.

His set Monster flipped up, and the young, brunette Spellcaster in blue leapt onto the field, brandishing her scepter. (1,600 ATK)

Stan paused.

_I can't make an Xyz Summon yet, _he thought, _because my Monsters have dissimilar Levels… Still… This might be a good chance to take an early lead…_

"Valkyria, attack his Monster!" he shouted.

The Spellcaster fired a burning bolt of plasma at the set card. A humanoid Winged Beast with black wings wearing a mask appeared on the card, and burst into an explosion of black feathers.

"HUH?" said Francesca. "That was Battlestorm!"

"Is that bad?" asked Ivan.

"No… but strange…" said Francesca. "See, Battlestorm has 1,700 Attack Points, and it gains 100 more for each Winged Beast the controller has on the field, including itself."

Ivan and Petuni looked at her.

"Oh, I get it…" said Petuni. "That means it made little sense for Kurtis to have put it in Defense Mode…"

_Kurtis may be a bully… _thought Stan, _but he doesn't strike me as stupid… He's up to something…_

_Still… I can't pass this up…_

"Frontier Wiseman, attack him directly! Sacred Lightning!"

The Wiseman lifted his hand, and lightning bolts fell from the sky to his palm. He hurled them, and Kurtis groaned.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,400)**

"Enjoying yourself, Stan?" he asked.

"Oh, you bet…" said Stan.

He threw two cards into his Disk, and two cards flashed into view behind his two Monsters.

"Make your move…"

Kurtis drew a card. He smirked a little.

"I'll set another Monster," he said, "and then play the Field Spell, Castle of Clouds…"

As he fit the card into his Disk's Field Zone, mists started to rise around them, the mists quickly turning into a cloud that seemed to extend for miles. Behind Kurtis, a palace made of sparkling blue stone rose.

"So what does your Field Spell do?" asked Stan.

"You'll find out soon enough…" said Kurtis.

He fit three of his cards into his Spell Zone, and three facedown cards appeared in front of him.

"That should do it for now…" he thought. "Take your turn if you dare… The game is just starting…"

"Right…" thought Stan, as he drew a card.

"Valkyria, attack!" he shouted.

Valkyria fired her blast again, and this time, a green mantis appeared on the card. It was blown into bug guts.

"You destroyed Flying Kamakiri 1," said Kurtis. "Now I get to Special Summon a Wind Monster with a weak Attack Score…

"But she won't stay weak for long… I summon to the field… Harpie Lady 1!"

There was a gust of wind, and one of Kujaku Mai's signature Winged Beasts gracefully flew onto the field. Her appearance gave Stan quite a shock… Mostly because the only thing covering her chest was a pair of suspender-size straps. This Harpie was the one with red hair worn long. (1,300 ATK)

"She's not so tough…" said Stan.

"Yes, but Castle of Clouds increases the Attack Score of all Wind Monsters by 300 points," said Kurtis. "And Harpie Lady 1 has an effect that increases those Scores by _another _300 points."

(1,900 ATK)

"All right…" said Stan. "I'm moving Frontier Wiseman to Defense Mode…"

The sage knelt and held his book in his lap. (800 DEF)

"I suppose now might not be the best time to mention," laughed Kurtis, "this Field Spell also gives all Wind Monsters the ability to inflict piercing damage?"

Stan frowned.

_Maybe so… _he thought, _but he'll have to get past Magician's Valkyria before he can attack Frontier Wiseman, and my Trap Card is going to make that very hard._

"I end my turn…" said Stan, slowly.

"I draw!" exclaimed Kurtis.

"I first summon Harpie Lady 2!"

He played the card, and another Harpie appeared, this one with short, red hair with a sharp pompadour. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, a Spell Card," he said, as one of his facedown cards lifted up. "Swallow's Nest. I sacrifice her…"

Harpie Lady 2 vanished in a small cyclone.

"…and as a result, I can Special Summon a Winged Beast from my deck that is the same Level. Thus I summon… Harpie Lady 3."

The third sister appeared, this one with spiky, blue hair. (1,900 ATK)

"Good lord, he has the whole set…" exclaimed Andy.

"More than you know…" said Kurtis, as another of his set cards lifted up. "I activate Monster Reborn!"

The glowing holy symbol appeared, and Harpie Lady 2 reappeared. (1,900 ATK)

Stan looked at him oddly.

"What?" asked Kurtis.

"Harpies, huh?" asked Stan.

"You have a problem with that?" asked Kurtis.

"Well, I dunno…" said Stan. "I kinda expected something more… masculine…"

Kurtis growled a little.

"Not that it's any of your business…" he said, sounding angry now. "I use them because I admire someone else who uses them."

"Oh, please, you can't mean Kujaku!" laughed Francesca.

"And what if I do?" snarled Kurtis, looking at her.

"One, she's too old for you," said Francesca, "two, I doubt she falls for men who have talons, and three… Well, she can do better!"

"Really, Kurtis, she's old enough to be your mother…" said Andy.

"My mother is well over a thousand years old…" growled Kurtis.

Stan looked at him strangely again.

_Okay… _he thought. _That doesn't prove anything… Maybe his mom just told him another version of the fairy tale that Merlow told us…_

"Yeah…" he said. "By the way… It would have made a lot more sense to have used Monster Reborn to summon Battlestorm…"

Kurtis grinned evilly.

"Battlestorm is _exactly _where I want it to be!" he laughed. "And I'll show you why…

"I remove him, a Dark Monster, and Flying Kamakiri, and Wind Monster, from play…"

The sky above the Castle of Clouds darkened.

"And call forth a creature that, like me, is both a spirit of Wind _and _a corruption of it… Come to me…

"_Dark Simorgh!"_

A storm erupted, composed of wind that could best be described as foul. There was a loud shriek, and two glowing eyes appeared out of the dark wind…

Then it slowly assumed a solid form… The form of a giant bird with demonic eyes and feathers as black as night. (2,700 ATK)

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair," chanted Kurtis, "hover through the fog and the filthy air…"

"Watch it…" said Stan, trying to hide how frightened he was. "Some people think it's bad luck to quote from that play outside of a theater."

"If anyone should be concerned about how bad his luck is about to get, it's you," replied Kurtis, as his eyes began to glow with the same fiendish light as his Monster's. "Dark Simorgh is both Dark and Wind at the same time, so it gains the bonuses from both Harpie Lady 1 _and _my Field Spell."

(3,300 ATK)

"Plus, it prevents you from setting any cards. Next, I activate this…"

His last facedown card lifted up. The smell of strong incense wafted across the field.

"Anti-Spell Fragrance!" gasped Andy. "Stan is in _big _trouble!"

"What?" said Petuni.

"It's called a Simorgh Lock, and it's almost unbeatable," said Francesca. "See, Anti-Spell Fragrance prevents both players from activating Spell Cards unless they're set a round in advance.

"Because Dark Simorgh prevents Stan from setting at all, that means he can't use Traps or Spells, period. Nor can he defend. And it's going to be hard for him to even defeat the Harpies with only Monsters, let alone _that _thing!"

"Harpie Lady 1…" said Kurtis. "You first…"

The Harpie shrieked in glee, and flew at Magician's Valkyria…

"I still have the Traps I already set!" shouted Stan.

One of the Traps lifted up.

"I use Gagagashield!"

The large shield appeared in Valkyria's hand.

"It lets a Spellcaster withstand two attacks this turn!"

Harpie Lady 1 tried to strike with her claw, but Valkyria blocked it with the barrier.

"Well, fine then…" said Kurtis. "Harpie Lady 2… You give it a try…"

The second sister swiped with her claw. Valkyria shielded herself again. The shield was smashed to pieces this time, but she survived.

"Harpie Lady 3… She's all yours…"

The third Harpie swooped down on Valkyria, and she had nothing to protect herself this time. She was thrown backwards with a claw wound across the stomach, and then shattered.

Stan was breathing hard…

"Dark Simorgh…" said Kurtis. "Blow Frontier Wiseman away with Blighted Hurricane!"

The attack could not have been better named. Dark Simorgh beat its wings furiously, creating a storm of foul, filthy wind. Stan screamed and was blown backwards as Frontier Wiseman shattered.

**(S: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,400)**

_That really hurt! _thought Stan. _Lord… Is this what Fran went through when she was up against those Lightsworns?_

Kurtis chuckled evilly. He threw his last card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind his Monsters.

"It's your move…" he said.

"Laugh while you can…" growled Stan, as he got up.

His other Trap Card lifted.

"Thanks to Shock Draw, I now get to make three draws!"

He drew three cards.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Kurtis. "Can any of them possibly threaten my Monsters?"

Stan made a draw.

"Maybe…" he said. "So tell me, Mr. Corruption of Wind, if your strategy is to prevent me from setting cards, why use her?"

He pointed to Harpie Lady 2.

"You do know what her effect is right?"

"And you ask why her and why not a second copy of Harpy Lady 1, right?" asked Kurtis, with a tired look.

He smiled evilly.

"A lot of people ask me that Stan…" he said softly. "When and if they discover the actual reason… They wish they hadn't asked…"

Stan looked at him. He trembled a little…

_Clearly he has a card that requires all three of them… _he thought. _Well… If_ _my defenses are down, I'm gonna have to go on offense!_

"I summon Gagaga Druid!" he shouted.

He threw the card on his Disk, and a mysterious, robed and hooded figure appeared, holding a shillelagh. The only feature his hood didn't conceal was his eyes, and they sparkled with light. He wore an amulet shaped like the Gagaga insignia. (2,200 ATK)

"Hold on!" shouted Kurtis. "That's Level 6!"

"True…" said Stan. "But since you have at least two more Monsters than I do, I don't need a sacrifice to Normal Summon it.

"Sure, it's no match for Dark Simorgh…"

Gagaga Druid aimed its shillelagh at Harpie Lady 1.

"…but _all _your Monsters will be cut down a peg if your booster is dead!"

The Spellcaster shot multicolored lightning from its staff, and the Harpie shrieked right before she shattered. The Attack Scores of the other two Harpies fell down to 1,600 (and they both gave Stan dirty looks) while Dark Simorgh fell to 3,000.

"All right!" cheered Petuni. "Go, go, go!"

"Petuni, please…" said Ivan.

"Listen to your brother, Petuni," growled Kurtis, "because while that was a good try, it wasn't as effective as you might think…"

His facedown card lifted up.

"By activating Miracle's Wake, I can summon Harpie Lady 1 right back to the field."

The Harpie appeared again, looking at Stan with an angry glare. All three Harpies went up to 1,900 Attack Points again, and Dark Simorgh back to 3,300.

"That's the thing with Trap Cards, Stan…" said Kurtis, "you take them for granted until you can't use them."

"I end my turn…" said Stan, with a sigh.

**(S: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,100)**

"And now it ends…" said Kurtis, as he made a draw.

He looked at the card.

"Dark Simorgh, eradicate his Druid!"

The Blighted Hurricane started again, and Stan struggled to brace himself as Gagaga Druid burst. A sharp pain ripped through his chest.

"Feast, my Harpies!" shouted Kurtis. "Attack him directly!"

The Harpie Ladies gave a cry, and flew into formation…

"I don't think so!" shouted Stan. "You just declared a direct attack… So I can Special Summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand! Defense Mode!"

There was a flash of energy, and a Warrior wearing an overcoat, army boots, an armored vest, a scarf over the lower half of his face, and an aviator's helmet, holding what appeared to be the Gagagashield, appeared, kneeling and defending with the shield. (2,000 DEF)

Kurtis sighed.

"You have more lives than a cat from Hell…" he said. "The attack is called off…"

He looked at the card he had drawn this turn. It was a Spell Card, so he couldn't play it this turn, due to his own Trap Card.

He set it in his Disk, and it appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"Just move…"

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,100)**

Stan took a deep breath.

He drew a card. Then he looked at it in shock.

_This… _he said. _It's one of the cards that Merlow gave us…_

He looked at it hard…

"_He told me that the souls of the Companions lie within the cards, and are eager to help fight the Queen again…_

"_Add them to your decks, and they will tell you that themselves…"_

Stan sighed.

"Time to see for myself…" he said.

He threw the card on his Disk.

"I summon Goombella the Scholar!" he shouted.

There was a small aura of blue energy…

The Monster that appeared hardly looked formidable. It looked like a three-foot-tall mushroom with a face – with feminine features – with a ponytail in the back, wearing a necktie and a strange visor with a circular lens in the center. (500 ATK)

Now, all duelists feel an odd sensation when using a Duel Disk… There's a certain thrill upon seeing Monsters come to life in this manner…

But when Stan saw this one, there was something different… And Andy and Francesca had the same feeling by watching him…

Upon seeing this Monster, they felt a feeling of friendship… As if they were seeing an old friend who they hadn't seen in a long time, and were delighted to see again.

Unfortunately, this feeling was interrupted as Kurtis laughed out loud.

"You think I'm afraid of some oversized salad garnish?" he laughed.

Goombella looked at him angrily.

"You're going to regret that…" said Stan. "I use Goombella's effect, which I can activate by Normal Summoning her… It's called Tattle…"

Goombella hopped up on Stan's shoulder.

"Huh?" said Kurtis.

"She did it to get a better view," said Stan. "See, now I get to look at the top three cards on my deck…"

He picked up three cards.

"I get to keep one of them, so long as I ditch another one… I shuffle the third back into my deck…"

He looked at the three cards. Then he looked at Goombella, and then she nodded.

She hopped back in front of him as he discarded one of the cards. Then he put another one back in his deck, and reshuffled.

"You know, Stan…" sighed Kurtis. "Playing with food is bad enough, but _talking _to it?"

"I'll have you know that Goombella happens to be Level 4," said Stan.

Goombella and Gagaga Gardna turned to him, and nodded.

"That means that with her and Gagaga Gardna, I can build the Overlay Network…"

The two Monsters glowed with light, and then turned into a vortex of energy…

Then a very familiar, very rousing musical number started to echo over the field…

"That song…" said Petuni.

"It's 'Toreador'…" said Ivan. "What is he summoning?"

"Someone who's a big fan of classical music," said Stan, "who challenges the notion that it's boring. I Xyz Summon… _Maestroke the Symphony Djinn!"_

There was an explosion of colored lights, and a tall, lanky humanoid dressed in a red and black musical conductor's uniform, holding a long rapier appeared. (1,800 ATK)

Kurtis's expression quickly changed. Now he was very angry.

"Djinn?" he said. "_Djinn? _My father was a djinn, Stan, I know a djinn when I see one, and _that _thing is _not _a djinn!"

"Oh yeah, your father…" said Stan. "Whatever happened to him? Someone told me that your mother killed him."

"That's what I heard," said Kurtis. "Not that I really care, mind you… He was a do-gooder who would have just gotten in our way…"

"You don't even care about your own father…" gasped Petuni.

"Don't worry, Petuni, he's going to get his…" said Stan. "You see, the card I discarded when used Goombella's Tattle was a little guy called an A/D Changer…"

A short, pudgy guy appeared behind Stan, holding two flags. One was red with the letter A and the other was blue with the letter D.

"…and by removing it from play, I can change the Battle Position of any Monster on the field."

A/D Changer lifted the blue flag, and Dark Simorgh folded its wings, moving to Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF) Then the chubby Warrior vanished.

"Hey, wait a minute…" said Kurtis.

"Maestroke, ground that bird!" shouted Stan.

The Djinn flew at the now-defending Winged Beast, and slashed with its sword. Dark Simorgh let out a groan…

And then it burst into an explosion of dark globules. Stan's supporters cheered.

"That was therapeutic…" said Stan. "And now that I can set cards again…"

Two facedown cards appeared behind Maestroke.

"Your move…" he said.

Kurtis didn't respond for a few seconds.

"Hello?" said Stan. "I said, your move…"

"Give me a minute…" snarled the Shadow Spawn of Wind. "I'm paralyzed with rage…"

He made a draw.

"Stan…" he said. "Ordinarily, this would have been business as usual for me…

"Now… You've made it personal…

"I set this card…"

A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"…and then activate this one.

The facedown card he had set last turn lifted up.

"Winged Repayment! I pay 600 Life Points, and I get to draw one card for each Winged Beast I have…"

He made three draws.

"The catch is… I can't use them this turn…

"Now then… Harpie Lady 3… Tear that sorry excuse for a djinn to pieces!"

The spiky-haired Harpie flew at Maestroke…

"I activate… Raigeki Break!" shouted Stan, as his left facedown card lifted up. "I toss one card…"

He discarded a card, Overlay Eater.

"…and I can destroy one card on the field!"

He pointed to Harpie Lady 1, and she gave a look of shock…

Then lightning crashed down from the sky, striking her and blowing her to pieces. The Attack Scores of the other two Harpies fell to 1,600.

"Now Harpie Lady 3 isn't strong enough to handle Maestroke!"

"Nonetheless," said Kurtis, "I choose to have her continue her attack…"

"Huh?" said Stan, as the Harpie flew towards the Djinn.

Maestroke slashed with his rapier, cutting her in half at the waist. The two pieces dissolved into grains of light.

Then Maestroke bent over in pain as a dark aura of energy surrounded him.

"Because I had the sense to attack with Harpie Lady 3," said Kurtis, "Maestroke falls victim to her effect, and is now powerless to attack for two of your turns.

"But just in case… I'll move Harpie Lady 2 to Defense Mode…"

The last Harpie landed and covered herself with her wings. (1,400 DEF)

"It's your move…"

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 5,300)**

"Draw…" said Stan, as he drew a card.

He looked at the Warrior on the card.

_This will help… _he thought.

"I summon Trident Warrior!" he shouted.

He played the card, and a beam of light fell from the sky. A powerful, muscular, bearded man wearing a green breastplate with shoulder guards, a blue kilt, a cape, and a helmet, holding a long trident, appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)

"By Normal Summoning him, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Monster from my hand… So say hello to Gagaga Girl!"

There was a shower of rose petals and sparkling motes, and a blonde female Spellcaster landed next to Trident Warrior. She wore a feminine version of Gagaga Magician's outfit, with the Gagaga insignia on her belt. She had an accessory that most Spellcasters didn't have: a cellphone, with a chain on the end connected to a pair of small skulls. (1,000 ATK)

"So is that Gagaga Magician's apprentice, girlfriend, or both?" said Kurtis, with a bored sigh.

_He's toying with me… _thought Stan. _He realizes that I can't Xyz Summon with what I have…_

He looked at the cards remaining in his hand.

_And I won't be able to for at least a turn…_

"Trident Warrior, attack the last Harpie!" he shouted. "Power of Poseidon!"

The Warrior pointed his weapon, and blasted lightning bolts from it, striking Harpie Lady 2 and blowing her to shards.

"Gagaga Girl, you're up!" he continued, as the Spellcaster punched some numbers into her mobile. "Attack directly!"

Gagaga Girl held up the device, and shot an energy stream full of numbers at the Shadow Spawn. He grunted in pain.

Then he laughed softly.

"Wonder if she'd tell me who her provider is?" he chuckled.

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

"You think this is all fun and games, Kurtis?" asked Stan. "I'm pretty sure that everyone you've hurt didn't see it that way.

"Don't you care about anyone but yourself?"

"I try not to…" replied Kurtis, with a sigh. "It would make it harder to do my job…

"Tell me something, Stan… To give a comparison… Does your uncle show any compassion for the inmates he's responsible for? Or does he just refer to them by the numbers they're assigned?"

"Don't give me that," said Stan. "It's not the same thing at all. Almost all the folks at the prison where he works are there for a good reason. Sure, there are stories now and then of people who are wrongly convicted… But the truth is, for every one of those stories, there are a hundred cases where the convicted criminal's guilt could not have been more obvious."

"I'm sure that's true," said Kurtis. "But does he ever look into the history of the inmates? Learn how they became violent criminals?

"Everybody has a story, Stan, and no kindergartner ever says that he wants to be an armed robber or a drug dealer when he grows up. Bad men usually started as bad kids, like you said yourself, and they had bad upbringings that made them that way. Your uncle probably knows that, and avoids delving into the pasts of the inmates who come through his system too deeply because he doesn't want to start sympathizing with them. If he ever did, it would make it harder to do his job.

"A lot of child molesters were abused as children themselves, you know… And if your uncle knew about what some pedophile had been through as a child, it might be awfully hard for him to order the guy sent to solitary."

"And your saying that's the same deal with you?" asked Stan. "That not caring about your victims makes it easier to hurt them? That's a rotten outlook, Kurtis."

"My move…" said Kurtis.

He drew a card.

Then his facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Magic Planter…" he said. "I'll send Anti-Spell Fragrance to the Graveyard…"

A mass of vines sprang out of the cloudy surface, grabbing hold of the Trap Card and pulling it under the cloud.

"And then draw twice…"

He drew two cards.

"Glad that's gone," said Andy. "Hopefully Stan won't be overwhelmed if he manages to bring back Simorgh."

"Don't jinx it," said Francesca. "Kurtis can do that rather easily… All he has to do is remove a Dark Monster and a Wind Monster in his hand from play. And I'm guessing his deck has more than one Battlestorm in it."

Kurtis set two cards in his Disk, and a set Monster appeared, followed by a set card behind it.

"Your move…" he said.

Stan drew a card.

"Gagaga Girl, attack!" he shouted.

The Spellcaster shot her digital blast towards the set card… Another Flying Kamakiri appeared on the card, and exploded…

"Another one?" gasped Stan.

"You got it," replied Kurtis. "And I'll use it to summon… Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon!"

There was another burst of wind, and a small – as far as Dragons go – Dragon with maroon scales, glowing green eyes, wings under its arms, and a bejeweled crown appeared in front of Stan's Monsters. A young Harpie that looked like she might have been the Harpie Ladies' kid sister was holding it by a chain leash. (1,200 ATK)

"And don't forget the boost it gets from Castle of Clouds…" said Kurtis.

(1,500 ATK)

"It's still no threat without the Harpies to back it up…" said Stan, as Trident Warrior aimed his weapon.

"Good point…" said Kurtis, as his facedown Trap Card lifted up.

"Oh crap, that's Hysteric Party!" shouted Francesca, as Kurtis discarded a card from his hand.

"Exactly…" said Kurtis. "So come on back, ladies…"

Harpie Lady 1 appeared first, followed by 2, and then 3. (1,300 ATK x3) –) (1,900 ATK x3)

"And with three Harpie Ladies on the field," said Kurtis, "the Dragon gains three effects…

"First, you can't attack my Harpies. Second, the base scores of the Dragon itself are doubled. Plus there's the bonus it gets from Harpie Lady 1."

(3,000 ATK)

"And third, it can destroy one card per turn… So what now, Stan?"

"I move Maestroke to Defense Mode…" said Stan.

Maestroke sheathed his sword, and knelt. (2,300 DEF)

"And I end my turn…"

"You're learning how the Field Spell works, Stan," said Kurtis with a smirk. "But it won't help you… Ironically, by the way, this is where Harpie Lady 3's curse on Maestroke wears off."

The dark aura around the Symphony Djinn vanished.

"I draw one card…" said Kurtis, making a draw.

_This might be useful… _he thought.

"Now I use my Dragon's effect…" he said. "Destroy Maestroke!"

The Dragon exhaled a cone of freezing vapor at the Djinn…

"I use Maestroke's effect!" shouted Stan.

He quickly discarded Goombella's card.

"By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can prevent him from being destroyed!"

"I see…" said Kurtis. "Well then… I still have my Dragon's normal attack!"

The Dragon exhaled the cone of frost again.

"I can use that effect more than once per turn, Kurtis!" shouted Stan.

"But you still take damage…" said the Shadow Spawn of Wind.

Stan grunted as the blast of energy hit the Djinn.

"Harpie Lady 3, you finish the job…" said Kurtis.

Stan looked surprised as the Harpie swooped at Maestroke.

"I know…" said Kurtis, "she isn't strong enough…"

He threw a Quickplay Spell into his Disk.

"Well, Ego Boost will change that…"

Harpie Lady 3's Attack Score shot up to 2,900. She landed full-force on Maestroke, smashing him to bits.

"ARGH!" screamed Stan.

"The fun's just starting, Stan…" said Kurtis.

Harpie Ladies 1 and 2 flew at Trident Warrior and Gagaga Girl, and raked at them with clawed uppercuts. As his two Monsters shattered, Stan fell on his back…

**(S: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

_Somebody please… _thought Stan. _Help…_

**0000000000**

"Stan…" said a voice.

Stan was woozy. He didn't know who had called his name. He had never heard that voice before.

"Stan!" repeated the voice. This time, it was accompanied by a kick to his ribs.

Stan sat up with a start. He was still in the Castle of Clouds field, but Kurtis, the Monsters, and everyone who was watching was gone.

Apparently the one who had called his name… was Goombella. She was right in front of him.

"Get up, lunkhead!" she shouted.

Her voice was sassy, spunky, and rather bossy.

"Did you say something?" he said, not knowing what to make of this.

"Do you see anyone else around?" she replied. "Are you going to take this from that big jerk? Get up and fight! Prove to me that you're half the man your ancestor was."

"Oh please…" groaned Stan. "Not that dumb story again…"

Goombella frowned. Then she leapt up, and head-butted him on the forehead.

"OW!" shouted Stan. "What was that for?"

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you, knucklehead!" she shouted. "Let me ask you something… Just what is the problem here?

"Is it that you _can't _believe that story, or is it that you _won't _believe it? Those are two entirely different things. I think you won't believe it, because you're too stubborn!"

"Look…" sighed Stan. "Even if there were three saviors who fought this Shadow Queen a thousand years ago… How do you and Merlow know for sure you've got the right person?"

He took the pendant in his hand.

"For all we know, maybe a rightful heir lost this thing, and a member of my family just found it… And…"

"Now you're just making excuses!" shouted Goombella. "I knew the original Dark Sorcerer, and let me tell you, I can see a _big _family resemblance here! Not just in looks, but in attitude."

"Attitude?" asked Stan.

"Remember why you were so anxious to duel Kurtis?" asked Goombella. "Because you didn't like bullies. Well, your ancestor wasn't very fond of them either. In fact, that was _exactly _how he and I met.

"It was less than an hour after he set foot in Arcadia. He saved _me _from a group of bullies. I've always been more of an intellectual, Stan, and bullies tend to see people like me as targets. Of course, these guys were working for the Shadow Queen… We just didn't know it at the time.

"You can try to deny it all you want, but sooner or later you're gonna have to accept it…"

She gave him another kick.

"Because like it or not… You don't have much choice here…"

**0000000000**

Stan slowly sat up.

"You're awake?" asked Kurtis. "Huh… For a minute there, I thought I might be able to win by a technicality…"

Stan held his head. That pep talk had been a little on the pushy side, but he had to admit, she made a valid point…

"So…" said Kurtis. "Ready to give up?"

"Surrender to a jerk like you?" asked Stan. "The sky would have to fall first."

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate my Trap Card!" he shouted, as he stood up.

"Xyz Reborn!"

Maestroke appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode. (2,300 ATK)

"It not only Special Summons Maestroke from the Graveyard," said Stan, "but the Trap Card itself becomes an Overlay Unit for him."

"I'm getting so sick of that guy…" said Kurtis.

He threw the last card in his hand into his Disk.

"I'll set that facedown," he said, as it appeared in his Spell Zone, "and end my turn…"

Stan looked at the set card very closely.

The he drew a card.

_Time to take a chance… _he said.

"I play… Overlay Regenerate," he said, as he played a Spell Card. "I play this Spell Card, and then the Spell Card becomes an Overlay Unit for one Xyz Monster on the field. So now Maestroke has two of them."

Kurtis snarled.

"I set one Monster, and one facedown card," said Stan, as the two set cards appeared.

"Next, I play the Sweet Treat Spell Card!" he exclaimed.

The smiling gingerbread man holding its pink die flew out of the card. It tossed the die, and it came up a two.

"That means I gain 1,000 Life Points," said Stan. "It also means my turn ends right now, so it's your move…"

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

Kurtis flipped the top card off of his deck.

_Perfect! _he thought. _I just drew Sangan._

_With a little luck, I can draw a Wind Monster on my next turn, and bring back Simorgh…_

_But first thing's first…_

"I use my Dragon's effect to destroy…" he said.

He paused.

"THAT card!" he said, pointing to the set card in Stan's Spell Zone.

The Dragon breathed its cone of frost, and Stan's set Call of the Haunted was blasted into pixels.

"All right!" shouted Kurtis. "Attack his Djinn, my pet!"

Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon exhaled its cone of frost again, and Stan grunted in pain.

"I use Maestroke's effect…" he gasped.

"On the contrary…" said Kurtis, "you'll do no such thing!"

His facedown card lifted up.

"Harpie's Feather Storm!" he shouted. "Because I control at least one Harpie, this Counter Trap negates the effect of a Monster that activates during the Battle Phase, and destroys it outright!"

A blizzard of feathers flew out of the card, flying at Maestroke and literally consuming him. Kurtis chuckled.

"Your demise is delayed for one turn," said Kurtis, "because I have to end my Battle Phase immediately after using that Counter Trap… But at least that accursed Xyz Monster is gone…"

**(S: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

Stan bowed his head.

"I see you have accepted defeat…" said Kurtis, with a grin.

"Heh, heh…" chuckled Stan.

"What?" said Kurtis.

"Sucker…" said Stan.

He looked up with a sly smile.

"You did just what I wanted you to do, bird-brain. I figured that you had Feather Storm… I just had to make you angry and frustrated enough to use it.

"And because you did, my set Monster is now completely safe from Harpie Lady 2!"

"Stan is right…" gasped Francesca. "It seems that Kurtis completely forgot that Harpie Lady 2 can negate Flip Effects…"

_No… _thought Kurtis. _It can't be…_

"Oh, but it is…" said Stan, as he made a draw.

"Reveal yourself… Trap Master!"

The facedown Monster flipped up into Attack Mode, cackling as he did. (500 ATK) There was a loud buzz as the Hysteric Party card was sawed in half. The three Harpie's screamed, and then exploded into pixels. The Dragon plummeted to an Attack Score of 1,500.

"Now, Monster Reborn!" shouted Stan, playing another card.

The hoy symbol appeared, and Maestroke appeared again. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, the Equip Spell, Gagagarevenge!" he shouted, as he played his last card. "By using this card, I can Special Summon a Monster with the word 'Gagaga' in its name from my Graveyard, so long as I Equip it with this card."

Gagaga Girl appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"And by using her and Trap Master," he said, as the two Monsters turned into a swirling portal of energy, "I can open the Overlay Network to Xyz summon a Djinn of a different type…

"Muzurhythm the String Djinn, you're on!"

In an explosion of multicolored energy, a new Fiend-Type Xyz emerged. It was a short, stocky little guy, with blue fur and horns on its head. It wore a white leisure suit and a wide-brimmed hat, held a rose in its teeth, and carried a double-necked guitar. A second guitar was strapped to its back. (1,500 ATK)

Kurtis looked ready to explode.

"That thing looks even less like a djinn than the other one!" he shouted.

"Oh, is that so?" said Stan. "Well… At least this one is a Wind Monster…

"And you know what that means…"

"Gah…" said Kurtis. "It gains the bonus from my Field Spell!"

"Exactly," said Stan. "In addition, because Gagaga Girl was Equipped with Gagagarevenge, _both _my Xyz Monsters gain 300 more Attack Points."

The two Djinns rose to Attack Scores of 2,100 apiece.

"Now, Muzurhythm attacks Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon! And when a Djinn attacks a Monster, Muzurhythm can get rid of one of its Overlay Units to double that Djinn's Attack Score for the rest of the turn.

"And before you ask, yes, it can use that effect on itself!"

Muzurhythm strummed its guitar, and its Attack Score shot up to 4,200. A powerful blast of sonic energy shot at the Dragon, and Kurtis screamed as his Monster was pulverized.

"Maestroke, finish this guy off!" shouted Stan. "Death Symphony!"

Maestroke waved his rapier, and musical staffs entwined it as orchestra music filled the air…

Then the music reached a powerful cacophony as the notes blasted towards the Shadow Spawn of Wind. Kurtis let out a louder scream…

**(S: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 0)**

The Castle of Clouds faded away. Kurtis was nowhere in sight. Stan sighed. He turned his baseball cap backwards again.

Then Andy and Francesca rushed up and hugged him.

"That was super, Stan!" shouted Francesca.

"Guys, give me a minute!" said Stan.

"Well done!" said Ivan, as he mopped his brow. "I never doubted you for a minute…"

"You're a rotten liar, Ivan…" said his sister, rolling her eyes.

Ivan sighed.

"Stanley…" he said. "Seriously, I'm impressed… And I think this is the sign I was waiting for…"

"Sign?" asked Stan.

"Kurtis wanted something else…" said Ivan. "Something that I was put in charge of protecting until someone came who I supposed to give it to. I wouldn't have given it to that brat if he had threatened to burn the place down…

"I was never sure exactly who I was supposed to give it to… But I'm sure now…

"Follow me…"

**0000000000**

Kurtis landed on the stone floor, crying out in pain as he did.

He nervously turned his head, and saw Melissa… She was still shackled to the wall, but she seemed to brighten up a little upon seeing him.

"Ha, ha, you messed up, windbag," she said.

"So did you, lighthead!" he cursed.

"Melissa, you're in enough trouble…" said a voice that made them tremble.

The Shadow Queen – for it would be pointless to deny that it was indeed her at this point – came out of the darkness, her angry glowing eyes fixated on Kurtis.

"Mom… wait…" he said, shivering.

The Shadow Queen grabbed her son, holding him in a choke hold.

"What did I say, Kurtis?" she scolded. "I warned you that your plan would backfire if you lost, and now it has… Now they have actual witnesses."

She slammed him against the wall, and a set of chains similar to the ones holding Melissa grabbed him.

Once they had fully restrained him, she let go of him, and sighed.

"To make matters worse…" she sighed, "those kids are getting stronger, if the cards they have are any indication…"

"Cards?" groaned Kurtis. "What cards?"

"I believe you referred to it as an 'oversized salad garnish'," replied the Queen. "Oh, I remember that creature very well… It was one of a group that used to pal around with the ones who condemned me to this place…

"Clearly this is going to be harder than I imagined…"

**0000000000**

Ivan led them to place that looked like a museum – a museum full of clocks. All sorts of clocks, from sundials to large grandfather clocks, some that seemed to be hundreds of years old, were on display here.

"Wow, I've never seen so many clocks…" said Andy.

"We're just happy we don't use Daylight Savings Time on Arcadia," said Petuni, with a short chuckle. "It's bad enough keeping them dusted and polished."

"So Ivan…" asked Francesca, "you're the mayor _and _the curator of this museum?"

"I'm also the Great Tree's movie reviewer and the head of the book club," replied Ivan. "I like to keep busy…"

He went up to an unassuming cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. It was clearly an antique, but was rather plain.

He carefully and slowly turned the minute hand clockwise until the time read 3:17. Then, just as carefully, he turned it counter-clockwise until it read 6:42.

He paused for a second, and then carefully turned the hand clockwise until both the hands rested on the twelve.

Then there was a click. Ivan too hold of the clock and slid it aside, revealing a hidden compartment in the wall. Apparently, it was a safe of some sort.

In the compartment was a single Duel Monsters card. Ivan took it, and sighed.

"I've been looking after this for a long time…" he said. "But now… Now I'm more than certain that you're the one who I was supposed to give it to…"

He handed it to Stan. Stan looked at it. It was a Spell Card called Clock Out.

He read the card text… It seemed defensive in nature, but it was very powerful… And it was clear that this was another of the Enchanted Cards that Merlow was talking about.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Goombella… She gave him a wink.

_Maybe there is some truth to that story after all… _he thought.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_

**0000000000**

**HARPIE'S FEATHER STORM (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **A blizzard of feathers.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent activates a Monster's effect during the Battle Phase while you control at least 1 "Harpie Lady". Negate the effect and destroy the Monster. Then, end your Battle Phase.

_Note: "Harpie's Feather Storm" was first used by Mai in the original anime episode "My Freaky Valentine (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**WINGED REPAYMENT (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The image on this card was unclear.

**Card Description: **Pay 600 Life Points. Draw a number of cards equal to the number of face-up Winged Beast-Type Monsters you control. Cards drawn by this effect cannot be Summoned, set, or activated this turn.

_Note: "Winged Repayment" was first used by Harpie's Brother in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "A New World Order". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**CASTLE OF CLOUDS (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **A majestic castle of blue gems on a sea of clouds.

**Card Description: **WIND Monsters gain 300 ATK and inflict piercing damage.

**0000000000**

**GAGAGA DRUID (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **When your opponent controls 2 or more Monsters than you do, you may Normal Summon this card without Tribute.

**0000000000**

**GOOMBELLA THE SCHOLAR (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Earth/EffectLevel4/500ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Normal Summoned, you may look at the top 3 cards on your deck; add 1 to your hand, and send 1 to the Graveyard. Then, shuffle your deck.

**0000000000**

_**What powerful card did Kurtis have that required all three Harpies? The question will go unanswered… For now…**_

_**Two of the Shadow Spawn have been defeated, but the Shadow Queen is has only begun to fight…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Francesca: We've gotten a pass to a place that even the common folk of Arcadia can only dream of seeing… Now that we're here, it looks like Arcadia's answer to Las Vegas; flashy, ritzy, and gaudy. I'm willing to bet that a lot of its attractions are off-limits to the three of us because we're underage. And the technology that they must use to simply keep this place functioning… It gives me a headache just thinking about it. **_

_**But danger lurks in the town of Glitzville, as I'm about to find out firsthand…**_

"_**Blind Spot Strike" is coming soon.**_


	11. Blind Spot Strike

_**It's day three of the tournament, and a lot has happened. For one, we've learned that, possibly, a thousand-year-old wicked sorceress wants to kill us. **_

_**But we seem to avoided at least two of her attempts to strike at us (maybe more) and this has apparently attracted some attention. Someone has given us a permit to go to a special place in Arcadia that only the hoi polloi get to go to.**_

_**It seems like a good opportunity to duel and earn Crystal Cards, which is what we need to do… Still… I'm not sure if I can trust Meyers…**_

_**I mean, I love lobster ravioli, but if someone I barely knew offered me such an expensive dinner for free, would it be wise to take it?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL ELEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Blind Spot Strike**

**0000000000**

**00000**

At six AM the next morning, Crump crawled out of bed, his head pounding from a bad hangover.

_One of these days, I'm going to get on the wagon and stay on it… _he thought.

Then his cellphone rang. He groaned as he clutched his forehead.

Then he answered the phone.

"Hello?" he said weakly.

"Crump?" said the Shadow Queen's voice. "I have an assignment for you that's going to make you very happy…"

"I kind of doubt it…" groaned Crump.

"What?" she asked, sternly.

"Nothing…" he muttered.

"Look," she said. "Shower, get something into your stomach, and then get to the blimp port in the Boggly Woods by ten. You're going to Glitzville."

Crump's headache vanished.

"Glitzville!" he exclaimed. "Gee… You haven't let me go there since…"

"Since the incident with the popcorn machine, I know," said the Queen, with an annoyed tone in her voice. "And unless you want this to be your _last _trip, you're staying off the sauce this time, is that clear?"

"C-clear!" said Crump. "Crystal clear!"

"And don't get too excited," she said. "This trip is strictly for business. You're going there to watch those three kids again, same as before.

"Show your ID to the conductor and he'll let you on. Try to be presentable, okay? I'll give you further instructions once you're there. Do a decent job of it this time!

"Ten AM!"

She hung up.

**0000000000**

For a place that didn't allow fire, the inn at the Great Tree was a pretty warm place to sleep.

Andy slowly woke up as the morning sun started to peek through the window of the room he was sharing with Stan. As he did, he heard Stan groaning from the bed on the other side of the room.

Andy slowly looked. His vision was still blurry with sleep dust, but he saw Dreamsprite sitting by the side of Stan's bed, slowly massaging his temples…

Andy quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes. The Duel Spirit noticed she had been seen, and leapt out the window before Andy could see her clearly.

_What the… _thought Andy.

"Andy?" groaned Stan, as he slowly woke up. "I had the worst nightmare… I dreamed that the Harpie Lady Sisters were dominatrices, and I was their client…"

"I think someone may be playing games with us…" said Andy. "I think…"

Then he noticed that there was a note slipped under the door.

Andy got up, and picked it up. He read.

_Good morning,_

_Once you've showered, come to the café on this floor. Someone wants to speak to the three of you, and I think it's good news._

_- Ivan_

"I_ hope_ it's good news…" said Stan. "First dibs on the shower…"

**0000000000**

They all doubted whether or not the news was truly good. Nonetheless, once they showered and met up with Francesca, they walked down to the café in question.

Ivan and Petuni were sitting at the main table, where a plate full of donuts and other breakfast pastries, along with a jug of orange juice was set up. And there was someone else there who they didn't expect to see.

"Sydney Meyers?" exclaimed Francesca, as they sat down.

"Hello, kids," said Sydney, in a voice that was both cheery and nervous at the same time. "Ivan here told me about the unfortunate incident that happened yesterday…"

"Unfortunate incident?" said Stan. "Try hostage crisis…"

"Yes…" muttered Sydney. "We can't thank you enough for helping get rid of that thug. Clearly the Shadow Queen is causing trouble, and we will get to the bottom of it…"

"So you're admitting that she is real?" asked Francesca.

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Sydney, "but we will stop these unprovoked attacks, I assure you.

"Anyway, to make up for what happened… Those envelops in front of you should suffice. You may have heard of a place in Arcadia that you need permission from the Parliament to go to?

"Well, I'm a member of the Parliament… There's your permission!"

They opened the envelopes and looked at them.

"Glitzville, huh?" said Andy. "Where is that exactly? We've heard it mentioned once or twice, but we can't find it on the map…"

"Well, to get to Glitzville today…" said Meyers. "I think you would have to go about five miles north of here, and then two miles up."

They looked at her with expressions that suggested that they thought she was crazy.

"No joke, kids!" she said. "Glitzville is a city that floats two miles above the ground! I'm afraid I can't tell you how they did it… Let's just say it's one of the many secrets we've been keeping from the world for so long."

"No wonder you guys don't let reporters come here…" said Stan.

"They ask too many questions," said Sydney. "The map does tell you where to catch the dirigible that will take you there. Those passes will ensure that they let you on…

"I'd love to stay and chat some more but… I've got a busy job, you know!"

She smiled sweetly, and got up. The three teenagers watched her as she walked out the door.

"You think she's working for the Shadow Queen?" whispered Andy to his two friends.

"Well, her story doesn't sound as fake as that wig she's wearing," said Francesca, "but I still don't know who to trust…"

She looked at the pass.

"Glitzville… Well… It's not every day that you get invited to a city in the sky…"

She looked at the map again.

"And if we don't do that, our alternative is a ten mile hike to… Twilight Town…"

They looked at each other.

"Glitzville," they all said at once.

**0000000000**

After bidding goodbye to Ivan and Petuni (and a lot of others who had come to see them off) the three of them packed up their Duel Disks and belongings, and walked off in the direction that Ivan was glad to point them in. After about a half-hour, the trees of the Boggly Woods started to thin.

Eventually, a sign on the side of the road said "Blimp Port Ahead", and they continued in that direction.

They quickly saw their goal: A large zeppelin, next to a small building, with a line of people already starting to form in front of it.

"Wow…" said Andy. "And I thought that Goodyear owned a monopoly on those things these days."

"Look at that line…" said Stan, as they walked up to it. "Seems the Parliament is already making good use of their executive authority…"

They got into line behind someone who took notice of them. They didn't know who he was, but he certainly recognized them.

_Act natural, Crump, act natural… _he thought.

He reached into his pocket, where he kept his cigarettes.

As he reached into the other one for a lighter, he was startled by Francesca's voice.

"Hey, buddy," she said.

"ACK!" he shouted. "DON'T!"

"Uh, you dropped this…" she said.

She handed him his wallet, which he had indeed dropped.

"Oh…" he said. "I knew that…"

He laughed nervously as he took it.

"Uh…" he said. "Think I'll go use the rest room…"

He rushed towards the small building.

"You sure you want to do that?" called Francesca after him. "You'll lose your place in line!"

"That's okay!" shouted Crump. "I _like _waiting in line!"

"Weird…" said Andy, as they watched him.

"Speaking of weird…" said Stan.

He casually glanced over his shoulder at the girl who had gotten into line behind them. She had a Duel Disk, so she was clearly a contestant, but her fashion sense was rather creepy.

She wore a low-cut, black leotard, along with matching gloves and boots. A long black cape with a hood completed the dark ensemble. Her eyes were blue, and not attractive-blue like Paul Newman's were… They were more like icy-cold-blue.

They looked at her for a minute. She frowned when she realized that they were looking at her.

"Take a picture," she said, a little annoyed. "It will last longer."

They quickly turned around.

Crump was watching from a distance. He nervously lit a cigarette. Then he coughed.

_Think I'll wait for the boarding call…_ he thought.

**0000000000**

The Hindenburg disaster of 1937 had made passenger zeppelins taboo, and blimps were uncommon nowadays. They were relatively safe now… The balloons in modern blimps were filled with helium instead of volatile hydrogen, which was what caused the accident. Still, the superior speed and even greater safety of airplanes had made them rather obsolete, and there was no need for them to make a comeback.

Still, it was more comfortable inside this craft than any passenger airplane. The seats in the cabin were soft couches next to huge windows.

As Stan, Andy, and Francesca took their seats, they noticed the odd girl sitting across the aisle, by herself. They knew it was impolite to stare, but she was creeping them out.

"_Attention passengers," _said a voice over the loudspeaker. _"We will be departing shortly. We will arrive in Glitzville after a half-hour flight. Enjoy your time there…"_

The craft's engines hummed to life, and the large blimp slowly began to take off…

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen watched as it did.

She dialed her cellphone.

"Crump?" she said into it. "Is everything going smoothly?"

"Yes, sire," replied Crump's voice. "I'm on the blimp."

"Good," said the Queen. "Now listen… There's a very good chance that one of them will be dueling shortly after arriving… You know what to do."

"Of course," said Crump. "And then maybe I can…"

"Forget it, Crump!" she snapped. "I saw you panic when they talked to you. For all your talk, you're nothing more than a coward. And if there's one thing I _don't_ need, it's a duelist who'll run away screaming in the middle of a duel!"

"Hey!" shouted Crump. "I may have gotten a little nervous, but…"

"Shut it!" she shouted. "And hay is for horses."

She hung up. She let out an annoyed sigh.

Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"_Lotus?" _she said, using her mind's voice. _"Can you hear me?"_

There was a short pause, and then a response came.

"_Yes, your majesty, I'm here," _came the reply. _"My early efforts have met with success… I've already increased my number of Crystal Cards to four."_

"_Not bad," _replied the Queen. _"But your true target is on her way… Remember the plan…_

"_Succeed, and you'll be richly rewarded._

"_I'm sure you know the price for failure…"_

**0000000000**

Slowly, the blimp approached its destination. The three teenagers could see Glitzville out of the window.

They didn't know whether to feel amazed or disgusted.

It looked like a city on a cloud, all right, but it was no Sanctuary in the Sky. The bright, gaudy, moving neon, which stood out even in the daytime, clearly indicated this as the red light district of Arcadia.

"A city of sin…" said Stan, "but suspended in the heavens… A place of contradictions if there ever was one…"

**0000000000**

_The nerve of that witch! _thought Crump, as the passengers on the blimp disembarked. _I'm no coward!_

_Sure, maybe I ran and hid in the closet when Melissa summoned that Ritual Monster last month… What was it called? Reshef the Dark Being?_

_Why on earth is it called a "Dark Being" anyway if it's Light? Who's in charge of naming these dumb cards?_

As he pondered this, the three teenagers he was supposed to be watching were walking through a large, rainbow-colored arch in front of him, flanked by two statues that looked like ball and chains that had faces with sharp teeth and googly eyes. (Fans of the Mario games knew that these things were called "Chain Chomps".)

"It's like a miniature Las Vegas…" said Andy.

"You can say that again…" said Stan. "With all the trimmings…"

A woman who wasn't very decently dressed was looking at him seductively. He did his best to ignore her.

"This place is loud in more ways than one," said Francesca.

"Hey there, contestants!" said a cheery voice.

The voice had come from a vendor at a hot dog cart.

"Care to try Glitzville's specialty?" he said, as he forked a hot dog into a bun. "I'll wager you won't find a better one this side of Frankfurt!"

"I'll take that bet!" said Francesca, with a sly smile. "I've been to Coney Island!

"Give me the works… Sauerkraut, mustard, the whole nine yards…"

As the vendor spread the toppings on the hot dog, two sparkling blue female eyes looked at Francesca from the shadows…

Francesca had to admit when she tasted the hot dog, it _was _outstanding…

"Guys, you gotta try these…" she said.

And then she let out a scream of pain. Something sharp had hit her in the left buttock.

"ALL RIGHT!" she shouted. "Who's the dead man?"

"Uh… Fran?" said Andy, with a look of incredible worry. "Stand… still…"

He reached down.

"Ow!" cursed Francesca, as Andy pulled the projectile out of her behind.

Andy held it up. It was a dart.

"Fran, this is serious…" he said. "Nine times out ten, when someone hits someone with a dart, he poisons it first!"

"Buddy," said Stan to the vendor, "is there a doctor around here?"

"Oh, there is…" said a voice. "But I doubt he can help your friend at this point…"

They spun around, and saw that it was a young girl – they assumed – dressed in full Ninja attire, complete with a mask.

"I'm gonna…" said Francesca.

"I recommend you keep your distance," said the Kunoichi. "That dart was indeed poisoned, with a toxin derived from the blue lotus flower. It's flowing through your veins at this moment, and will kill you in two hours."

"You…" said Francesca, with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Such plants are only found in the wilds of the Indian subcontinent, and humans cannot cultivate them," said the girl. "No doctor around here has the antidote… But…"

She reached a pouch on her belt and took out a small vial.

"I have it right here…"

"Give it to her, you…" said Andy, ready to pounce on the Ninja girl.

"Come one step close to me and I'll smash it on the ground!" said the girl, holding her other hand up.

Andy took a step back, and she put it back in her pouch.

"Who are you?" asked Francesca.

"I won't reveal my identity," she replied, "at least not yet, but for purposes of identification… I am Lotus…

"I am a contestant in the tournament just as you are…

"But I like more dangerous wagers than most… Care to duel, Francesca? In this duel, we each wager a Crystal Card… And our lives…"

Francesca looked at her.

"If I win, you'll give me the antidote?" she asked.

Lotus nodded.

"And I am at your mercy," she said. "But if I win, I let the poison take its course.

"We should have time for a duel… The poison will cause you no ill-effects until mere minutes before it kills you…"

Francesca sighed.

"I guess I have no choice…" she said.

As she activated her Disk, she didn't realize that the cloaked girl was watching with a sly smirk.

_And to think I thought this was going to be a dull trip, _she thought.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Lotus: 8,000)**

_Okay, breathe, Francesca, breathe… _thought Fran. _Don't panic here…_

That was very hard to do, however, seeing as Lotus's cold stare directed at her was one that could likely curdle milk.

She made her opening hand, and looked at the six cards: Moja, Sangan, Star Blast, Monoceros, Call of the Haunted, and Lock Cat.

_No Tuner… _she thought. _But a way to get one…_

She set Sangan on her Disk, and it appeared set in front of her.

"Done…" she said, quickly.

"My move…" said Lotus, drawing a card.

"Because you control a Monster and I control none," she said, I can Special Summon Earth Armor Ninja…"

The ground split, and a Ninja dressed in a dun-colored _gi _and mask with a katana strapped to his back leapt out of the ground, forming a fighting stance. (1,600 ATK)

"Next, the Spell Card, Armor Ninjitsu Art of Teleportation," she said, as a Spell Card appeared in front of her. "I can now Special Summon another Ninja from my hand with an Attack Score lower than the one on the field.

"Thus, I Special Summon Aqua Armor Ninja in Defense Mode."

There was a spout of water, and another Ninja appeared, dressed in blue. He knelt, as if ready to pounce. (1,600 DEF)

_Ninjas… _thought Francesca. _Figures…_

"Of course, because I used that Spell Card, neither Earth Armor Ninja nor Aqua Armor Ninja may attack this turn…" continued Lotus.

She played another card, and a third Ninja, this one shrouded in fire and wearing red, appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"But Flame Armor Ninja can! Destroy her Monster! Blazing Shinobi!"

Flame Armor Ninja dashed across the field, leaving a trail of flames in his wake. Sangan appeared on the card, and was cut down.

Francesca sighed, and took a card from her deck.

"I set one card face-down…" said Lotus, as she fit a card into her Disk.

A set card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"…and it is your move…"

"All right!" shouted Francesca. "I draw…"

She drew a card.

_Nice… _she thought.

"I'm removing this Spell Card from play," she said, as she held up Card from a Different Dimension. "By doing so, I can Special Summon Monoceros."

In a shower of golden motes, the strange hybrid steed appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, the Tuner Monster, Elephun!"

The small, cute baby elephant appeared, and gave a little trumpet. (500 ATK)

_No time for theatrics, _she thought, as both Monsters turned into a cluster of shimmering stars. _Have to end this thing fast…_

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

With a loud neigh, Thunder Unicorn leapt onto the field. (2,200 ATK)

She looked at Lotus strangely, and then looked confused. She neighed again, as if she was unsure…

"Due to Monoceros' effect," continued Francesca, "Elephun is now summoned back to the field in Defense Mode…"

The small pachyderm appeared again. (300 DEF)

"Next, I use Thunder Unicorn's effect," she continued, "and lower the Attack Score of one of your Monsters by 500 points…"

Flame Armor Ninja clutched his chest as sparks danced over his shoulders. (1,200 ATK)

"And now… Attack!"

Thunder Unicorn hesitated for a second, but she obeyed, and charged at Flame Armor Ninja, impaling him with her horn and blowing him into pixels.

"You've drawn first blood…" said Lotus. "But what really counts is who draws it last…"

"Yeah, uh-huh…" said Francesca, as she fit a card into her Disk.

A set card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…"

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,000)**

Lotus made a draw and looked at it.

"I summon Air Armor Ninja," she said.

A small cyclone appeared in front of her, and yet another Ninja, this one in green, appeared in front of her. (1,400 ATK)

"Seems she's got one for every Attribute…" said Andy.

"Indeed," said Lotus. "And that's a good thing… You'll see why once I play this Spell Card…"

She played the last card in her hand.

"Armor Ninja Art of Revival," she said, "which Special Summons my fallen Ninja from the Graveyard."

A series of glowing Kanji symbols appeared in front of her, and the fiery Flame Armor Ninja appeared again. (1,700 ATK)

"Now, I activate my Trap…" she said.

Her facedown card lifted up.

Stan gasped.

"Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan?" he shouted.

"Yes…" said Lotus. "I have an Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water Monster under my control, so this Trap now gives me four options…

"I could destroy all your Monsters… But…

"I think I'll let you sweat a little longer, and choose the option that lets me draw two cards…"

She made two draws.

Francesca laughed nervously.

"Don't be so smug," said Lotus, as she narrowed her eyes. "This in no way protects you from an attack this turn… Especially considering what I just drew.

"By using Aqua Armor Ninja and Air Armor Ninja…"

The two Ninja turned into a spiraling vortex of energy.

"…I build the Overlay Network!"

As the two Ninja vanished, there was a loud cry, and another Ninja, this one dressed all in black, holding paired katana blades, leapt over the heads of the other two Ninja. (2,200 ATK)

"Oh no, that's Blade Armor Ninja!" shouted Stan.

"Don't tell me you have one?" asked Andy.

"No, but I saw it in a magazine…" said Stan. "It's _really _bad news!"

"All right, Francesca…" said Lotus, as she played one of the cards she had drawn. "I play the Riryoku Spell Card! This insidious Spell steals half of the Attack Points from one of your Monsters, and gives it to one of mine.

"Thus, I'll take half of Thunder Unicorn's Attack Points, and give them to Blade Armor Ninja!"

Thunder Unicorn moaned as her Score fell to 1,100, while Blade Armor Ninja's eyes glowed with green light and his rose to 3,300.

"Now, I use Blade Armor Ninja's effect," she continued, "and remove one Overlay Unit to give one of my Ninja the ability to attack twice this turn. That boon will go to Blade Armor Ninja himself.

"But before he does… Earth Armor Ninja, attack Elephun!"

The brown Ninja drew his katana, and made a quick slash, cutting the small Tuner in half.

"Next, Flame Armor Ninja will smite your Thunder Unicorn…" said Lotus.

The flaming Ninja rushed at Thunder Unicorn, and Francesca groaned a little as she was cut down.

"Blade Armor Ninja, attack directly!" shouted Lotus. "Move like thunder, strike like lightning!"

The Xyz made a rush at Francesca with his swords ready to strike…

"Activate Call of the Haunted!" shouted Francesca, as her facedown card lifted up.

_Forgive me… _she thought, as Thunder Unicorn appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

Blade Armor Ninja gave a look of annoyance and made a swift cut with his blade, blasting the Beast into pixels.

"And now for his second attack…" said Lotus.

Francesca screamed as the two sharp blades of cold steel cut across her chest. She fell over.

**(F: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,000)**

"It's your move…" said Lotus.

"_Everything is going according to plan, my Queen…" _she said mentally.

"_Excellent," _replied the Shadow Queen's voice. _"Don't forget to remove your mask once it's over…_

"_I want her to know exactly who defeated her…"_

Francesca slowly got up. She held her chest.

She made a draw.

"All right, Kitana," she said. "Because I removed Card from a Different Dimension from play last turn, I get it back this turn, and we both make two draws."

She took the card from her pocket, and drew two cards as Lotus drew two.

Francesca looked at one of the two cards in shock.

"Good card?" asked Lotus.

Francesca smirked.

"You tell me!" she said.

She played a Spell Card, and it appeared in front of her.

"With Star Blast, I can pay 500 Life Points to downgrade the Level of this Monster from 5 to 4. That means I can summon her with no sacrifice…

"So let's have a standing ovation… For _Madame Flurrie of the Fog!"_

A cloud of purplish-pink smoke appeared in front of Francesca…

And then the cloud took shape, turning semi-humanoid and feminine. It still looked like a cloud, but had the shape of a well-endowed and rotund opera diva. She had dimples and a winning smile, with a great deal of lipstick on her lips. Her hair was full and neatly styled, and she wore a pearl necklace. She had no legs, the lower part of her body trailing off into wispy vapor. (1,800 ATK)

Stan, Andy, and Francesca felt the same feeling now that they did when Stan had summoned Goombella… The feeling of friendship coming from this creature, as if she was someone that they had known a long time ago that they had missed dearly…

"That doesn't seem very formidable…" said Lotus.

"Oh, there's more to Flurrie than you may think…" said Francesca.

She took two cards from her hand, Card from a Different Dimension and Lock Cat, and discarded both of them.

"…like a good set of lungs, for instance! Show her, Flurrie! Blow those Ninja away with your merciless Gale Force!"

Flurrie took a deep breath, and then blew, and her breath became a virtual hurricane. Flame Armor Ninja, Earth Armor Ninja, and Blade Armor Ninja all struggled against the terrible onslaught of wind, but were blown backwards, sent tumbling across the street, and finally smashed to pieces.

"All right!" shouted Andy. "Hot dogs are on me!"

"What happened?" demanded Lotus.

"By tossing two cards, I can use Flurrie's effect, and destroy all of your Monsters," said Francesca. "Of course, I can only do that once per duel, and I have to skip my Battle Phase this turn.

"But now that I have, this is a whole different duel! It's your move!"

"So you say…" said Lotus, with a hint of anger in her voice. "I draw one card…"

She made a draw.

She set a card in her Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

"Move…" she said.

"Oh, I'll move…" said Francesca.

She drew a card.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and in an aura of light, the noble steed appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I use her effect…" she said.

She flipped the top card off of her deck.

"Read it and weep," she said, as she held it forward. "Megamorph!

"And by Equipping it to Flurrie with my Life Points lower than yours, her Attack Points are doubled."

Flurrie grunted and flexed her muscles… (3,600 ATK)

"Sunlight Unicorn, attack the set Monster!"

Sunlight Unicorn charged, and the Armed Ninja appeared on the set card. It was blown to pieces.

"Flip Effect activate!" shouted Lotus. "I now get to destroy one of your Spell Cards."

Megamorph shattered, and Flurrie fell to her base Attack Score of 1,800.

"That still won't protect you from Flurrie's direct attack," said Lotus.

Flurrie exhaled a powerful wind again, this time at Lotus…

"No, but Aqua Armor Ninja will," replied Lotus. "By removing him from play, your Monster's direct attack is blocked."

The blue Ninja appeared in front of Lotus, and Flurrie's blast hit him instead, blowing him to shards.

"I set one card facedown," said Francesca, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and I end my turn."

Lotus made a draw.

She looked at Francesca angrily.

Then she set a card, and a hidden Monster appeared in front of her.

"Make your move…" she growled.

Francesca drew a card. She looked at it.

"I use Sunlight Unicorn's effect again…" she said.

She looked at the top card on her deck. It was Uni-Horned Familiar.

"Well, this isn't an Equip Spell…" she said.

She placed the card on the bottom of her deck.

"…but fortunately, I drew one this turn… Synchro Boost!"

She played the card, and Flurrie glowed with soft light.

"It increases Flurrie's Level by 1 and her Attack Score by 500."

(2,300 ATK)

"And now, Sunlight Unicorn… Let's try this again…"

Sunlight Unicorn charged, and this time, Lady Ninja Yae appeared on the card. The Unicorn's horn struck, and the Ninja shattered.

Then Francesca's facedown card lifted up.

"Go, Beast Soul Swap!" she shouted. "I'll send Sunlight Unicorn back to my hand…"

The Unicorn vanished.

"…and then summon _this _charming fellow!"

Beast Striker appeared, hefting its large hammer. It looked at Lotus, and snorted. (1,850 ATK)

"Attack her directly!" ordered Francesca.

Beast Striker lunged at Lotus, and the Kunoichi grunted as the hammer hit her.

"Wait!" shouted Francesca. "Flurrie is feeling left out…"

Flurrie blew her powerful wind again.

"Ah, ah, AH!" screamed Lotus.

She fell over on her rump.

**(F: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,850)**

"Your move…" said Francesca.

Lotus drew a card.

_All right… _she thought. _I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this… But…_

"I summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo," she said.

She played the card, and a new Ninja, this one dressed all in black, with red Kanji symbols on his kneepads, shin-guards, chest, shoulder-pads, and mask, appeared, holding a long katana. (1,800 ATK)

"Simply by Normal Summoning him," continued Lotus, "I'm allowed to take any Trap Card I desire with the words 'Ninjitsu Art' in its name from my deck."

She took her deck from the Disk's deck holder, and quickly took a card from it. She reshuffled, and replaced the deck.

"I believe I will set that card, along with one other…"

She fit the cards into her Disk, and they flashed into view behind Hanzo.

"And I end my turn…"

"O…kay…" said Francesca, as she slowly drew a card.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn again…" she said.

Once again, the magical steed appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I use her effect again…"

She picked up the top card from her deck. She almost gave a cry of delight when she saw what it was.

She played it immediately.

"I play United We Stand!" she shouted. "And I Equip it to Flurrie!"

Flurrie glowed with fiery energy.

"This makes her even stronger, giving her 800 more Attack Points times the number of Monsters I have!"

(4,700 ATK)

"I'm afraid I have to cut this short…" said Lotus.

One of her face-down cards lifted up.

"I activate… Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation!"

As the Trap activated, both Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo and Flurrie dissolved into particles of light.

"FLURRIE!" cried Francesca in horror.

"By sending my Ninja and one of your Monsters to the Graveyard," said Lotus, "I'm allowed to Special Summon a Dinosaur, Sea Serpent, or Dragon from my deck, so long as its Level doesn't exceed the combined Levels of those two Monsters…

"That means I can summon the most powerful Ninja in my deck…"

"Wait just a second…" said Stan. "You said 'Dinosaur, Sea Serpent, or Dragon'… Exactly what Ninja belongs in any of those groups?"

Lightning flashed…

"I think we're about to find out…" said Andy, as a look of fear crossed his face.

A huge oriental-style dragon made of pure light appeared behind Lotus…

Then it shrank, transforming into a mysterious-looking young woman with short hair in a white martial arts outfit. Her eyes glowed with mystical energy.

"Meet White Dragon Ninja…" said Lotus.

(2,700 ATK)

"She doesn't look so tough…" said Francesca, with her voice full of bile (losing Flurrie had hit her like a knife in the chest). "If that Trap Card is anything like the regular Ninjitsu Art of Transformation, all I have to do to get rid of her is get rid of the Trap Card."

"True, but that is much, _much _easier said than done," replied Lotus, "given White Dragon Ninja's own effect. So long as she's on the field, my Spell and Trap Cards _can't _be destroyed."

"No way…" said Andy.

"And to seal your fate…" said Lotus.

Her other facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Safe Zone, and Equip it to White Dragon Ninja. At the cost of making her unable to attack directly, this makes her nearly immortal."

"This is bad…" said Stan. "Playing Safe Zone is usually risky at best, because if it's destroyed, so is the Monster that it's Equipped to. But if White Dragon Ninja protects Lotus's Trap Cards from being destroyed… It may _indeed _make her immortal!"

"I… I move Beast Striker to Defense Mode, and I end my turn…" said Francesca.

Beast Striker knelt and held its hammer in its lap. (400 DEF)

"I draw one card…" said Lotus, as she drew a card.

"And I activate the Fuhma Shuriken Equip Spell! This makes my Ninja even stronger!"

She played the card, and White Dragon Ninja glowed with golden energy. (3,400 ATK)

"Destroy Sunlight Unicorn!" ordered Lotus. "Shimmering Blade Storm!"

White Dragon Ninja leapt upwards, and made a throwing motion downwards, sending a volley of glowing energy blades at Sunlight Unicorn. She howled in pain before being blasted into triangles. Francesca held her chest.

**(F: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,850)**

"Still… here…" grunted Francesca.

"Not for long…" said Lotus. "It's your move…"

Francesca nervously drew a card.

How long had it been? How much longer did she have before the blue lotus poison in her bloodstream killed her?

She tried very hard to stop thinking about it as she set a card on her Disk, causing a hidden Monster appear next to Beast Striker.

"Your move…" she said.

Lotus made a draw. She put it aside.

"White Dragon Ninja…" she said. "Attack… Attack her hidden Monster."

The swarm of blades flew again, and Key Mouse appeared on the card right before it was blasted to pieces.

"I use Key Mouse's effect…" muttered Francesca.

Lock Cat slipped out of her discard slot, and she looked at it.

The other two cards in her hand were Awakening from Beyond and Moja.

_I could summon Lightning Tricorn now… _she thought. _But then what? What good would she do me?_

_Is this the end?_

**0000000000**

Francesca closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was alone. The streets of Glitzville around her were deserted. Her opponent, Andy and Stan, and everyone who had been watching the duel was gone. So were her Beast Striker and Lotus's White Dragon Ninja.

"What?" she said.

"Francesca, darlin'," said a woman's voice that she had never heard before. "Don't tell me you're thinking of giving up?"

Francesca spun around, and to her great surprise, came eye to eye with Flurrie.

"Uh…" she said.

"The duel ain't over yet, girl," said the Duel Monster. "You only think it's hopeless…"

"You mean it isn't?" asked Francesca, trying to put aside how bizarre this was.

"You're only looking at the most obvious way out of this problem," said Flurrie. "Take it from a gal who's been there, the obvious way isn't always the only way, or even the best way."

"I don't understand…" said Francesca.

"I'll give you the best example I can think of, girl," said Flurrie. "I'll tell you how I and the Three Heroes met.

"You see, back then, I had a small place in the Boggly Woods, and they needed to get into the Great Tree. I mean, they _really _needed to get into that place. But it was too heavily guarded by the Shadow Queen's henchmen. Someone told them that someone knew where a secret entrance was… That 'someone' was yours truly.

"But… There was a problem… This…"

She pointed to the necklace she was wearing.

"Your necklace?" asked Francesca.

"Some crook had stolen it!" replied Flurrie. "And I was too ashamed to show my face without it. I locked myself in my house, and when they came, I refused to come out.

"They needed my help, and the obvious solution would have been to break the door down. I could never have stopped them. But they didn't do that! They actually found the ne'er-do-well who stole it and brought it back!

"I couldn't help but take a liking to them after that… I even kinda had a crush on Andy's ancestor! So I tagged along… And the rest is history."

She giggled a little.

"So…" said Francesca. "There may be a way around this that I can't see?"

"Attacking White Dragon Ninja will get you nowhere, even if you summon something stronger…" said Flurrie. "But draw your card… And the alternate solution will come to you…"

**0000000000**

Francesca opened her eyes again, and she was back among the crowds of Glitzville. The duel was still in progress.

She made her draw.

Monster Reborn.

_What did she mean? _she thought. _What can I summon with this that can…_

Then it came to her.

_Of course!_

She put it aside for the moment, and reached for Lock Cat.

"First, I summon Lock Cat," she said, as she played the card.

The sassy cat with the lock on its collar appeared in front of her. (1,200 ATK)

"By summoning it, I can Special Summon Key Mouse from my Graveyard…"

Key Mouse appeared, curled up in Defense Mode. (100 DEF)

"And now, I tune together Key Mouse, Lock Cat, and Beast Striker…"

Key Mouse flew into the air and the two other Beasts followed it… Lightning flashed…

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*2 + *1 + *5 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

Lightning Tricorn leapt onto the field. It looked at Lotus… And then its features showed the same confused look that Thunder Unicorn had… (2,800 ATK)

"And is there a point to this?" asked Lotus.

"I'm getting to that," said Francesca, with a grin. "I play Awakening from Beyond!"

She played a Spell Card.

"It works kind of like Monster Reincarnation, but I don't have to discard a card… Rather, I have to let _you _draw two cards."

Lotus looked at her, and then drew twice.

"The important part is," said Francesca, as she took a card from her discard slot, "I've got Flurrie back."

"So?" replied Lotus. "I recall you saying that her effect could be used _once. _And even if you weren't being truthful, Safe Zone would protect my Ninja from it."

"That's not what I'm going to use her for…" said Francesca with a sly smirk.

"I play Monster Reborn!"

The holy symbol appeared, and the discard slot on Lotus's Disk glowed.

"I'll summon a Monster from _your _Graveyard…" said Francesca.

In a flash of light, Lady Ninja Yae appeared next to Lightning Tricorn. (1,100 ATK)

"And just how can she…" started Lotus.

Then her eyes opened wide in horror as she realized _exactly _how…

"Of course!" exclaimed Andy. "If Yae's controller discards a Wind Monster, she can blow all opposing Spell and Trap Cards off the field!"

"And Flurry is Wind!" added Stan, as Francesca discarded Flurrie's card.

Lady Ninja Yae's eyes glowed, and Ninjitsu Art of Super Transformation, Safe Zone, and Fuhma Shuriken all vanished, reappearing in Lotus's hand.

"White Dragon Ninja couldn't protect those cards from _that," _said Francesca. "And without Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation…"

White Dragon Ninja vanished in a flash of light.

"Now to end this duel," said Francesca. "Lady Ninja Yae… Attack Lotus directly!"

The female Ninja leapt at Lotus, and gave her a swift kick in the chops. Lotus grunted in pain.

"Lightning Tricorn, finish her off!" shouted Francesca.

The Synchro hesitated…

"Well?" shouted Francesca.

After a few tense seconds, Lightning Tricorn obeyed, charging at Lotus and stabbing her with her electrified horns. Lotus screamed…

**(F: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 0)**

"You lose!" shouted Francesca. "Now cough up the antidote or I really WILL kill you!"

_No… _thought Lotus. _The Queen…_

Her hand quivered. She took the antidote out of the pouch.

_I have one chance… _she thought. _If I smash it on the ground, maybe she'll forgive me…_

But just as she about to, someone grabbed her hand, and then restrained her in a lock.

"_Merlow?" _shouted the three teenagers at once.

It was indeed Merlow. They hadn't seen where he had come from, but he was here. Lotus struggled, but he was too strong for her, and quickly wrenched the vial out of her hand.

"Drink it quickly, Francesca…" he said, as he handed it to her.

"Let go of me…" cursed Lotus, as Francesca quickly drank the liquid.

Then Merlow grabbed the mask, and tore it off her head. It was a young teenage girl about Francesca's age, with short, black hair and Japanese features.

Francesca nearly fell over in shock.

"_Yuki?"_ she screamed.

"You know her?" asked Andy.

"_Know _her?" screamed Francesca. "I've known her since the first grade! She… she…"

"She's not herself right now…" said Merlow. "Look at me, Yuki…"

She tried not to, but he forced her.

"_Light that pierced the darkness," _he chanted, _"dispel the evil fog of enchantment…"_

The girl that they had called "Lotus" up to now slumped to the ground, holding her head.

"Merlow, why?" asked Francesca, almost in tears. "Why did Yuki attack me? How in the world did she learn to duel so well? She was only an amateur the last I checked…"

"It was the Shadow Queen's twisted idea of retribution…" said Merlow. "She wanted you to die thinking that your best friend had betrayed you…

"So she had Yuki kidnapped, and then magically brainwashed. The evil spell gave her skills she didn't have previously, including Duel Monsters…"

Yuki looked up, holding her head.

_No wonder my Synchro Monsters seemed to recognize her, _thought Francesca. _Their senses must be more acute than the Monsters in my main deck._

"Fran…" said Yuki, somberly. "I…"

Then she stood up, nearly in panic.

"You gotta help me!" she screamed. "When the Queen calls me back…"

"Sit down, Yuki…" said Merlow. "I've got something that we can use to remedy that…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Crump was watching.

_Heh… _he said. _Totally diabolical…_

Then his cellphone rang.

"Uh, yeah?" he said, answering it.

"Crump," said the Queen. "What's happening there?"

"Uh, you can't see?" asked Crump.

"Unfortunately, no," replied the Queen. "My stupid crystal ball went on the fritz right before Francesca struck the final blow, and my telepathic link to Lotus seems to have been broken as well."

"Uh…" said Crump. "Maybe that was what did it… Maybe the powerful direct attack kinda… Knocked it out of here, you think?"

There was a long pause.

"Actually, that might make sense…" she said. "Well… Keep me posted as to what they're doing from now on…

"If they show any interest in the Glitz Pit, call me right away…"

"Uh, yes ma'am…" said Crump.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Yuki was trying her hardest to hold still as Merlow used a special pen to draw a strange sigil on her forehead.

"Man…" said Andy. "I never believed that the Shadow Queen could sink so low as this…"

"I could believe it…" said Merlow. "I told you before… She'll do _anything _to escape… Betray anyone, commit any crime, no matter how vile or underhanded it may be…

"Okay, Yuki, you can move now…"

He gave her a mirror, and she looked at the strange design on her forehead.

"It's not very flattering, I know," said Merlow. "But so long as it's there, the Shadow Queen won't be able to re-establish her link."

"And I think the Shadow Spawn are too concerned with us to come after you," said Francesca, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"I could have killed you…" moaned Yuki.

"But you didn't," said Francesca. "At least it's over now…"

Yuki looked at her.

"No…" she said. "No it isn't…"

She reached into a pocket in the inside of her _gi, _and took out a Crystal Card.

"It was still an official tournament duel…" she said, "so I owe you this…"

Francesca closed her eyes.

"If I take it," she said, "do you promise to stay away from duels? I don't want this to turn into a rescue mission for us…"

Lotus nodded, and Francesca took the Card.

Stan came back with a cardboard tray full of hot dogs.

"So where do we go from here?" asked Andy, as he passed them out.

"Well…" said Merlow. "Why don't you try the Glitz Pit?"

"The Glitz Pit?" asked Andy.

"It's right behind you!" said Yuki, with a chuckle.

They turned around. Indeed, a large coliseum seemed to dominate the center of Glitzville.

"Before the tournament started, the Glitz Pit was used for boxing and wrestling," said Lotus. "People paid big money for the fights… Especially to see Rawk Hawk, the star attraction.

"Now it's all about Duel Monsters exhibitions, at least for now…"

They walked up to the front gates, and saw that a large poster had been erected.

**ATTENTION!**

**Duelists Wanted!**

**Fame, Glory, and a Potent Prize**

**Open Duel Night in the Glitz Pit**

**The Champion Takes on All Challengers!**

**Inquire at back door, ask for Jolene.**

"Ugh…" said Francesca. "I've made enough of a spectacle of myself in this place…"

"Hmm…" said Andy.

"Could be a good opportunity…" said Merlow.

**0000000000**

In an office inside the large coliseum, a woman dressed in a maroon business suit was on the phone. She wore glasses and her hair was in a ponytail.

"I dunno, Lou, it depends…" she said. "I'm a little worried about him lately…

"Well, no, he's taking to it pretty well… Maybe a little _too _well… And I don't want him to like it too much, because this thing is not going to last forever, you know?"

There was a knock on the door.

"Look, I'll call you back…"

She hung up.

"Come in," she said.

A man in a business suit came in.

"Miss Jolene," she said, "someone's here about the posted offer. Says his name is Andy Markova."

"Oh, do send him in!" said Jolene, brightening up.

She smiled nervously as Andy walked into the room, with Stan and Francesca behind him.

"Uh," said Andy.

"Say no more," said Jolene. "I'm so glad someone took us up on that offer… Not many folks are eager to do it…"

"Seriously?" said Andy.

"Well, the champion is rather intimidating," said Jolene. "Let's see the deck…"

"Uh…" said Andy.

"Come on…" said Jolene. "You won't be dueling me, and confidentiality is my middle name…"

Andy handed her the deck. She started to look through it.

"Hmm, Dragons, huh?" she said. "Not bad… Oh, nice one… Hmm… Never heard of that one…"

She handed the deck back.

"You'll do," she said, as she got up.

She opened a closet behind her, which seemed to contain a lot of boxes. After about a minute, she found the one she was looking for.

"Here we are!" she said, as she handed it to Andy. "Here's your costume!"

"Costume?" said Andy.

To say this came as a surprise was an understatement.

"Well, sure," said Jolene. "After all, if you're gonna lose, you might as well do it in style!"

There was a small tapping on the window. Jolene turned slightly, and almost jumped out of her skin.

Another Yata-Garasu was pecking on the window.

Then it flew away.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Those things… Is there something about them that we should know about?"

"Uh, Louis, show them to the green room, will you!" stammered Jolene. "Showtime is at six o'clock, and you'll be the first challenger!"

As they left, Jolene slumped in her chair. Then the phone rang, as she expected it to.

She picked it up, but didn't say anything.

"I heard you got a challenger Jolene," said the Shadow Queen's voice. "Well… The fight card just changed. Give the champion the day off.

"Andy's new opponent will be there in an hour… I trust you know what to do…

"Or rather… What _not _to do…"

She hung up.

Jolene opened the drawer to her desk. She took out a photograph in a frame. It was a picture of her and a young man.

She held the photo to her chest, and tears welled in her eyes.

Then she put it back, and opened a false bottom in the desk drawer.

_Fine, bitch… _she said. _Change Andy's opponent if you like…_

_But if Andy wins… I'M changing the prize that he gets…_

**0000000000**

Andy looked at himself in the full-length mirror of the green room.

He felt like an idiot.

The costume he had been given made him look like Lord of Dragons, and despite the fact that it was his favorite card, he never thought that the admiration would go _this _far…

The cape was heavy, and the helmet left him with almost no peripheral vision.

"Man…" he said. "How do the folks in the pro leagues _do _this?"

"I think you look cute," said Francesca.

"Fran…" said Andy. "I do _not _want to look 'cute'!

"This is going to let me 'lose in style'? It's going to let me make a fool of myself!

"This was a bad idea…"

"Andy…" said Stan.

He opened the chamber on his Disk than contained his Extra Deck.

"Maybe this will help…"

He handed him the card.

"You're giving me one of your Xyzs?" gasped Andy.

"This is one of the cards that my uncle gave me," said Stan, "but it really doesn't work in my deck. It might work much better in yours.

"Give it a try, and you'll see…"

Andy looked at the card. He knew almost nothing about Xyz Monsters…

Still…

**0000000000**

Currently, there was no blimp at the entrance to Glitzville. The next one wasn't scheduled to arrive for an hour.

Thus, no-one was there to witness the newest arrival to the city.

A bonfire appeared on the landing pad, and slowly took the shape of a teenage boy…

"Ah, Glitzville…" he said. "The lights… The sights…

"…and the fights…"

**0000000000**

**ARMOR NINJITSU ART OF TELEPORTATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Flame Armor Ninja emerging from a portal in a misty place.

**Card Description: **Target 1 "Ninja" Monster you control. Special Summon (from your hand) a "Ninja" Monster with a lower ATK than the target. The target and the Special Summoned Monster cannot attack this turn.

**0000000000**

**ARMOR NINJITSU ART OF REVIVAL (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Lady Ninja Yae peeking into a misty hallway with piles of skulls strewn around.

**Card Description: **Target 1 "Ninja" Monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon the target.

_Note: "Armor Ninjitsu Art of Teleportation" and "Armor Ninjitsu Art of Revival" were first used by Yamikawa in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Training Days". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**MADAME FLURRIE OF THE FOG (Monster Card)**

**Fairy/Wind/Effect/Level5/1,800ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **Discard 2 cards from your hand to destroy all Monsters your opponent controls. You must skip your Battle Phase on a turn when you use this effect. The effect of "Madame Flurrie of the Fog" can only be used once per duel per player.

**0000000000**

_**The true extent of the Shadow Queen's cruelty has been shown, and slowly but surely, the skepticism that her three targets had is fading. Francesca has gained a fifth Crystal Card, but is lucky she didn't lose her best friend in the process…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Andy: With all of Glitzville watching, another of the dreaded Shadow Spawn has decided to strike. Even worse, his powerful strategy resists the attacks of my strongest Monsters. **_

_**If I want to prove that I'm half the duelist that Stan and Francesca are, and if I truly have divine blood inside me, I have to do what they did and crush another of these demented siblings. Frankly, the more I hear about them, the more I don't like.**_

"_**Fiend Comedian" is coming soon.**_


	12. Fiend Comedian

_**If there's one thing worse than someone who hurts people for a living – which seems to be the case with the Shadow Spawn – it's one that looks at this "job" as if it were a joke. **_

_**It seems that Merlow might have guided me into a confrontation with another of them (and if I survive this, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind) and the middle sibling of this family seems even more demented than either Kurtis OR Melissa. He doesn't seem to take this seriously at all. **_

_**Still, he means business. My deck relies on powerful Monsters that can inflict large amounts of damage, and it's ill-equipped to handle his strategy. **_

_**Of course… That may have been the whole idea…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWELVE**

**0000000000**

**Fiend Comedian**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"Seems a pretty big crowd out there, Andy," said Stan, as he looked out into the arena, which was slowly filling up.

Andy sighed.

"This isn't going to be easy folks…" he said. "And I doubt I'll be the house favorite here."

"We'll be at ringside," said Francesca. "And so will…"

She stopped. She looked around.

"Say… Where _did _Merlow run off to?"

"I haven't seen that guy in about an hour," said Yuki. "He said he was going to get popcorn…

"Either there's a _very _long line at the concession stand, or…"

Andy sighed, and straitened his color.

_Maybe Conan was right all the times he said you couldn't trust wizards… _he thought.

Jolene poked her head into the green room.

"Fifteen minutes, Andy!" she said.

"We'd better take our seats," said Stan.

"Uh… Good luck…" said Francesca.

"Break a leg!"

**0000000000**

Andy rarely watched events like this, but as he waited to be introduced, everything was there. The loud music, the pyrotechnics… All the gaudy flash.

_Maybe it's a good thing I'm wearing this helmet, _he thought. _If everyone could see who I was, then I'd _really _be making a fool of myself._

Jolene walked into the center of the circular ring holding a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" she shouted.

She cleared her throat.

"It is with regret that I have to inform you that the Champion of the Glitz Pit cannot be dueling tonight…"

This seemed to elect an angry reaction from the crowd.

"Please calm down…" she said. "Tickets will be refunded once the duel is over… However… The special guest who will be dueling in his place requests that you remain to watch…

"Because if you don't, he's going to break both my arms…"

She said that part quieter than the first, and the crowd went silent. Andy raised an eyebrow.

"First, let's welcome the challenger…" said Jolene. "Visiting Arcadia from the great city of Miami, Florida… I give you… Markova the Dragon Master!"

Andy slowly walked to the ring. No-one booed him, which he had expected at first, but no-one cheered either.

He walked up to Jolene.

"Something you want to tell me?" he whispered.

"Just move to the corner!" she whispered back.

Andy did so, as she cleared her throat again.

"And now, our special guest…" she said.

Then someone grabbed the microphone out of her hand. Exactly where he had come from, it was hard to tell.

"That's enough, beautiful," he said, "I'll take it from here…"

Andy looked with shock when he saw his apparent opponent. It was a teenager who looked about sixteen, who was muscular, wearing only a vest over his well-toned torso, along with leather trousers and shoes. What made him stand out was his red hair. Not auburn-red, like the case with most redheads, but _really _red, like the color of fire, and likely holding a lot of mousse.

Now the crowd really went silent…

"Hey, hey folks!" said the strange teenage. "So good to be here!

"So many things on my mind lately… So many questions… You ever wonder how the guys who drive snowplows get to work in the morning?"

There was no response from the crowd.

"Why did Japanese kamikaze pilots wear helmets?" he asked.

Still no response.

"Hmm…" he said. "Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?"

He tapped his foot, but still no response.

"Tough crowd…" he said.

"Buddy, if you're trying to be funny," said Andy, "let me tell you, you're flatter than a pancake. Who the Hell are you?"

The strange boy chuckled a little.

"Depends…" he said. "Just what Hell are you referring to?"

He let out a short laugh.

"Lighten up, Andy!" he said with a smile. "I'm just trying to break the ice before the real unpleasant stuff starts…

"Tyson's the name…"

"The Shadow Spawn of Fire, I assume?" asked Andy. "This whole thing was a set-up?"

"Naw, I just saw the opportunity when you signed up," replied Tyson.

"And what if I just turn around and leave?" asked Andy.

Tyson looked at him.

He motioned for Andy to come closer. Andy did so, cautiously.

"First of all, you can't," replied Tyson, softly, so that only Andy could hear. "All the exits to the arena are locked. All of them.

"Second, you may remember the power Kurtis holds over the element of wind. I have similar powers over fire.

"You wouldn't want me to set this place on fire would you? Not with so many people here?"

"You wouldn't…" gasped Andy.

"The fire itself probably wouldn't kill many people…" said Tyson. "But… The resulting panic that it would cause… _That_ would be a different story…"

"You guys just love to use blackmail, don't you?" said Andy.

"We go with what works," said Tyson.

"So!" he said into the microphone again. "Can anyone tell me why the words 'flammable' and 'inflammable' mean the same thing?

"Or why 'slim chance' and 'fat chance' mean the same thing?

"Or why it's so hard to remember how to spell 'mnemonic'?"

"OKAY, I'll duel you!" shouted Andy. "Just lay off the bad jokes!"

"All right…" said Tyson. "Let's get the technical stuff out of the way…

"Andy Markova… You stand accused…"

"I plead not guilty to your baseless accusation, fellah!" shouted Andy, pointing at him. "And you and your mom can stick it where the sun doesn't shine while you're at it!"

The crowd gasped.

Andy didn't need the sunglasses this time. As much as he didn't like the costume before, it seemed to fit the bill as much as they ever did.

Tyson chuckled.

"It seems you fear nothing…" he said. "Then let the duel begin!"

Pyrotechnics shot up from each corner of the ring again, as flames enshrouded Tyson's left arm. They slowly formed into a Duel Disk made of crimson metal.

"Looks like these guys really aren't used to folks who talk back to them," said Stan, who was watching from the front row. "I just hope Andy can back those words up."

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Tyson: 8,000)**

"I believe that means the honor is mine…" said Tyson.

He drew a card, and then looked at his hand.

He set one, and then a reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"I end my turn…" he said.

Andy made a draw, and looked over his hand of cards.

"Alexandrite Dragon, you're up!" he said, as he played one.

A large Dragon with a shimmering hide that seemed to be made out of gemstones appeared in an aura of light. (2,000 ATK)

"That's a pretty powerful Monster for just your first turn," said Tyson. "You seem to be dueling as if your life depended on it…

"Oh, wait… You are…"

"I don't find you funny in the least," said Andy. "Attack his Monster! Burning Flash!"

The beautiful Dragon fired a blast of pure light at the set card. A woman in a red dress holding a staff appeared on the card, and was blown into triangles.

"So much for your Fire Princess," said Andy. "That's all I can do for now…"

"Really?" said Tyson, as he made a draw.

"Well I can do _plenty!"_

He thrust a Spell Card forward.

"I'll start by playing Foolish Burial!"

"Do you have to be so enthusiastic?" asked Andy.

"Don't fret, Andy," said Tyson, as he took a card from his deck. "These folks came here expecting to see a good show, and I intend to give them one…"

He discarded the card.

"Next, I play Fire Back," he continued, as he played another Spell Card. "By discarding a Fire Monster from my hand, I can Special Summon one from my Graveyard…"

He discarded a card.

"So let's give it up once again for Fire Princess!"

There was a cloud of flames, and the infamous female Pyro dressed in a fiery red dress holding a long, wooded staff appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode again. (1,500 DEF)

_So he's playing a Gain-Burn Deck? _thought Andy.

"She seems lonely," said Tyson. "So… I'll summon her brother, Fire Prince!"

"Say what?" said Andy.

There was another cloud of flame, and a young man in scarlet armor, holding a fiery sword, with bright red hair appeared next to Fire Princess. (1,600 ATK)

Andy's eyes narrowed. The Monster kind of looked like Tyson… And he guessed that Tyson _was_ a prince, technically…

"Guess what, Andy?" said Tyson. "So long as Fire Prince is on the field, his sister can't be targeted by attacks."

"Not the best defense," said Andy.

"I'm not through!" said Tyson. "I play The Dark Door…"

He fit a card into his Disk, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared.

"So long as this door is open, each player can only attack with one Monster per turn."

_Okay… _thought Andy. _I can still get rid of both of them… It will just take more than one turn…_

"To complete my turn…" said Tyson.

He fit a card into the Field Zone of his Disk.

"I activate Volcano Palace!"

An eruption of lava spouted up behind Tyson, and magma quickly covered the field. Andy nervously watched as it flowed underneath his feet, but it fortunately didn't burn him.

As haze filled the arena, a dark, ominous castle made of obsidian appeared behind Tyson.

"We'll get into that later…" said Tyson. "It's your move…"

Andy drew a card.

_Man, how lucky could I get? _he thought.

"Go Polymerization!" he shouted, as the Fusion Spell appeared in front of him. "I'll combine Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Lord of Dragons…"

The Dragon and the Spellcaster appeared, and then were drawn into the vortex.

With a roar, King Dragun appeared. Murmurs started to rise in the crowd. (2,400 ATK)

"Fricassee that Fire Prince! Twilight Burn!"

King Dragun shot burning flames from his staff, and Fire Prince was blown to shards.

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,200)**

"All right!" cheered Yuki. "He sure showed him!"

Francesca sighed.

"Yuki…" she said. "I can only wish I could believe that… I have a nagging feeling that there's more to this setup than there appears…"

"Since I can't attack your Princess due to The Dark Door," said Andy, "I'll just end my turn…"

"Then I draw…" said Tyson.

Then the form of a fiendish woman with dark skin and black feathered wings appeared behind him.

"Marie the Fallen One, huh?" said Andy.

"You got it," said Tyson. "Because I sent her to my Graveyard last turn with Foolish Burial, I gain 200 Life Points now, which means Fire Princess can do her job…"

Fire Princess pointed her staff at Andy, and fired a blast of flaming energy. Andy grunted.

"It's still my Standby Phase, which means I can use the effect of my Field Spell…" continued Tyson. "I can pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon from my Graveyard a Level 4 or lower Pyro-Type Monster that was destroyed last turn…"

Fire Prince appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

"Figures…" said Andy, with a frown. "You intend to do that every turn to protect Fire Princess…"

"Who needs Gravity Bind?" asked Tyson. "Your Masked Dragons and Twin-Headed Behemoth would have gotten past a card like that anyway. This is the perfect defense for a Fire Princess Burn.

"I'll move her to Defense Mode, just in case…"

Fire Princess knelt, and held her staff in her lap. (1,500 DEF)

"And I'll turn it over to you…"

**(A: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 6,900)**

_Okay, need a good card here… _thought Andy.

He drew one.

He gave a disappointed sigh. Of all the times he would have been happy to have drawn Call of the Haunted, this wasn't one of them.

He fit it into his Disk, and it appeared face-down. Then he pointed, and King Dragun fired his Twilight Burn again, eradicating Fire Prince.

"Good effort!" chuckled Tyson. "Too bad he was in Defense Mode."

"I end my turn…" said Andy.

"Then I draw…" said Tyson, as he drew a card.

"Again, I gain 200 Life Points from Marie," he said, "again, Fire Princess uses her effect…"

Andy yelped again as the flames hit him.

"And again, I pay 500 Life Points to use the effect of my Field Spell…"

Fire Prince appeared again, once more in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 6,600)**

"You can't keep that up forever…" said Andy.

"I don't intend to…" said Tyson, with a sinister smirk. "This is just a warm up…"

He chuckled.

"…so to speak… You may yet find a way to tear down my Field Spell or my Dark Door, but by then, stage two of my strategy may well be underway…

"I end my turn…"

Andy drew a card.

_Paradox Fusion… _he thought. _This could break up his lock… Maybe…_

"I set this card face-down," he said, as it appeared behind his two Dragons.

"Then I attack with King Dragun!"

For the third time, the blast blew Fire Prince to little pieces.

"Now you're getting desperate, Andy," said Tyson, "and I have to say, you're putting on quite a boring show. The crowd is getting ugly."

Andy sighed.

"I end my turn…" he said.

Tyson made a draw. Then he bent down, and picked up the microphone, which he had dropped before.

"Hey, people, kinda warm in here isn't it?" he said. "Tell me… Why is it that when two planes almost hit each other it's called a 'near miss'? Shouldn't it be a 'near hit'?

"When they ship Styrofoam, what do they pack it in?

"Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

"How exactly can someone 'draw a blank'?"

"_Will you knock it off?"_ shouted Andy.

"Sorry Andy," said Tyson. "This is a rather boring duel, and I was trying to entertain these people."

"Telling bad jokes isn't going to help…" said Andy.

"Well then, where were we?" asked Tyson. "Oh yes… It was my Standby Phase, which means that I gain 200 Life Points from Marie, and then you lose 500 from Fire Princess…"

Andy groaned again.

"And then I pay 500 Life Points to use the Field Spell!"

Once again Fire Prince fully materialized. (1,200 DEF)

"And that will be all for my turn…"

**(A: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 6,300)**

Andy made a draw.

"All right, Tyson…" he said. "I play Card of Variation!

"I get to make two draws now… But, I have to discard one when my turn ends, or I take 3,000 points of damage."

He drew two cards.

His eyes opened wide in surprise.

"First, I'll use King Dragun's effect to Special Summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in Defense Mode…" he said.

He placed the card on his Disk, and the two-headed wyrm appeared, crouching on its hindquarters. (1,200 DEF)

"Guess what?" asked Andy. "I've got a friend of mine here that's gonna break through your defense like a hot knife through butter!

"Glitz Pit… Let's all have a warm welcome for an old friend of the family…

"_Koops the Bashful!"_

He played the card, and there was another aura of blue energy…

The aura subsided, and once again, the Monster that appeared hardly looked very formidable. He was a turtle; he stood on its hind legs, wore a blue sweater, lighter blue shorts, and white shoes, but there could be no mistaking that he was a turtle. (1,800 ATK)

Stan and Francesca stood up in shock. The same feeling was there… The same warm feeling they had felt when Goombella and Flurrie had been summoned…

This was someone that they were close to, at least in spirit.

"Excuse me if I don't run in fear," said Tyson.

"Don't underestimate Koops…" said Andy. "The old adage 'slow and steady wins the race' may have been inspired by a tortoise…"

Koops withdrew his limbs and head into his shell.

"…but it certainly wasn't _this _one! Attack with Shell Slam!"

It certainly seemed true, because Koops shot at Fire Prince like a rocket, blowing him to little pieces as Tyson dodged aside.

"So what?" chuckled Tyson. "Next turn, I'll just…"

"Uh, Tyson…" said Andy. "Koops isn't finished…"

Tyson turned around, and saw that Koops was flying over the rafters…

"I may only be able to attack with one Monster per Battle Phase…" said Andy, "but Koops can attack more than one Monster in one Battle Phase!"

Koops did a sharp U-turn, and rocketed towards Fire Princess. Tyson dove for cover as he plowed into Fire Princess, blowing her to shards.

"_Unbelievable!" _shouted Jolene's voice over the loud speaker. _"Markova has miraculously broken up Tyson's seemingly unbeatable lock!"_

For the first time, the crowd started to react. A few people started to cheer. Tyson growled.

_I told that bitch I didn't want any commentary… _he thought.

Koops skidded to a halt in front of Andy, and emerged from his shell.

"I end my turn now," said Andy, "which means I have to discard one card from my hand to avoid taking damage from Card of Variation."

He took one of his two remaining cards, Red Eyes Black Dragon, and discarded it.

"So you managed to destroy them both…" said Tyson, as he made a draw.

"Too bad your plan failed! Once I gain 200 points from Marie, I can still use the effect of my Field Spell to Special Summon _one _of them…"

Fire Princess materialized once again.

"Next, I activate Monster Reborn!"

He threw the Spell Card into his Disk.

"I activate… Paradox Fusion!" shouted Andy.

One of his facedown cards lifted up, and King Dragun vanished into ripples of light.

"What?" said Tyson. "You're getting rid of your own Monster?"

"He'll be back in two turns," said Andy. "In return for that, this Counter Trap can negate the Special Summon of a Monster, the activation of a Trap Card or in this case, a Spell Card."

Monster Reborn shattered, and more of the crowd started to cheer.

"_Unprecedented!" _shouted Jolene. _"Markova has dismantled Tyson's whole strategy!"_

"You wish!" said Tyson. "Time for stage two…"

He held a Spell Card forward.

"I play Star Blast!" he shouted. "I'll give up 500 Life Points to downgrade the Level 7 Monster in my hand to six.

"Meaning I only need one sacrifice to summon her…"

Fire Princess vanished.

"A Level 7 Monster?" gasped Stan.

A bonfire of flames appeared on Tyson's side of the field, and a sinister laugh echoed through the arena.

Fear pierced the hearts of everyone watching as the female Monster appeared. Even Andy and his three friends were a little nervous. Although they had only seen the Shadow Queen once, when she had confronted them at Hooktail Castle, she was a little hard to forget. This Monster looked almost exactly like her, except wearing a scarlet dress instead of a black one. It was like she had given up dark magic and become an evil fire sorceress. (2,400 ATK)

"Meet Fire Queen," said Tyson. "And because I summoned her while Volcano Palace is in play, I get to take an even stronger Monster from my deck…"

He took a card from his deck and smirked at Andy.

"We'll get to him later… For now… Fire Queen, toast that turtle with Blazing Prominence!"

Fire Queen pointed, and two burning comets of fire shot at Koops. Andy winced… He could actually feel the super-intense heat…

"Koops…" he said, sadly.

Tyson threw a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind Fire Queen.

"It's your move, Andy," said Tyson. "Next turn, the party is _really _going to heat up!"

**(A: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 5,500)**

Andy drew a card.

"I have to skip my Battle Phase this turn because Koops attacked more than once last turn," he said, "so I'll set this card…"

A face-down Monster materialized in front of him.

Then I'll move Alexandrite Dragon to Defense Mode…"

The gemstone Dragon sat on its hindquarters. (100 DEF)

"And I end my turn…"

Tyson drew a card. Again, Marie the Fallen One appeared behind him, and he glowed slightly.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" he exclaimed.

The whirlwind shot at Andy's set card. It lifted up, revealed to be Call of the Haunted, and then shattered.

"What a conicidence…" said Tyson. "I activate MY Call of the Haunted, to bring back my Flame Ruler!"

His Trap Card lifted up, and a fiery, wild-haired man wearing a red vest and blue pants. (1,500 ATK)

"That's bad news…" said Andy.

"More than you know…" said Tyson. "Because as I'm sure you realize, when Flame Ruler is sacrificed for the Tribute Summon of a Fire Monster, he counts as two Monsters…"

Flame Ruler vanished, and then a tall tower of flame erupted from in front of him.

"I summon… _Fire King!"_

There was a growl, and a hulking, eight-foot tall creature that certainly didn't look human stepped onto the field. It was a fiendish-looking Pyro with bronze skin, a shirtless, muscled torso, wearing silk pantaloons. It had a mane of red hair with horns on its forehead, upward-pointing fangs, and devilishly-pointed ears. The only article of clothing it wore that might have suggested royalty was a golden, gem-encrusted belt. It held a very large khopesh sword. (3,000 ATK)

"Oh, for the love of…" muttered Andy. "Don't tell me that's supposed to be your dad!"

"Yeah…" said Tyson, with a sly smirk. "I guess I was kinda lucky to get all my looks from mom's side…"

"Okay…" said Andy. "So if Fire Prince is you, and the King and Queen are your parents… Who is the Princess supposed to be?"

For the first time, Tyson looked serious.

"None of your business," he replied, in a grim tone.

"Now let's _get _to business! Because Volcano Palace is still in play, Fire King's effect lets me conjure up a Fire Retainer Token every turn."

A humanoid that seemed to be sculpted entirely out of fire appeared next to the two royals. (1,000 ATK)

"Then we get to Fire Queen's effect… By forfeiting her attack this turn, I can sacrifice a low-Level Fire Monster, and deal damage equal to its Attack Score."

The Queen pointed, and the Fire Retainer Token flew at Andy. He hollered in pain as fire burst around him.

"Now, I attack Twin-Headed Behemoth with Fire King!" shouted Tyson. "Whirling Firesteel Strike!"

The monstrous Pyro hurled its khopesh, turning it into a spinning wheel of fire. It cut through Twin-Headed Behemoth, burning it to cinders.

"Be grateful it was in Defense Mode," said Tyson. "I end my turn…"

The pixelated remains converged, and Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared again. (1,000 DEF)

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 5,700)**

Andy slowly made a draw.

He quickly set it in his Disk, and a set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

Then he flipped his face-down Monster, and the Morphing Jar appeared. (700 ATK)

"Well, if you insist…" said Tyson, as he drew the top five cards off his deck.

Andy discarded two cards, and drew five.

"Hey, Tyson!" shouted Andy. "Here's a question for you… If a guy goes to Heaven and talks to God, and He sneezes, what does the guy say to Him?"

Tyson looked at him. Some small amounts of laughter came out of the crowd.

"I think the heat may be getting to Andy…" sighed Stan.

"No… wait…" said Francesca.

"Ah, heh, heh, heh…" chuckled Tyson. "Heh… I gotta admit… That one _was _kinda funny…"

"Well, Tyson, see…" said Andy. "Like all of the questions you made trying to be funny… I really don't know the answer to that one…

"But one thing I _do_ know… You're certainly _never _going to get a chance to find out the answer to _that _one, because the odds of you actually meeting Him hover slightly above nonexistent."

He took a deep breath.

_All right… _he thought. _Hope I can pull this off… Never done this before, but I've got to start somewhere…_

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

The holy ankh appeared, and Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, by using him and Alexandrite Dragon…" said Andy, as the two Dragons turned into a vortex of energy, "I build the Overlay Network!

"Appear before me… _Queen Dragun Djinn!"_

There was an explosion of lights and flames, and an intimidating female creature appeared from out of the fire. Like King Dragun, she was centaurian in shape, her upper body that of a beautiful, blonde-haired sorceress, her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing black armor with draconic design. She held a scepter similar to King Dragun's. Her lower body was that of a winged Dragon made entirely out of orange flames. (2,200 ATK)

"Interesting…" said Tyson.

"You want interesting?" said Andy. "Wait until you see what she can do. First off, so long as she's around, all of my Dragons, except for her, can't be destroyed by battle.

"And I'm about to summon two more of them. First, by getting rid of one of her Overlay Units, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Dragon from my Graveyard."

Red Eyes Black Dragon loomed above the field, and roared. (2,400 ATK)

"However, it loses its effect and can't attack this turn… But, seeing as it has noeffect to lose and your Dark Door is still there, both are moot points.

"Next, I sacrifice my Morphing Jar…"

The small Rock vanished.

"…to summon Des Volstgalph!"

There was another explosion of energy, and a large Dragon with wings and a hard exoskeleton appeared next to Red Eyes. (2,200 ATK)

"Impressive…" said Tyson. "You may have summoned a few powerful Monsters, but my Monsters are stronger still…"

Andy took another card from his hand.

"Like I already told one delightful individual in this tournament," he said, "when you can't make your Monster stronger, make your opponent's Monster weaker!

"I activate Shrink!"

He played the card, and Fire King gasped as he shrank to half his size. (1,500 ATK)

"Not only did it weaken your King," said Andy, "but each time a Normal or Quickplay Spell is played, Des Volstgalph gains 200 Attack Points!"

(2,400 ATK)

"So take this!"

Des Volstgalph launched a bolt of pure energy from its jaws, and Tyson groaned as Fire King exploded.

This time a _real _reaction came from the crowd. Cheers erupted, and Tyson could tell that they weren't for him…

_This isn't good… _he thought.

"Des Volstgalph has another effect…" said Andy. "Whenever he smashes a Monster, you lose 500 Life Points."

Tyson grunted a little.

"Are you quite done?" he asked.

"I am now…" said Andy, "and by the way, this is my second End Phase since I played Paradox Fusion, so guess who's back?"

In an aura of light, King Dragun appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 4,300)**

"It's almost the perfect setup…" gasped Stan. "With both King Dragun and Queen Dragun on the field, Andy's Dragons are practically invulnerable…"

"You're probably thinking that your Dragons are invulnerable…" said Tyson.

He drew a card, and Marie appeared behind him again.

"I beg to differ! I remember you saying quite clearly that Queen Dragun's effect doesn't protect herself!

"So that's exactly who Fire Queen is going to aim for!"

The evil Pyro hurled her Burning Prominence at the Xyz…

Andy's Trap Card lifted up.

"Eh?" said Tyson. "Nitwit Outwit?"

"Yeah," said Andy. "And you're the nitwit. By discarding a Monster from my hand, like Cave Dragon here…"

He discarded the card.

"Your attacking Monster loses Attack Points equal to the Monster I just discarded."

Fire Queen's Attack Score fell to 400…

Queen Dragun swatted the blast aside with her scepter, and it fell back towards its owner. She grunted as it hit her, throwing her backwards until she exploded into fiery embers.

Now the crowd was beside themselves. Applause and cheers came from all sides.

Tyson took two cards from his hand, and set them in his Disk. A face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone and a set Monster appeared in front of them.

_No choice… _he thought. _Next turn, I have to bring out the card I reserved for a special occasion…_

He nodded.

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,700)**

Andy made a draw.

_I can still make only one attack per turn with his Dark Door there… _he thought. _Still, with Des Volstgalph, I can take him down notch by notch…_

"Des Volstgalph, attack!" he shouted.

The bolt of energy thundered towards the card. A humanoid figure that appeared to be made entirely out of lava appeared crouching on the card. Tyson grunted as it was blown to shards.

"I activate… Miracle's Wake," he said, as his face-down card lifted up.

"Due to its effect I summon Molten Zombie back to the field."

A burning Pyro that seemed to be made entirely out of lava appeared in front of him. (1,600 ATK)

"And when Molten Zombie is summoned from the Graveyard," he said, "I get to draw once…"

He made a draw.

"Oh no…" said Yuki. "The Field Spell will let him do that every turn!"

"But not forever…" said Stan. "He has to pay 500 Life Points to use the effect of the Field Spell, and Des Volstgalph will still inflict 500 points of damage per turn. Tyson won't last long this way…"

Andy looked at the card he had drawn.

Dragon's Rage.

_I don't think he'll last very long at all, _he thought.

He fit the card into his Disk, and it flashed into view behind his Dragons.

"Your move, pal," he said.

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,200)**

Tyson smirked as he made a draw.

"First, I gain 200 Life Points from Marie," he said. "Then, I remove one Fire Monster in my Graveyard from play."

Flame Ruler appeared behind him, and vanished.

"…to Special Summon Inferno!"

A burning pyre of skulls with two blazing eyes appeared next to Molten Zombie. (1,100 ATK)

"Then, I summon Flame Spirit Ignis…" he said.

There was another blast of fire, and a creature that could best be described as a flaming mandrill ape, hunched over, with reddish fur and a blazing mane, appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Somehow, I don't think Tyson intends to defend any more…" said Francesca.

"With these three Monsters…" said Tyson, as the three Pyro's turned into a spiraling vortex of fire, "I build the Overlay Network!"

As he said this, flames engulfed the whole ring. Andy covered himself with his arm… The heat… It seemed so real…

Two glowing eyes appeared out of the flames…

"Come forth…" said Tyson. "Volcano Assassin!"

As the fires subsided, a creature stepped out, one that, at first, looked like Yuki's Flame Armor Ninja, but with a much fancier outfit. Flaming designs were on his scarlet _gi, _and burning fires surrounded him.

He looked at Andy as he drew a flaming katana… (2,300 ATK)

"He's not so tough…" said Andy.

"He'll get tougher soon…" said Tyson. "Attack his Queen Dragun! Slay her!"

Andy grit his teeth as the Ninja Pyro leapt at Queen Dragun. With a slash of his sword, she was cut in half, the pieces dissolving into grains of light.

Andy sighed.

_Sorry Stan… _he said. _But at least your card helped…_

"I hope it was worth it, Tyson!" he said, in an angry tone. "Because next turn, King Dragun is going to…"

Then Volcano Assassin burned fiercely… (3,400 ATK)

"WHAT?" shouted Andy.

"Whenever Volcano Assassin kills a Monster," said Tyson, "I can remove one Overlay Unit to add half the Attack Score of said Monster to his score."

"NO FAIR!" shouted Andy.

"It's not the easiest Xyz to summon…" said Tyson. "Not only does it require three Level 4 Monsters, all three must be Pyros.

"Now… What was King Dragun going to do? It's your move, by the way…"

Andy paused. He drew a card.

**(A: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,400)**

_So much for hitting him with Dragon's Rage… _he thought.

He looked at the card he had drawn.

_Spirit Ryu? A fat lot of good that will do me…_

He turned two cards on his Disk, and all three of his offensive Monsters moved to Defense Mode. (King Dragun: 1,100 DEF, Red Eyes Black Dragon: 2,000 DEF, Des Volstgalph: 1,700 DEF)

"That's all I can do…" he said.

Tyson made a draw.

"I Equip my Monster with Big Bang Shot!" he shouted.

(3,800 ATK)

_How lucky can this guy get? _thought Andy.

"Attack King Dragun!" shouted Tyson. "Kill!"

The flaming Shinobi's sword hit the Dragon Lord, and Andy screamed in pain. He fell flat on his back…

"If you can still hear me…" said Tyson, "I use my Monster's effect again, which means that Volcano Assassin gains 1,200 more Attack Points…"

(5,000 ATK)

Andy could hear him – vaguely. He just wasn't sure if it mattered…

Fear was starting to grip him more than it ever had before… Despite the heat from the Field Spell and the burning Xyz Monster… He was shivering…

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,600)**

**0000000000**

"Andy! Andy!" urged a voice. "Get up!"

Andy felt someone nudging his shoulder. He slowly sat up, and found that the whole coliseum was empty now… He was alone…

Alone, that is, except for the one who was urging him to get up. He was surprised to see that it was Koops.

"C'mon, Andy…" said Koops. "Duel isn't over yet…"

"Koops…" said Andy. "I… I don't know if I can win this duel… Tyson is stronger than anything I've ever faced…

"I've beaten two of his strategies… But each time, he just came back with a stronger one…"

"You're scared of Tyson, aren't you?" asked Koops.

Andy looked at him.

"Now I never said that…" he replied.

"Trust me, I know…" said Koops. "And it's nothing to be ashamed of. You _should _be afraid of Tyson! He a dangerous, deadly creature! When he threatened to burn this place down, he wasn't bluffing!

"But take it from someone who's been there… Fear doesn't define someone… How you react to it does."

"What?" said Andy.

"Listen…" said Koops. "I used to live in Petalburg, back when Hooktail was alive… And I was scared to death of Hooktail! Who wouldn't be? My dad had gone to her castle and never came back!

"But… When the Three Heroes came to town and said that they were going up there to slay Hooktail, I practically _begged _them to come with them."

"Let me guess…" said Andy. "You wanted to prove to everyone that you weren't a coward?"

"Yeah…" said Koops. "Even though I was pretty sure I _was _one. At first I thought that the person I most wanted to convince most was my girlfriend…

"But see… As we explored that awful place, I realized there was one person I wanted to convince even more… Myself.

"Your ancestor… He said something to me right before Hooktail actually appeared that I'll never forget…

"He said that true bravery is when you're scared, but you act anyway… And it helped a lot, I'll tell you that!"

"Words to live by, I guess…" said Andy. "Still… bravery alone isn't going to help me fight that thing! If I had an F.G.D. in my deck, it would be strong enough, but the problem is, I don't have one!"

"Well…" said Koops. "Attack Points aren't everything…"

**0000000000**

Andy held his head as he got up. He nearly tripped over his cape.

_Stupid thing… _he thought. _How does Batman do it?_

"It's your move, Andy…" said Tyson. "Next turn, I'm bringing this show to an explosive finish…"

Andy drew a card. He looked at it closely

Then he smirked.

_Nice one, Koops… _he thought.

"I throw this face-down," he said, as he fit it into his Disk.

A set card appeared behind his three Dragons.

"Then… I move my Monsters to Attack Mode!"

The crowd gasped as all three Dragons assumed fighting stances. (Twin-Headed Behemoth: 1,000 ATK, Red Eyes Black Dragon: 2,400 ATK, Des Volstgalph: 2,200 ATK)

"And I end my turn…"

Tyson looked at him with an expression that could be construed as annoyed.

He drew a card.

"Right, Andy…" he said, as Marie appeared behind him again. "Just what kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"I dunno," replied Andy. "How many kinds of idiots are there?"

This evoked quite a few laughs from the crowd.

"No more jokes!" snapped Tyson. "Do you think I'm going to fall into a Trap _that _obvious?"

"I'll set this face-down…"

He slipped the card he had just set into his Disk. A card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"And as soon as I activate it, I'll finish you off in one tremendous blast!

"Turn over…"

He stabbed his thumb down.

"Then let me activate mine first…" said Andy. "You want fire?"

His Trap Card lifted up.

"How's THIS for fire? Burst Breath!"

"Eh?" said Tyson.

Twin-Headed Behemoth shattered, and then the field erupted in a true inferno. Tyson screamed…

Slowly, the flames subsided… Volcano Assassin was gone…

Red Eyes and Des Volstgalph looked at the Shadow Spawn with hungry glares…

"My two Monsters survived…" said Andy, "because both of them had Defense Scores higher than 1,000…

"But Volcano Assassin's Defense Score was only 1,000… So Twin-Headed Behemoth was just enough for my Trap Card to blow him away…"

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,800)**

"I think I know what your Trap Card is, Tyson…" said Andy. "Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai. Am I warm?"

"You're red-hot…" growled Tyson.

"Well, it won't work now that you have no Fire Monsters…" replied Andy.

"This duel isn't over yet…" said the Shadow Spawn.

_He's got a point… _thought Andy. _His Dark Door is still on the field, so I can't attack with both my Monsters… And neither of them is strong enough to reduce his Life Points to zero…_

"My move!" he shouted.

He drew a card.

"Hey Tyson!" he said with a big grin. "I've got your explosive finish right here!

"Red Eyes, Des Volstgalph, you two are out…"

The two Dragons vanished into orbs of energy.

"Let's give it up…" he said, as a looming shadow started to rise behind him, "for Tyrant Dragon!"

The huge Dragon came into full view, and let out a roar that shook the whole arena. (2,900 ATK)

Now Tyson was the one who was scared…

"You forget the cardinal rule about putting on a performance Tyson…" said Andy.

Flames formed in Tyrant Dragon's jowls…

"Always give your audience what they want! Attack him directly! Imperial Inferno!"

A blast of fire more powerful than anything that Tyson's Monsters had produced shot towards him. His scream echoed through the whole building…

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 0)**

For a minute, there was silence. Tyrant Dragon slowly disappeared… Tyson was gone. Andy hung his head…

Then the crowd rose to their feet with deafening cheers and applause. Jolene rushed into the ring, and lifted Andy's hand above his head.

"Markova is the winner!" she shouted.

Andy looked at her.

"Thanks…" he said weakly. "Good night…"

And then he passed out.

**0000000000**

When Andy came to, he found his head starting to clear.

He was lying on a couch in Jolene's office, with Francesca sitting on the side and Stan and Yuki watching him. The cape and helmet of his costume had been mercifully removed.

"He's awake," said Francesca. "You had us worried there for a while, big guy…"

Andy sat up.

"If this is what Shadow Duels are like…" he muttered, "I'm not too anxious to do it again…"

"Normally, I'd ask if you could duel again," said Jolene. "A lot of the spectators are already asking when you'll be back… Kind of a shame I had to keep my promise and refund the tickets… I'd say most of them would have paid double the normal admission to have seen that…"

"So am I supposed to get a prize now?" asked Andy, as he sat up.

Jolene sighed.

She opened her desk drawer, and opened the false bottom again.

She took a card out of it.

"This isn't the first time Tyson has come here…" she said sadly. "He came here when my brother was a big name in the Glitz Pit…

"He was the best boxer this place ever had… Some people say that he might have been a match for Mohammed Ali if he had been around in that era…

"Tyson wanted this card from him, but he wouldn't give it to him…"

A tear fell down her cheek.

"At least I was able to keep that brat from finding it…"

She handed him the card.

Andy looked at it. It was a Spell Card called Power Lift.

"I don't know what the Queen wants with you…" she said. "But this will help. If by some miracle you make it past the Thousand Year Door… Try to find my brother… Please?"

"I'll try…" said Andy. "But I can't promise I'll succeed…"

Then the door opened.

Andy's eyes narrowed in anger when he saw who it was.

"W-w-well done, Andy!" said Merlow.

"YOU!" shouted Andy, as he leapt off the couch. "I want words with you, mister!"

"Is there a p-p-problem?" asked Merlow.

"Did you know that Tyson was going to be my opponent when you suggested the Glitz Pit?" asked Andy.

Stan and Francesca seemed just as mad at him. Merlow let out a sigh.

"N-n-not Tyson specifically…" he said, slowly. "But… I figured that there was a good p-p-possibility that one of them might…"

"So you're purposely railroading us into conflicts with the Queen's enforcers?" asked Francesca.

"Why?" shouted Stan. "Are you trying to help us or get us killed?"

"Kids, there is nothing I can do to stop the Shadow Spawn from confronting you three!" replied Merlow. "But… With a little manipulation, I can fool them into confronting you at the right time and place…"

"The right time and place?" asked Andy.

"Do you know how often Melissa, Kurtis, and Tyson have lost at duel Monsters?" asked Merlow with a sigh.

They looked at him.

"How often?" asked Andy.

"Your duels with them were the first time for each of them," he replied. "Until they met you, their records were perfect… The other three Shadow Spawn are also undefeated."

He stared at them.

"Listen to me young ones!" he urged. "Do you think that the kangaroo courts that the Shadow Spawn holds are uncommon occurrences?

"They happen all the time… Every time the Shadow Queen has reason to think that one of her subjects has done something that might undermine her authority… The citizens of this island are forced to watch as they come, and then watch as lovers, husbands, wives, siblings… sometimes even children are tried under this mockery of a justice system and then condemned to the Shadow Queen's dark prisons.

"The Shadow Spawn are reviled, feared, and hated for being the Queen's enforcers…

"And you three… Word is spreading! People are starting to learn that three strangers have stood up to them and won! You just defeated Tyson in a very public place, Andy!

"The three of you are doing exactly what your ancestors did… Striking at the symbols of the Queen's authority and showing the people of this oppressed land that they can have hope… And for a creature like the Shadow Queen who feeds off of despair, hope is her worst enemy…"

They gave him a long look, expecting him to say something else.

But then he just said "G-g-good night," and left out the door, leaving them to ponder what he had said.

**0000000000**

Cities like Glitzville never truly sleep, but at fifteen minutes to midnight, the place was a little quieter than it usually was.

Jolene was standing in the street outside of the Glitz Pit, speaking on a cell phone.

"Yeah, yeah…" she said. "I'll be there, so long as I'm not discovered between now and then…

"Although, seeing as I gave the Power Lift card to Andy, the chances of that happening just went up a notch… We should be more cautious from this point…"

Jolene wasn't being as cautious as she'd like. If she was, she'd see the cloaked and cowled girl right behind her.

By the time she hung up and walked away, she had no idea that the girl was sporting a Cheshire Cat grin and holding a pocket watch that she had lifted from Jolene's pocket.

_Not bad, _thought the cloaked girl.

She placed it into a pouch on her belt, and then took four other objects out of it… Four Crystal Cards.

_I suppose I could get these the same way… _she thought. _But where would the challenge be in that?_

_Time to start thinking like a duelist..._

**0000000000**

**FIRE BACK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A large, fiery nuclear cloud.

**Card Description: **Select 1 FIRE Monster in your Graveyard and discard 1 FIRE Monster from your hand. Special Summon the selected Monster from your Graveyard.

_Note: "Fire Back" was first used by O'Brien in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Triple Play (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**CARD OF VARIATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A Duel Monsters card floating in clear water.

**Card Description: **Draw 2 cards. During the End Phase of the turn, either discard 1 card from your hand or take 3,000 points of damage.

_Note: "Card of Variation" was first used by Kenzan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Primal Instinct". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**FIRE PRINCE (Monster Card)**

**Pyro/Fire/Effect/Level4/1,600ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent cannot select a face-up "Fire Princess" as an attack target.

**0000000000**

**FIRE QUEEN (Monster Card)**

**Pyro/Fire/Effect/Level7/2,400ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Normal Summoned successfully, you may add one "Fire King" from your deck to your hand. Once per turn, you may Tribute 1 Level 4 or lower FIRE Monster to inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Tributed Monster's ATK. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack the same turn.

**0000000000**

**FIRE KING (Monster Card)**

**Pyro/Fire/Effect/Level8/3,000ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. If there is a face-up "Volcano Palace" on the field, you may, once per turn, Special Summon a "Fire Retainer Token". (Pyro/Fire/Level1/1,000 ATK/1,000 DEF) "Fire Retainer Tokens" cannot be used as Tributes for a Tribute Summon.

**0000000000**

**VOLCANO ASSASSIN (Monster Card)**

**Pyro/Fire/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/2,300ATK/1,000DEF**

_3 Level 4 Pyro-Type Monsters_

**Effect: **When this card destroys an opponent's Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you can detach one Xyz Material Monster to increase its ATK by half the base ATK of the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

**VOLCANO PALACE (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **An ominous citadel of obsidian in a sea of lava.

**Card Description: **During a player's Standby Phase, he may pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon from his or her Graveyard a Level 4 or lower Pyro-Type Monster that was destroyed during the previous turn.

**0000000000**

**KOOPS THE BASHFUL (Monster Card)**

**Reptile/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,800/1,000**

**Card Description: **This card can attack all opposing Monsters once each in the same Battle Phase. If this card attacks more than once in 1 Battle Phase, your next turn's Battle Phase is skipped.

**0000000000**

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: In this world, there is good, and there is evil… Some people would like to believe it's that simple, but sometimes it isn't as black and white as you may think.**_

_**If someone is a criminal by trade, but his crimes are insignificant compared to those of the corrupt leadership of the society that forced him into a life of crime, is he really a bad person?**_

_**My opponent is an admitted thief, but truly, her story may show that sometimes, things aren't all black and white… Sometimes you have to see things in shades of gray…**_

_**But one thing I can say for certainty… This is not going to be an easy duel. **_

"_**The Secret of the Bandit" is coming soon.**_


	13. The Secret of the Bandit

_**Call me Raven.**_

_**Bet you were expecting Stan, huh? Well, tough, you got me. **_

_**Folks say that I'm cold… That I have little sense of humor… People say that I'm unfriendly and pessimistic.**_

_**They're correct on all counts.**_

_**But it's not something that you can really blame me for. Being all bright and smiles would never have cut it in Madripoor…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTEEN**

**0000000000**

**The Secret of the Bandit**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As the sun started to rise, Stan yawned.

He and his two friends were waiting at the edge of Glitzville while Francesca was saying goodbye to Yuki.

"You sure you won't come with us?" asked Francesca.

"I'd just get in your way," said Yuki. "I'll just stay here and keep a low profile…

"I'm still in the tournament, technically, so food and a place to sleep isn't an issue, and I can still duel… If anyone causes trouble, I'm prepared…"

"Just please don't get into any duels on purpose," pleaded Francesca. "We're really not sure if losing all of your Crystal Cards changes your status to something that the Queen has an added authority over."

"_Attention!" _said a voice on a loudspeaker. _"The blimp arriving from the Boggly Woods will be delayed while an engine problem is repaired."_

Everyone groaned.

"Hey, no problem!" said Stan. "Seems we have some time to kill…"

He held up his Duel Disk.

"Anyone want to duel?"

"Stan, you don't have to be so enthusiastic…" said Andy.

"Well, it's been a while…" said Stan.

"Oh?" said a voice.

Stan turned, and saw the cloaked, hooded girl leaning against a post.

"Then I'll be your opponent…" she said.

Stan suddenly lost a little of his enthusiasm.

"All right…" he said. "You've been lurking around us ever since we came to Glitzville… Just who are you?"

The dark girl lowered her hood, letting her long, dark black hair fall down the back of her shoulders as she shook her head.

"Call me Raven…" she said.

"Raven?" said Andy. "You don't have a real name?"

"None that I care to use," she replied.

"An old friend of mine… He had a thing for literature… Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven' was one of his favorites… He nicknamed me…"

Her voice had one of those accents that was hard to identify.

"That's a pretty grim poem…" said Francesca.

"He nicknamed a lot of other folks," continued Raven. "Friends of mine… He gave them names like Lear, Romeo, Desdemona…

"The name he took for himself was Faustus. Starting to see a trend?"

"Names inspired by great literary works that had tragic endings…" said Andy.

"We all expected our lives to end in tragedy…" said Raven. "So we accepted it by leaving our real names behind and taking names like this."

"Why?" asked Stan.

"Afraid I can't tell you," said Raven. "Not right now, at least… After all, I barely know you…

"But… You made a challenge, and I accepted if… Duel me, and I might be willing to tell you…"

Stan gave her a strange look.

"Stan…" said Francesca. "You don't suppose…"

"…that she's working for the Shadow Queen?" asked Stan. "Yeah, the thought did kind of cross my mind a few times…"

Raven smirked a little upon hearing this.

She took her deck from her Duel Disk, and shuffled it.

"What's it going to be, Stan?" she asked. "Are you going to duel me?

"After all…"

She reached into the pouch on her belt.

"I don't think you'll be able to duel anyone else so long as I have this…"

It was a deck of cards.

Stan froze. Then he looked at his Duel Disk. His deck was missing.

"HEY!" he shouted. "How…"

Raven giggled.

"Calm down…" she said.

She walked over and handed it back to him.

"A deck is one thing I'd _never _take from a duelist… Just trying to get your attention…"

Stan quickly looked over the cards to make sure they were all there.

He looked at her.

"Don't feel bad, Stan…" she said. "One time, I was brought before a judge for breaking and entering, but he was… persuaded to throw the case out… And he didn't realize until I was long gone that I had stolen his watch, wallet, and the gavel from his bench.

"So… You made the challenge… Is it still valid?"

Stan held his Disk out in front of him, and activated it.

_I'm going to regret this, I just know it… _he thought.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Raven: 8,000)**

"All right…" said Stan.

He set a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of him.

"I'll end my turn there…"

"Draw…" said Raven, as she drew a card.

"I summon Blackwing – Damascus the Polar Night," she said.

She played the card, and with a loud squawk, a large, humanoid bird with black feathers, and wings arranged like a cloak appeared. It held a long, sharp knife. (1,300 ATK)

_Lovely… _thought Stan. _More Winged Beasts. And this one doesn't even seem as attractive as Kurtis's Harpies._

"And look here…" said Raven, as she took a card from her hand. "I've got a second Damascus the Polar Night too…"

She discarded that card.

"By discarding it, the one on the field gains a 500-point boost to his Attack Score."

(1,800 ATK)

"So then…"

Damascus tossed the knife in the air, and then caught it so that he was now holding it underhanded. He flew at the set Monster…

Magician's Valkyria appeared on the set card. (1,800 DEF) She stood up, and swatted at the Winged Beast with her staff, knocking him away.

"Mmm…" said Raven. "Seems that was a big dud…

"I end my turn… So his Attack Score goes back to 1,300…"

Stan made a draw, and looked over his hand.

"I summon Gagaga Magician," he said, as the veiled Spellcaster appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, I use his effect to reduce his Level from 4 to 1."

Four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then all but one vanished.

"Then, I Equip him with Bound Wand…"

He played the card, and the magic scepter appeared in Gagaga Magician's hand. (1,600 ATK)

"Wait, wait…" said Raven. "Exactly why did you make his Level lower instead of higher if you were going to use Bound Wand?"

"So his Attack Score would be equal to Valkyria's," said Stan. "Now that it is, I can play Cross Attack!"

He quickly played the Spell Card.

"Now, one of my Monsters can attack directly, so long as I forfeit the other one's attack this turn."

"Wait…" said Raven.

Valkyria blasted a fiery blast of magical energy at Raven, striking her in the torso.

"Ugh…" she said.

"Good one, Stan!" shouted Andy.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,400)**

"Interesting combo, Stan…" said Raven, "although, you could have summoned Kachi Kochi Dragon or Maestroke…

In fact, you could have done more damage simply by attacking with both Monsters… Is there a reason why you're holding back?

"I don't like men who hold back… I like them to come at me with everything they've got…"

"You'll just have to wait and see…" said Stan. "It's your move, which means that Gagaga Magician's Level returns to 4."

The Spellcaster's Attack Score rose to 1,900.

Raven made a draw.

"I summon Battlestorm!"

In a flash of energy, the Dark Winged Beast that Kurtis had used appeared in a winged flourish… But it wasn't defending this time… (1,700 ATK) –) (1,900 ATK)

"Attack Valkyria," said Raven. "Shadow Talon."

Battlestorm flew up high, flying against the sun… Then he swooped, plowing into Valkyria and reducing her to shards.

Raven threw a card into her Disk, and Rush Recklessly appeared in front of her. Damascus' Attack Score rose to 2,000.

Then he swooped at Gagaga Magician, running him through with his blade.

"Man, that's brutal!" said Francesca, as the Spellcaster shattered.

"Don't worry…" said Stan. "I use the effect of Bound Wand, meaning I can bring Gagaga Magician back…"

The Spellcaster reappeared. (1,500 ATK) Raven gave him a long look.

"I end my turn…" she said.

**(S: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,400)**

"Want to know why I waited?" said Stan. "Here's why… Come on out, Trident Warrior!"

In an aura of light, the powerful bearded Warrior holding a triple-pronged spear appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,800 ATK)

"And by summoning him, I get to Special Summon a Level 3 Monster from my hand, like Gagaga Girl."

There was a shower of rose petals, and the female Spellcaster of the Gagaga group materialized in a bright aura. She smiled at Raven. (1,000 ATK)

Raven gave her a cold glare…

"Now, I'll use Gagaga Magician's effect again," said Stan, "and lower his Level to 3.

"Which means I can use him and his friend here to build the Overlay Network!"

The two Spellcasters turned into a spinning vortex of energy… A loud sound of horns filled the air…

The vortex exploded, and another of the Fiend-Type Xyz Monsters appeared where the two Spellcasters had been. This one had female features, with green hair, horns, and a pink skirt. She was sitting on a large contraption resembling a giant French horn. (1,400 ATK)

"Melomelody the Brass Djinn," said Stan. "And because I used both Gagaga Girl and another Gagaga Monster to summon her, Gagaga Girl reduces the Attack Score of one of your Monsters to zero."

Battlestorm held his chest and grunted. (0 ATK)

_He was baiting me, _thought Raven. _Tricking me into keeping my Monsters in Attack Mode… I have to admit… clever…_

"Next, I use Melomelody's effect," continued Stan.

He took Gagaga Magician's card and discarded it.

"By detaching an Overlay Unit, she can enable a Djinn to attack twice this turn. So she'll use that effect on herself.

"So… Blow those birds over!"

Melomelody put her lips to the instrument's mouthpiece, and let out a powerful blast of sound, striking Damascus the Polar Night and smashing it to pieces.

Then she let out a second blast, blowing Battlestorm to bits.

Stan pointed, and Trident Warrior fired his bolts of lightning from his weapon, hitting Raven directly.

**(S: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,100)**

"This is almost a giveaway…" said Stan.

"Be careful…" said Raven, as sweat poured down her brow. "You're getting too confident, Stan… When you've got a clear path to your goal, that's usually the point where the ground gives way under your feet…

"I know only too well… I grew up in Madripoor…"

There was silence for a minute or two…

"Madripoor…" said Andy. "Isn't that the place that…"

"Uh huh…" said Francesca.

"Oh yeah…" said Andy.

"That's the island about three-hundred miles north of here…" said Stan. "It's been on the United States embargo list for as long as I can remember… Something about human rights violations…"

"You got that right," said Raven, bitterly. "And by the way, the three-hundred miles is nautical miles, which I'm pretty sure is more than regular miles.

"But anyway… Madripoor was first founded way back in the early Sixteenth Century by Spanish pirates… And these pirates were _not _dashing anti-heroes like Jack Sparrow was. They were some of the most murderous and brutal highwaymen ever to plague the Spanish Main.

"But they were smart and savvy, and offered their new territory as a safe haven for other pirates and criminals who were on the run from the law; not for free, of course. Then they learned that when you rule a sovereign nation, there were legal, if morally questionable, ways to make money that are easier than piracy. Eventually, Madripoor grew into a sizable island city-state and the original settlers grew incredibly rich, transforming from bloodthirsty pirates into greedy tycoons. The place had become a plutocracy in every sense of the word."

"You want to give me a history lesson?" asked Stan.

"You wanted to know why Faustus named us after tragedies?" asked Raven. "I'm about to tell you, so listen!

"In Madripoor, there have always been two types of citizens – the haves and the have-nots. The rich rule the place, and they step on lower class, lording over them like they were vermin. The current rulers have practically forgotten how the place was founded by those who rebelled against authority… They've become the symbols of corrupt authority.

"In a lot of ways, Madripoor is worse than Iran… At least they hide their tyranny behind misguided religious beliefs. In Madripoor, it's always been about greed.

"My parents were among the lower class… They were so poor, they couldn't afford to feed me and themselves. So they threw me out of the house when I was eight years old. I guess I really couldn't blame them, to tell the truth.

"I thought I was doomed, but after starving and shivering two nights, fate smiled upon me the third… That's when Faustus found me…

"Let me spell it out for you… I'm not proud of what I became, but I did what I had to do to survive…

"Faustus was the leader of a group of young people who ranged from my age to their late teens, who survived the only way the lower class could, it seemed… By stealing from the folks in Madripoor who wouldn't share. He quickly taught me just how easy it could be…"

"Like _Oliver Twist?" _asked Andy.

Raven smiled a little.

"Kind of," she replied, "but I assure you, Faustus would never have associated with murderers like Bill Sikes.

"Yeah, I read the book… Like I said, Faustus was a big fan of literature, and we didn't have much to do in our spare times _but _read. He even taught a few of us.

"I'll tell you another difference between Fagin and Faustus… If I remember that book correctly, Fagin cared less about the members of his gang who were hanged for stealing than the ones who ratted on him. With our gang, we were a family, and when one of us was arrested, the first priority was getting him or her out before he was led to the gallows. The justice system in Madripoor was merciless on thieves.

"Faustus' first recourse was to blackmail the judge, and he usually could find something he could do that with. Being a biased judge in Madripoor wasn't a problem, but being an unfaithful husband, extorting money from your bosses, taking bribes from brothels or smugglers, or God forbid, secretly running your own gang of criminals… Those were all _big _problems for judges that they didn't want getting out. There were almost no honest judges in Madripoor.

"And if that didn't work, the next option was an old fashioned jailbreak.

"I was arrested ten times. The closest I got to death was five AM… Hangings were done at seven. But they still get me out.

"Still, we realized that we'd likely all come to a bad end. A criminal can never have a happy ending if he stays in that place. But we got lucky, and were able to leave. Eventually, my 'family' saved enough to bribe a merchant ship to give us passage to the States. It wasn't easy being refugees, but we managed."

She sighed.

"Trouble is, I lost touch with Faustus sometime after that… A while after I learned about Duel Monsters… I don't even know where he is now…

"But he gave me the opportunity that was only a pipe dream at first… And getting past the Thousand Year Door is the key to getting the happy ending that I never could have gotten otherwise!"

"You know…" said Francesca. "It keeps looking less and less like she's working for the Shadow Queen…"

"I'm not working for anyone!" shouted Raven, as she drew a card. "Ever since Faustus disappeared, I answer to one person, me!

"And it's my turn…"

She slapped a card on her Duel Disk.

"I summon the Tuner Monster, Blackwing – Sharnga the Waning Moon!"

A much smaller Winged Beast, again with black feathers, wearing a golden crown and holding a bow and arrow appeared. (500 ATK)

"Next, because I control a Blackwing, I can also summon Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn!"

A larger Blackwing with a very pronounced beak, four wings, and holding a sword with a wavy blade appeared next to the other one. (1,900 ATK)

"I Tune my two Monsters together!" she shouted.

Sharnga flew into the sky, and transformed into three glowing rings. Kris followed, slowly fading as he flew through them.

"_On feathered wings, these birds will take flight to the lofty heights where the eagles cry!"_

**(*2 + *4 = *6)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight!"_

The Blackwing that appeared this time might be considered handsome, as far as Winged Beasts go. His head was that of a proud-looking falcon, and his torso was well-muscled. He still had the black wings of every Blackwing, draped over his shoulders to resemble a cape, and held a longsword. (2,400 ATK)

"Attack Melomelody!" ordered Raven. "Black Blade of Vengeance!"

Nothung swung his weapon downwards, and a fierce draft of wind shot towards the Xyz, blowing Melomelody to shards.

"Next…" said Raven, I throw a card facedown…"

A set card appeared behind her Synchro Monster.

"…and I turn it over to you…"

**(S: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,100)**

_That's it, Stan… _she thought, as Stan drew a card, _take the bait…_

"I summon Feedback Warrior…" said Stan.

There was the sound of a musical rhythm as he played the card, and a robotic Warrior appeared in front of him, with stereo speakers on its shoulders and limbs, holding a sword shaped like a frequency wave. (800 ATK)

"He may not look like much," said Stan, "but his effect lets me change the Level of any Monster I have to 3. So, Trident Warrior is now Level 3.

"And because Feedback Warrior himself is also Level 3, I can Overlay the two of them…"

The two Monsters combined into the spiraling vortex.

In a flash, Muzurhythm the String Djinn appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

"All right!" shouted Francesca. "Now you just need to get rid of an Overlay Unit, and you can boost that guy's Attack Score to 3,000!"

"Uh… What she said…" said Stan. "Attack her Blackwing!"

The String Djinn strummed his guitar, and a wave of sound shot towards Nothung the Starlight, his Attack Score shooting up to 3,000 as he did so. The Blackwing grunted, and then shattered.

"I set one card," said Stan, as a facedown card appeared behind his Xyz, "and my turn is over, which means Muzurhythm's effect wears off and his Attack Score returns to normal."

(1,500 ATK)

**(S: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,500)**

"Okay Stan, watch out!" said Raven.

She drew a card.

"I'm about to summon my best card…" she said. "Faustus gave it to me before he vanished… I have no idea where he got it, but I suppose it was his farewell gift to me…

"I activate Call of the Haunted to summon Kris the Crack of Dawn from my Graveyard."

Her facedown card lifted up, and the Blackwing with the large beak appeared again. (1,900 ATK)

"Then I summon another Tuner… Blackwing – Pinaka the Waxing Moon."

She played the card, and another small Blackwing appeared. It looked like a twin brother of Sharnga the Waning Moon, but was wearing a turban instead of a crown, and held a much less fancy bow and arrow. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, I Tune my Monsters together…"

Pinaka flew into the sky, and turned into a set of rings. Kris flew through them once again…

**(*3 + *4 = *7)**

"I Synchro Summon… Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe!"

There was a loud screech, and a Winged Beast appeared that stood head and shoulders over all the others. His face and torso could pass as human, but he had a mane of black feathers, taloned hands and legs, and a twenty-foot wingspan. He held a leather whip. (2,600 ATK)

"A Blackwing _Tamer?" _said Andy.

"He kinda looks like a Blackwing himself…" said Francesca.

"Well, sure…" said Raven, with a shrug. "With Blackwings, it takes one to tame one.

"Anyway… By Hawk Joe's effect lets me Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Blackwing from my Graveyard…"

Hawk Joe lashed his whip, and Nothung the Starlight materialized next to him. (2,400 ATK)

"And when Nothung is Special Summoned from the Graveyard," added Raven, "you lose 800 Life Points, and one of your Monsters loses 800 Attack Points!"

Stan groaned a little, and Muzurhythm fell to an Attack Score of 700.

"All right, Hawk Joe…" said Raven, "destroy his string section! Whiplash Whirlwind!"

The Blackwing Tamer swung his whip, and a virtual hurricane enveloped the field. Then he lashed it forward, and Muzurhythm was blasted into shards.

"Ugh…" said Stan.

Then he was knocked over as Nothung's sword crashed into him.

**(S: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,500)**

"Now I play… Pot of Avarice…" said Raven, as she played her last card.

She took both copies of Damascus, Kris, Sharnga, and Pinaka from her discard slot. She reshuffled her deck, and made two draws.

Then she set both on her Disk. She nodded to Stan.

Stan drew a card.

_Magic Cylinder… _he thought.

Then he looked at the other card in his hand, and the card he had set.

_I just might have a chance…_

"I Special Summon… The Fiend Megacyber!" he shouted.

There was a roar, and a hulking, armored, cybernetic Warrior loomed over the field. (2,200 ATK)

"Attack her Blackwing Tamer!" he shouted. "Mega Slash!"

The fiendish Warrior lunged at the hulking Winged Beast…

"And I activate… Ego Boost!" he exclaimed, as his facedown card lifted up.

Then Raven's facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Black Cyclone…" she said. "Because I have a Blackwing Tamer on the field, this Quickplay Spell negates your Spell."

"HUH? said Stan.

The Ego Boost card shattered. Hawk Joe lashed his whip, and The Fiend Megacyber shattered into pieces.

"And I'll end with this…" said Raven, as her other facedown card lifted up.

"Black-Lash… Because a Blackwing Tamer destroyed a Monster, we both take 200 points of damage times the destroyed Monster's Level. That's 1,200 points."

Stan cried out in pain. Then he fell to his knees.

**(S: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 1,300)**

Andy and Francesca could only stare in disbelief.

"Stan…" said Andy. "He… Lost…"

Raven walked up to Stan.

"I believe you owe me something," she said.

Stan was speechless. He reached into his pocket where he kept his three Crystal Cards, and took one of them. He slowly handed it to Raven.

"_Attention," _said the loudspeaker. _"The blimp will be arriving in five minutes. The destination will be the Wonky Circus."_

"Thanks for the duel, Stan," said Raven, as she placed the card in the pouch in her belt. "Maybe we'll see each other again…

"After all, you're a decent type… Nice face, strong arms… And cute buns…

"I'd love to kick them a second time…"

As Stan got up, he looked at her as she walked away.

_Of all the arrogant… _he thought.

"Minor setback, Stan…" said Francesca. "You can get it back… Next duelist we meet is yours!"

Stan let out a long sigh.

"Thanks guys…" he said.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen was watching with anticipation.

"Interesting…" she thought. "I wonder if trying to recruit a fugitive from Madripoor would be wise?"

She rubbed her chin. Raven didn't know it, but Madripoor made almost eighty percent of its income as a nation by trading with Arcadia, and they returned the favor by providing the Shadow Queen with a few things she couldn't otherwise get. She had no idea if they were even still looking for this duelist, but…

"Nah, better not risk it…" she said. "But there may be a way I can turn this to my advantage…"

She picked up her mobile and dialed a number.

She paused as the phone rang.

"Parliamentary offices," said a voice on the other end. "How may I direct your call?"

"Connect me to Sir Grodus…" she said.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – KRIS THE CRACK OF DAWN (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,900/300**

**Effect: **If you control a "Blackwing" Monster, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. This card cannot be destroyed by Spell or Trap Cards.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – PINAKA THE WAXING MOON (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Tuner/Effect/Lvl3/1,200/1,000**

**Effect: **When this card is destroyed, you can target 1 "Blackwing" Monster in your Graveyard. Return that Monster to your hand.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – SHARNGA THE WANING MOON (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl2/500/500**

**Effect: **If your opponent controls a Monster with 2,000 or more ATK, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – NOTHUNG THE STARLIGHT (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Lvl6/2,400/1,600**

_1 "Blackwing" Tuner Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters_

**Effect: **If this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent, and reduce the ATK of a face-up opposing Monster by 800.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING TAMER – HAWK JOE (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Lvl7/2,600/2,000**

_1 "Blackwing" Tuner Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner "Blackwing" Monsters_

**Effect: **Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher "Blackwing" Monster in your Graveyard except a "Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe"; Special Summon that target. When this card is targeted for an attack, you may change the target to another face-up "Blackwing" Monster you control.

**0000000000**

**BLACK CYCLONE (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A tornado scattering several black feathers.

**Card Description: **Activate only when you control a face-up "Blackwing Tamer" Monster. Negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card and destroy it.

_Note: The proceeding "Blackwing" cards were all used by Crow at various times in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**BLACK-LASH (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe leading a charge into battle that consists of Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind, Blackwing – Bora the Spear, and several unidentified Blackwings in the background.

**Card Description: **Activate when a "Blackwing Tamer" Monster you control destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle. Each player takes 200 points of damage times the Level of the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

_**Fortunately for Stan, Raven had no loyalty to the Queen… But this loss brings him down to only two Cards, putting him behind his two friends and in a difficult situation…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Francesca: We've arrived at the Wonky Circus, an entertainment center of Arcadia that seems far more kid-friendly than Glitzville, and at first, it seemed like Stan was ready to hop back into the saddle.**_

_**But now that he's actually gotten into a duel, something is clearly wrong… He seems afraid to summon his Xyzs or mount any formidable attack against his opponent…**_

_**To paraphrase the Bard, something is rotten in Demark…**_

"_**Shadow Spell" is coming soon…**_


	14. Shadow Spell

_**I've only known Stan for a short time, and seeing these strange Xyz Monsters that he uses are exciting to say the least.**_

_**Even more exciting was the trill I got upon using the one he gave me. I hesitant at first, doubting that I could pull it off, but once I saw Queen Dragun in all her glory, I felt the same thrill I remembered feeling the first time I made a Fusion Summon…**_

_**Now, something seems wrong with Stan… It seemed he was ready to bounce right back after that loss… But now that he's actually in a duel, it's like he's too scared to use the aces in his deck…**_

_**What is going on?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FOURTEEN**

**0000000000**

**Shadow Spell**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"_Attention passengers," _said the pilot of the blimp. _"We will be arriving at the Wonky Circus in five minutes. _

"_If Glitzville was too intense for your tastes, we welcome you to enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere of the circus, making a special presentation for the Thousand Year Door Tournament."_

**0000000000**

In the Palace of Shadow, there was a door located a few corridors past the Shadow Queen's throne room with a sign on the front labeled: **Alchemy Lab: Authorized Personnel Only.**

The inside was indeed an alchemy lab, where old-fashioned mortars and pestles stood beside modern Bunsen burners amid bubbling beakers and test tubes full of chemicals. The Shadow Queen was hard at work amid this equipment, focusing on three specific vials that the other chemicals were draining into.

The three vials were each labeled with one word in an ancient language. Translated into English, the three words were "fear", "doubt", and "hate", the names of three powerful negative emotions.

And as for the concoctions that the vials held, that's exactly what they were… Those three emotions, in distilled, concentrated form.

There was a buzzing sound.

"Enter…" she said.

The door opened, and Sir Grodus walked in.

"Did you find one?" asked the Queen, without turning around.

Grodus produced a single card from his robe: Gagaga Magician.

"It wasn't easy getting this," he said. "The card is pretty rare, and more than likely, Stan the only duelist actively using one on Arcadia now…"

The Queen took the card and looked at it.

"Hopefully, that's the case…" she said. "In order for this to work, he has to be the first duelist on Arcadia to actually see this card once I cast this spell…"

She picked up the vial that was labeled "doubt".

"As an ex-lover of mine once told me…" she said, as she placed the card on the table, "when you can't break the rules… Do your best to bend them as far as possible…"

She tipped the vial slightly, so dropping exactly three drops of the liquid on the card, and a vile green aura surrounded it.

**0000000000**

The warm morning sun was high in the air as the blimp passengers disembarked.

Stan and Francesca thought that the Wonky Circus was at least worth checking out, and Andy reluctantly agreed. And the place did seem harmless enough.

The place was much like they expected; it had carnival rides, games, performers, and clowns…

The last ones were what made Andy nervous… He wasn't overly fond of clowns…

"Cheer up, Andy," said Francesca. "This doesn't seem like the place where the Queen is going to send an assassin to do her dirty work… There are kids around, after all…"

"You never know…" said Stan.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" shouted a voice in front of them.

The words came from a man dressed as a carnival barker who was on a raised stage. Everyone around him took notice.

"It is my pleasure to present… Mad Jack the Magician!"

The barker clapped his hands, and then seemingly vanished in a cloud of purple smoke…

Or did he? As the smoke cleared, he reappeared, now dressed like a stage magician, wearing a purple wig and white clown makeup.

"Guys and girls, girls and guys…" he said.

He produced a handkerchief, and held it in front of his other hand.

"Turn your eyes towards me… And see… The prize…"

He pulled the handkerchief away, and produced a single card. It was an Xyz Monster.

"If you can accept the challenge of Mad Jack and win… Then this rare gem is yours to keep…"

"Alchemic Magician?" said someone. "It doesn't look so tough…"

"You may have heard the saying, friend, that looks can be deceiving," replied Jack. "If you had ever used this card, I'm sure you'd be believing.

"I should warn anyone, however… If you don't use Spellcasters, it might not be worth it…"

Stan looked at Francesca and Andy.

"Go for it!" said Francesca.

"Hey, Jack!" shouted Stan.

"Did someone call?" asked Jack.

"I'll take you up on that!" said Stan.

"Then step right up, sir!" said Jack.

Stan quickly walked up to the stage, and Jack looked at him.

"So, what do I have to do, duel you?" asked Stan.

"Afraid not," said the Mad Magician. "This challenge is a little more complex…"

He snapped his fingers, and the same purple smoke started to fill the air…

**0000000000**

Before Stan knew it, his Disk was activated, and he was holding a hand of cards. Jack also had a Duel Disk, and a frightening Monster in front of him that Stan recognized as Invader of Darkness, a cloaked, hooded Fiend with golden skin.

"Hold it!" said Stan, looking at the cards in his hand. "These aren't my cards!"

"Of course not, young man," said Jack. "This isn't a duel… This is a Duel Puzzle!

"Here's the setup… As you can see, I have Invader of Darkness…"

(2,900 ATK)

"I have two cards in my hand, one in my Graveyard, two remaining in my deck, and my Life Points are 6,000.

"You have a clear field, no cards in your Graveyard, five remaining in your deck, and a hand of six cards. Your Life Points are at 1,000.

"Your goal is to win in one turn, using anything you have available. And you have five minutes… Starting… Now."

The numbers 5:00 appeared behind Jack, and started counting down.

Stan quickly looked over the six cards in his hand: Lava Golem, Grinder Golem, Volcanic Queen, Card Destruction, Mini-Guts, and Double Spell.

"Let me see your Graveyard…" he said.

A single card appeared in front of Jack. It was Owner's Seal.

_Okay… _thought Stan. _If I summon Grinder Golem to his side of the field, and then discard Card Destruction to play Double Spell in order to use Owner's Seal, I can take control of it… Then I can sacrifice a Grinder Golem Token to use Mini-Guts. That would reduce Invader of Darkness to zero Attack Points… If I attacked, he would lose 3,000 Life Points in Battle Damage, and 2,900 from the effect of Mini-Guts…_

He stopped short.

…_and would still have 100 left, meaning that I wouldn't win in one turn…_

He gave the cards a hard look…

"I summon Grinder Golem to your side of the field…" he said.

A huge, metal robot covered with clamps, chains, and rotary saws appeared on Jack's side of the field. (3,000 ATK)

"By doing so, I have to Special Summon two Grinder Tokens to my side of the field," continued Stan.

Two much smaller versions of Grinder Golem appeared in front of Stan. (0 ATK x2)

"Next…" said Stan. "I sacrifice Grinder Golem and Invader of Darkness to Special Summon Lava Golem to your side of the field!"

The two Monsters in front of Jack turned into bonfires of flame, and a huge, hideous giant made entirely of molten lava, with an iron cage dangling from a chain around its neck, rose in their place. (3,000 ATK)

"You're on the right track," said his opponent. "But it's going to take more to beat Jack."

Stan looked at the clock, which was down to 3:00.

He took Mini-Guts and Double Spell, and set both in his Disk. The two cards appeared face-down in his Spell Zone.

"Now I play… Card Destruction!" he said, playing his last card.

Jack smirked. He discarded the two cards in his hand, and then drew two. Stan, discarded Volcanic Queen, and made one draw.

Stan looked at the card he had drawn, which was Nobleman of Crossout.

"Need to see your Graveyard again…" he said.

This time, four cards appeared in front of Jack: Owner's Seal, Effect Veiler, Monster Reborn, and naturally, Invader of Darkness.

"Bingo!" said Stan.

One of the cards he had set lifted up.

"I activate Double Spell! By discarding this Spell Card…"

He discarded Nobleman of Crossout.

"I can use your Monster Reborn!"

The holy ankh appeared, and Grinder Golem appeared on his side of the field. (3,000 ATK)

Then, Mini-Guts lifted up.

"Next, I activate Min-Guts!" he shouted. "By sacrificing one of my Monsters…"

One of the Grinder Tokens vanished.

"I can reduce the Attack Score of Lava Golem to zero!"

The Attack Score of the flaming Fiend fell to nothing.

"All right, Grinder Golem… Attack Lava Golem!"

The metal torture device lunged with its huge claw, and the opposing Fiend shattered. Jack grunted and staggered from the impact. His Life Points fell to 3,000.

"And due to the secondary effect of Mini-Guts," said Stan, "you take damage equal to Lava Golem's original Attack Score!"

Jack grunted again. His Life Points fell to zero...

And then he smiled…

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" he announced. "Let's all give Stan a round of applause!"

Stan took some deep breaths as everyone cheered.

_Did it… _he thought. _With a minute and a half to spare…_

"Here you go, young man," said Mad Jack, handing him the Alchemic Magician card. "It's a very rare card, so use it well…

"And if you all like that, come to the main tent at noon, where the big show of the Wonky Circus will be held! It's gonna be a scream!"

Then there was another cloud of smoke, and he vanished.

Stan stepped down from the stage as the crowd started to disperse. Andy and Francesca ran up to him.

"Wow…" said Andy. "I've _never _been able to do those crazy puzzles…"

Stan looked at the card he had won… Then he looked at the now-empty stage where Jack had been.

"Guys…" he said. "How do you suppose he knew my name was Stan?"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Lord Crump was walking through the circus grounds, having left the three teenagers behind for the moment.

"Alchemic Magician, huh?" he thought. "Better go find a hot spot so I can look that up…"

He really had no idea what the card was, but he was sure it was important.

"I hate these places…" he grumbled. "I hate clowns…"

Then he almost bumped into a clown who seemed to be a vendor.

"Snickerdoodle, sir?" asked the clown, as he held out a tray of cookies.

Crump frowned.

Then he punched the jester in the face, knocking him over.

_Sometimes, a "no" just doesn't seem sufficient, _he thought, as he walked by.

**0000000000**

"So, Stan," said Andy, "maybe we can get an ice cream cone or something?"

"I was kind of hoping to find a real duelist…" said Stan.

"Think fast!" said a voice in front of them.

A soccer ball came darting at Stan. Instinctively, he caught it.

"Nice catch, amigo," said the same voice.

The voice – and apparently the ball – came from a teenager about their age with Latino features. He wore a white t-shirt and cargo pants, and had bushy black hair. He was also wearing a Duel Disk.

"Uh, hi…" said Stan. "Is this yours?"

"Yep, and that was a great catch," the young man replied. "I saw the Duel Puzzle… Not bad…

"If you're so anxious for a real duel, however… I was looking for one myself…"

Stan threw the ball back to him.

"Sure…" he said. "And you are…"

"José Meza," he said. "Just call me José."

Stan activated his Duel Disk. Andy and Francesca watched anxiously.

_Shouldn't be a problem… _thought Francesca. _This guy isn't even half as intimidating as Raven was…_

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (José: 8,000)**

"All right…" said Stan. "Draw…"

He drew a card, and looked at it. It was Sangan.

The other five cards in his hand were Magician's Valkyria, Bound Wand, Gagaga Girl, and Trident Warrior.

_I'm off to a good start… _he said.

He took Sangan from his hand, and set it on his Disk. The set Monster appeared in front of him.

"All right!" said José.

He drew a card, and then quickly opened the Field Zone on his Disk.

"I play… Dream Pitch!"

In a flash, the circus grounds changed dramatically, morphing into a decent-sized soccer field, with goals behind each of the two duelists. Multicolored lights filled the air.

"Uh-huh…" said Stan. "And… Just what does this do?"

"On its own, it just reveals your set Monster…" said José.

Sangan appeared on the card, crouching in Defense Mode. (800 ATK)

"But with Dream Pitch, it's not what the card itself can do, but what other cards can do with it…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I play Hat-Trick," he continued. "We'll get to what that does in a minute. For now, I'll activate Foolish Burial…"

He took a card from his deck, and discarded it. Then he quickly reshuffled it.

"Next… I play Monster Reborn! Introducing…"

The glowing holy symbol appeared.

"…Captain Wing!"

The Monster that appeared could best be described as an android wearing a blue soccer jersey. Its face was colored orange and was expressionless; it also had orange limbs, and true to its name, two orange wing-like protrusions on its back. (1,100 ATK)

"He doesn't look so tough," said Stan.

"He's only one player," said José, with a grin.

He played another Spell Card.

"With Inferno Reckless Summon, I can have a whole team!"

Two more of the robotic strikers materialized on either side of the first.

"And now we get to the good stuff," said José. "When I Dream Pitch, Captain Wing can deal damage even when he scores against a defender."

A soccer ball appeared, and the Captain Wing on the right started kicking it down the field. He gave it a kick, and Sangan was blasted to pieces.

Stan felt a slight twinge, but he quickly took his deck from the holder.

"I use Sangan's effect…" he said.

He quickly looked through his deck, and found Gagaga Magician…

But as he added it to his hand, something strange happened…

He felt dizzy for a second… His heart started to pound… He held his forehead…

"I'm not done," said José.

The first Captain Wing passed the ball to the second, and he fired, striking Stan in the chest. The second one passed, and made the same direct strike.

"Ow…" said Stan.

**(S: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 8,000)**

"All right…" said José. "I end my turn… And because my team scored three times this turn, Hat-Trick lets me draw twice…"

He made two draws.

"Scored three times?" asked Francesca.

"He must mean 'inflicted battle damage three times'," said Andy. "This is a weird deck he's using…"

Stan looked at his deck strangely.

"Uh, hello?" said José. "It's your move?"

"Oh, yeah…" said Stan, as he drew a card.

"Uh, I summon Magician's Valkyria…" he said.

He played the card, and Valkyria appeared… But she had changed. Aside from her hat, her costume had been replaced by a soccer jersey and shorts, and her scepter was gone. (1,600 ATK)

"What in the world?" said Stan.

"Dream Pitch tends to do that," said José, with a chuckle. "It makes it more interesting…"

Stan looked at him, and played a Spell Card.

"I play Double Summon," he said. "I'll also summon Trident Warrior."

He played the card, and Trident Warrior appeared, also dressed as a striker (which was odd, given his beard). (1,800 ATK)

"And I'll use his effect to Special Summon Familiar Knight to the field."

The Warrior appeared, and again, his armor, aside from his helmet, had been replaced by a jersey and shorts. His sword and shield were gone. (1,200 ATK)

_Okay… _thought Stan. _This is weird…_

"Now I…" he said.

Before he could finish the sentence, he paused. His heart started to beat quickly again.

"Uh, never mind…" he said. "Attack those Captain Wings!"

Three soccer balls rolled towards the two Warriors and the Spellcaster, and they caught them with the bottoms of their right feet. For a minute, the two "teams" glared at each other.

Then Valkyria, Trident Warrior, and Familiar Knight made three kicks, shooting the balls towards the three androids, and smashing them into shards.

**(S: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 6,700)**

"I end my turn…" said Stan.

"Something's wrong here," said Francesca. "Did Stan forget that he had Kachi Kochi Dragon? He could have done even more damage by summoning it."

Francesca wasn't the only one who thought something was amiss. Among the spectators watching the duel was Mad Jack.

"Very queer…" he said, softly. "Something sinister is happening here…"

His eyes fell on Francesca.

"That friend of his…"

He took an old billfold out of his pocket and opened it. Then he took out a laminated photograph.

It was a _very _old photograph. In fact, it had been taken in the Nineteenth Century, when photography was a new profession.

The photograph was of a young woman wearing a stylish dress that was typical for Victorian-era America…

…and she was a dead-ringer for Francesca…

"My move…" said José, as he drew a card.

"I activate The Warrior Returning Alive," he said.

He played a Spell Card, and one of the three Captain Wings slipped out of his deck's discard slot.

"Next," he said, as he took another card from his hand, "because Dream Pitch is in play, I don't need a sacrifice to call out this next guy…

"Striker Top, you're up!"

Another robotic athlete appeared. It was wearing the same jersey as Captain Wing (indicating that it was on the same team), but lacked the wing-like protrusions, had a yellow face and limbs, and a peak on the top of its head. (2,000 ATK)

Another soccer ball materialized in front of it.

"All right!" said José. "Aim for Familiar Knight!"

Striker Top kicked the ball into the air, and the kicked it hard in mid-air, sending it towards Familiar Knight and smashing him into pieces.

"Uh…" muttered Stan. "I… I use Familiar Knight's effect! We can both Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from our hands."

Gagaga Magician appeared in front of him, again with a cosmetic change of attire. (1,500 ATK)

"And I'll put Captain Wing in my defense," said José.

Captain Wing appeared in a squatting position. (1,100 DEF)

"I'll throw a card facedown," said José, as a set card appeared behind his two Warriors, "and my turn is over."

**(S: 4,700) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 6,700)**

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen and Grodus were watching from the Queen's throne room.

"It's a good thing you chose doubt and not fear," remarked Grodus.

"Yes…" said the Queen. "If I had, Stan would likely have overcome the spell in a minute. José's Monsters aren't very scary at all…

"Still, doubt works… Stan already had a small amount of it after losing the duel with Raven… And I just had to amplify it.

"It seems he's so full of it now, he doesn't trust himself enough to summon his Xyzs… He isn't convinced that they'll work…

"And very soon… He'll start to doubt whether _any _of his cards will be effective…"

**0000000000**

Stan drew a card. His hand started to sweat.

"I summon Gagaga Girl…" he said.

There was a loud cheer, and the female counterpart of Gagaga Magician appeared. Rather than a jersey, she was dressed in a cheerleading ensemble and carried pom-poms. She started to leap about and chant a rallying cry. (1,000 ATK)

Stan slowly looked over the remaining two cards in his hand.

"He could summon practically any Xyz he has…" said Francesca.

"So what is he waiting for?" asked Andy. "An engraved invitation? Something's wrong here…"

Stan looked at his two friends. His brow furrowed.

"I… use Gagaga Magician's effect…" he said. "And increase his Level to 8…

"Then I activate Bound Wand… And I Equip it to Gagaga Magician…"

There didn't seem to be much of a physical change, but Gagaga Magician's Attack Score went up to 2,300.

_All right, _he thought, nervously, _I can do this…_

Gagaga Magician and Valkyria started moving down the field, passing the ball to each other. Then Valkyria gave it a swift kick, and the defending Captain Wing was blown to pieces.

Then the ball rolled back to Gagaga Magician, and he followed. Striker Top tried to block the shot, but it fell backwards and shattered from the impact.

"Good!" said Stan, as Trident Warrior took the ball. "Attack José directly!"

"Hold it right there!" shouted José. "Because you declared a direct attack, I get to Special Summon this guy from my hand… Defender Marco!"

Another of the android athletes appeared, this one appearing more muscular, with the same blue jersey, and a red face and limbs. (2,300 DEF)

"What's more, Trident Warrior is now required to attack Marco…"

Trident Warrior gave the ball a kick, but the goalie caught it, and Stan winced a little.

Stan took the last card in his hand, and set it in his Disk. A face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…" he said with a sigh.

Then José's facedown card lifted up.

"And with Call of the Haunted," he said, "Striker Top returns."

Striker Top leapt onto the field, and Defender Marco tossed the ball to him. (2,000 ATK)

**(S: 4,200) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 6,400)**

José drew, and looked at the card.

He set it on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared next to his two Warriors.

Then he pointed, and Striker Top executed a bicycle pass, sending the ball straight towards Trident Warrior and knocking him down. The Warrior shattered.

Everyone watching clapped, except Andy and Francesca, who were more than a little worried…

**(S: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 6,400)**

"It's your move…" said José.

Stan drew.

"I… move all my Monsters to Defense Mode," said Stan, sullenly.

His three Spellcasters knelt in a defending position. (Magician's Valkyria: 1,800 DEF, Gagaga Magician: 1,800 DEF, Gagaga Girl: 1,200 DEF)

"…and I end my turn…"

"STAN!" screamed Francesca.

José made a draw. He put it aside, and then flipped his face-down Monster into Attack Mode. The Morphing Jar revealed itself. (700 ATK)

Slowly, Stan discarded the one card in his hand, and made five draws, while José did the same…

"Not bad…" said José. "I sacrifice Morphing Jar…"

The small Rock vanished.

"…to summon Striker Lorenzo."

Another robotic Warrior appeared, much like the others, but slimmer, with a green face and limbs. (1,200 ATK)

"Next, I use his effect… By paying 1,000 Life Points, I can take any Normal Trap Card from my deck, and set it…"

A face-down card flashed into view behind his three Monsters.

"Now to bring out my star! With these three Monsters… I build the Overlay Network!"

The lights above Dream Pitch flashed, and the three Warriors turned into a vortex of energy…

A much bigger, more imposing striker materialized in front of Stan's Monsters. In general outline, it was similar to the others, but had a winged helmet and visor, and large, crimson, metallic wings. Its limbs were also bright crimson.

"Meet Fantasista Dieci," said José. (2,600 ATK)

_That's trouble… _thought Stan.

"Attack Magician's Valkyria!" shouted José. "Olé, Olé, Drive Shoot!"

The soccer Xyz fired the fastest shoot yet, sending Valkyria tumbling backwards before she dissolved into particles.

"Now I use Dieci's effect," said José. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, he can attack a second time, so long as I target your strongest Monster…

"_However…"_

He held up a Spell Card.

"By playing this when an Xyz Monster attacks and Dream Pitch is in play, I can reduce Battle Damage to zero and instead inflict 2,000 points of damage!

"I play Hand of God!"

"Hand of God?" said Francesca. "Wasn't that a famous play made in some World Cup?"

"I think it was a famous _illegal _play made at a World Cup…" replied Andy.

The soccer ball materialized in front of Dieci again, and as he kicked it, it turned into a ball of flame. Stan screamed and was thrown backwards as Gagaga Magician exploded and Gagaga Girl watched with horror…

**(S: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 5,400)**

"STAN!" shouted Francesca again.

"Stan, you all right bro?" asked Andy.

Stan slowly got up… He held his head.

"Actually guys…" he said. "I'm… I'm fine…

"Better than fine, actually… That blow seems to have jogged something…"

A look of anger came over his face…

"Normally, I'd say 'nice try'," he said, "but it was a pathetic try…"

"Huh?" said José. "It was a bad move?"

"No, José, I wasn't talking to you," said Stan. "That was actually a pretty _good _move, and I have to thank you. It helped me come to my senses…"

"Eh?" said José.

"I'll tell you later…" said Stan. "First of all, due to the effect of Bound Wand, Gagaga Magician returns to the field."

In an aura of dark energy, Gagaga Magician reappeared. (1,500 ATK)

"And I think the ball is in my court…" said Stan.

He drew a card.

It was Goombella.

_Just what I needed… _he thought. _A little reminder of what I was fighting for…_

He played the card, and Goombella appeared in front of him. The Field Spell didn't have any effect on her… A soccer uniform likely wouldn't fit on her mushroom-shaped body. (500 ATK)

"Now, let's see what her Tattle reveals!"

Goombella hopped on Stan's shoulder, and he took the three cards off of his deck. They were Shine Knight, Monster Reborn, and Feedback Warrior.

He quickly discarded Shine Knight, kept Monster Reborn, and shuffled Feedback Warrior back into his deck.

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted, as Goombella hopped back onto the field. "I'll summon the Monster I just ditched from my Graveyard."

A knight in brilliant shining armor appeared, kneeling and defending with a shield. (1,900 ATK)

"And when Shine Knight is in Defense Mode, its Level becomes 4.

"Thus, by using Shine Knight and Goombella… I build the Overlay Network!"

Goombella and the Warrior turned into a portal of light…

With a roar, Kachi Kochi Dragon rose over the field. (2,100 ATK)

"Next…" he said.

He held up a Spell Card.

"I activate Shrink!"

An aura of energy surrounded Fantasista Dieci, and he groaned. (1,300 ATK)

"Well, he seems to have gained some of his confidence back…" said Francesca. "But I don't see why he didn't use Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl… He could have reduced José's Monster to zero Attack Points."

"Kachi Kochi Dragon…" ordered Stan, "attack Fantasista Dieci with Surging Shockwave!"

"I activate… Mirror Force!" shouted José, as his facedown card lifted up.

"Oh really?" said Stan.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"By using Gagagaguard when I have two Gagaga Monsters, my Monsters can't be destroyed this turn!"

"Oh…" said Francesca with a smile. "That's why…"

The blast of energy shot from the Dragon's jaws, blowing Fantasia Dieci away.

"Now, Kachi Kochi Dragon can also attack a second time," said Stan, as he discarded Goombella's card. "But he can attack you directly!"

The Dragon blasted its Surging Shockwave again, and José grunted as it hit him in the chest. Gagaga Girl started leaping up and cheering again.

"You're up, Gagaga Girl!" said Stan.

Gagaga Girl dropped her pom-poms, and cartwheeled towards José, then did a somersault and kicked him in the face.

"Time to take this home," said Stan, as a soccer ball appeared in front of Gagaga Magician. "Go for the goal, Gagaga Magician!"

The Spellcaster delivered the fiercest kick yet, and José dodged aside… The ball sailed passed him, into the goal behind him…

**(S: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 0)**

As Dream Pitch vanished, Stan frowned and looked at the sky.

"I know you're watching…" he muttered. "I may have been a reluctant skeptic before… But know this… I'm more than ready now to finish what my ancestor started…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Crump was walking away with a sigh.

"Soccer…" he muttered. "One of the most popular sports in underdeveloped countries… Probably one of the reasons why they're 'underdeveloped'…

"Maybe there's a place around here where I can get a hamburger…"

"There he is!" shouted a voice.

"Eh?" said Crump.

He turned to see the clown he had punched, along with several other circus performers, rush at him.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" he shouted.

He turned and ran, but the angry carnies chased him towards the back of a tent…

Crump had apparently never learned that circus performers tend to have a lot of friends among their profession…

**0000000000**

"So…" said José. "What was all that strange stuff you were saying?"

"Uh…" said Stan. "Come to think of, just forget about it… If I told you, you would just worry…"

José made a strange face, and then handed him a Crystal Card.

"Well, it was a good duel…" he said. "See you around, I guess…"

As he left, Stan let out a sigh…

"You really think that you were under some sort of curse?" asked Andy.

"The Queen is playing dirty tricks," said Stan. "As soon as I took Gagaga Magician from my deck, I was hit by a mental block… It was as if none of my cards had any value…

"José's Hand of God… It kind of broke the spell in the same way that scaring a person cures hiccups. I just needed a big jolt to snap out of it and remember the danger I was in."

"Excuse me, are you Francesca?" said a voice.

They all turned, and saw another clown.

"Uh, yes, that's me…" she said.

The clown handed her an envelope.

"Oh, and… Take these too…" said the clown.

He handed her three colored balloons. Then he smiled, and left.

Francesca gave a strange look as she watched the clown leave; then she handed the balloons to Andy, and opened the letter.

She read:

_Dear Ms. Benedict,_

_I may have given your friend a valuable prize, but one of even greater value awaits you, should you accept an even greater challenge._

_Enclosed are three tickets to the main event in the big top of the Wonky Circus at noon. It is my humble request that you be there._

_Sincerely,_

_Mad Jack_

Francesca looked inside the envelope. Inside were three tickets, as the letter promised…

…and also, a Duel Monsters card: Noble Knight Artorigus.

As she and her two friends were looking at it, it vanished into grains of light.

"You think Mad Jack is a friend of Merlow?" asked Stan.

"I'm starting to think he's a lot more than the typical carnie," said Andy. "You think we should go?"

"It's up to you, Fran," said Stan. "He sent you the invitation…"

Francesca slowly turned towards the center of the Wonky Circus, where the large main tent stood…

**0000000000**

**CAPTIAN WING (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,100ATK/1,100DEF**

**Effect: **When there is a face-up "Dream Pitch" on the field, this card gains the following effect: This card inflicts piercing damage.

**0000000000**

**STRIKER TOP (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lv5/2,000ATK/100DEF**

**Effect: **When there is a face-up "Dream Pitch" on the field, you can Normal Summon this card without a Tribute.

**0000000000**

**FANTASISTA DIECI (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank 5/2,600ATK/2,500DEF**

_3 Level 5 Monsters_

**Effect: **Once per turn, when this card attacks, at the end of the Damage Step, you may detach 1 Xyz Material Monster from this card; this card may attack a second time in the same Battle Phase. This card cannot attack directly using this effect, and if this effect is used, must attack the face-up opposing Monster with the highest ATK. (In the case of a tie, select 1.)

**0000000000**

**DREAM PITCH (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **Bird's eye view of a soccer stadium, with spheres of colored light covering it.

**Card Description: **When this card is activated, flip all facedown Defense Position Monsters into face-up Defense Position. Flip Effects are not activated at this time.

_Note: The preceding four cards were first used by Kakeru in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 027. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DEFENDER MARCO (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lv5/200ATK/2,300DEF**

**Effect: **When there is a face-up "Dream Pitch" on the field and you are attacked directly, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. Your opponent's attacking Monster must then attack this card.

**0000000000**

**STRIKER LORENZO (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lv5/1,200ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Tribute Summoned while there is a face-up "Dream Pitch" on the field, you may pay 1,000 Life Points to take 1 Normal Trap Card from your deck and set it in your Spell/Trap Zone.

**0000000000**

**HAT-TRICK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Three dark-looking soccer players dribbling a soccer ball down the field.

**Card Description: **Activate during your Main Phase 1 when a face-up "Dream Pitch" is on the field. If you inflict Battle Damage exactly 3 times this turn, draw 2 cards during the End Phase.

_Note: In soccer, a "hat-trick" is when a player scores three goals in a match._

**0000000000**

**HAND OF GOD (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A striker kicking a flaming ball past a goalie into a goal.

**Card Description: **Activate when an Xyz Monster declares an attack against a Monster while "Dream Pitch" is face-up on the field. If the opposing Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by the attack, reduce Battle Damage to zero and inflict 2,000 points of damage to your opponent. Then, end your Battle Phase.

_Note: "The Hand of God" was the name given to an illegal but __unpenalised__ score made by Argentinian player Diego Maradona in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. It is one of the most infamous plays made in the history of soccer, reflected by the brutal effect of this card. _

**0000000000**

_**Stan has regained the Crystal Card he lost, bringing his total back up to three, and he has overcome the Queen's evil spell of doubt… Still, there is NO doubt that her dirty tricks will not end here…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca: I'm in the middle of the Wonky Circus's main event, facing the enigmatic Mad Jack, and it's not a Duel Puzzle this time… Now it's a real duel. An audience is watching… I'm starting to realize what Andy felt in the Glitz Pit.**_

_**Jack's strategy is unorthodox, with cards I've never heard of, but it's powerful. Still, he's promised me a prize that will be worth it…**_

_**There is a catch, however… The prize is a card, and he's using it in his deck right now. **_

"_**Summoner's Art" is coming soon.**_


	15. Summoner's Art

"_**It's not a very common card…" he told us, "but it's not all-that powerful either… Still, the Queen doesn't like it for… some reason. Owning or using this card is illegal in Arcadia. Simply possessing it here is punishable by flogging.**_

"_**I'm not going to give it to you and give her even more of an excuse to hound you… But… If someone owns this in defiance of the law… Then he is an ally of mine. I guarantee it."**_

_**I can only assume then, that Mad Jack is an ally of Merlow, the strange wizard who claims to be our ally. The thing is, I don't know if we can completely trust Merlow. He seems to want to help us, but the feeling is there that he isn't telling us the whole story.**_

_**So can we trust this strange circus performer who seems to be no slouch at magic himself?**_

_**Looks like I'm going to find out…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTEEN**

**0000000000**

**Summoner's Art**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Eleven-forty-five, fifteen minutes to show time.

One man on the fairgrounds who _wouldn't _be going to the show was Sir Grodus. He was making his way through the grounds of the Wonky Circus, and everyone was giving him a wide berth.

"Where is that idiot?" he muttered.

Crump wasn't answering his mobile, and now Grodus had to find him. Fortunately, Grodus was always certain to keep a tracking device on Crump… It helped to keep an eye on him.

"So help me," said Grodus, "if he got drunk again and ended up some place he shouldn't, I'm gonna…"

**0000000000**

The three teenagers had to admit, they had gotten very good seats. They were in the front row, in fact. A group of clowns were putting on a juggling show while an organ played as more people started to fill up the tent.

Andy didn't seem to be enjoying himself at all.

"You okay?" asked Francesca.

"I'll tell you later…" said Andy. "I hate to say it, but I kind of liked Glitzville a little better…"

Stan motioned to a guy who was selling peanuts.

"Lighten up Andy," he said. "We might as well have a little fun…"

"Besides…" said Francesca. "It's not like _you _got the invitation…"

Then the lights started to dim, and the organist started to play a different tune. It was "Leningrad", a song made popular by Billy Joel.

"Interesting choice…" said Andy, ominously.

They all knew the story behind that song. It told the story of a Russian soldier-turned-clown named Viktor that Joel had befriended while touring the Soviet Union in 1987. The song compared the lives of Joel and Viktor to show the cultural difference and similarities between the United States and the Soviet Union. The song told how Viktor had seen death and misery as a member of the Red Army, and later became a clown to bring joy to children.

It was an odd selection, to say the least.

Then the organ began to play a far livelier, happier tune, and a spotlight fell on the center of the ring. Mad Jack, now dressed in a ringmaster's outfit, appeared in an explosion of purple smoke.

"Welcome one and all!" he announced. "I'm Mad Jack, proof that you don't have to be crazy to be in this line of work, but it helps!"

He clapped, and colorful streams of pyrotechnics launched into the air behind him.

"Let the show begin!"

**0000000000**

For a while, it seemed like the average circus performance. It started with a sideshow of odd talents, including a fire-eater, a sword swallower, and a contortionist who was able to fit herself into a glass cube no bigger than a hat box.

Then there were the more complex acts, including acrobats and trapeze routines, separated by comedic routines of clowns. (Which Andy didn't seem to enjoy very much.)

At what was likely the halfway part of the performance, Jack once again took the center stage.

"Lights please," he said, as some background music started to play.

"My friends…" he said. "In honor of the Thousand Year Door Tournament that our proud island state is hosting… The Wonky Circus has a special guest…"

Then a spotlight fell on Francesca. In her shock, she almost choked on the Crackerjacks she was eating.

Jack was looking at her. She nervously looked around.

"Seems she's a little shy, folks…" said Jack. "Don't be scared now…"

Francesca nervously stood up, and walked towards the center of the ring. Everyone started to clap.

"So…" she said. "Uh… Is this another Duel Puzzle?"

"Afraid not, Francesca," said Jack. "This is an actual duel…"

He held up a card, with its back to her.

"The prize is very valuable… I can't let you see it yet… but…"

He picked up a Duel Disk, and put it on. Then he placed the card in the deck, and shuffled the deck.

"…you may actually see a demonstration of what it can do, because should you accept this challenge, I, as your opponent, will be using it…

"So… Are you up for the challenge?"

As he said this, everyone started cheering.

Francesca nervously looked around. If she said "no", she'd be booed out of the place…

"If it will help seal the deal," said Jack, "I'll throw in one of _these _if you win!"

He reached into his coat, and took out a Crystal Card.

"Seriously?" said Francesca.

"Mmm-hmm," said Jack, as he replaced it. "Ask anyone who knows Mad Jack, and they'll tell you that he's crazy, but he keeps his word."

Reluctantly, Francesca held up her Duel Disk, and it activated.

"Seems that's a yes people!" laughed Jack. "On with the show!"

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Mad Jack: 8,000)**

_I must be out of my mind… _thought Francesca, as she made her first draw.

She looked at the card.

_Not bad…_

"I summon my Phantom Charger…" she said.

She played the card, and a spectral white unicorn appeared with a haunting neigh. It had a pale white coat, glowing silver eyes, and its main rustled, as if in a brisk wind. (1,700 ATK)

"I'll throw this facedown," she said, as a set card appeared behind it, "and I'm done. Let's see what you've got…"

"I draw!" said Mad Jack, dramatically whipping the top card off of his deck.

"And I summon Big Top Bert to the field!"

He threw the card on his Duel Disk, and a huge, hulking, muscular man, bald with a thick beard, dressed in a costume resembling a leopard skin, appeared in front of him. He held a large barbell, which he pressed over his head with ease. (2,200 ATK)

"Eh?" said Francesca, as the strongman tossed the weight aside.

"Bert here may look big and tough," said Jack, "but deep down he's really a sweet guy…"

Bert slugged Phantom Charger in the nose, and the Beast shattered.

**(F: 7,750) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 8,000)**

"See what I mean?" asked Jack. "You only took half damage from that attack!"

"Yeah, well my Monster is pretty nice too," said Francesca. "I use Phantom Charger's effect…"

A ghostly version of Phantom Charger appeared, and flew at Bert.

"When she's destroyed by battle, she gets really close to the attacking Monster…"

Bert gasped as the ghostly steed flew into his chest.

"But Bert may not like it too much, because he loses 1,000 Attack Points…"

(1,200 ATK)

"Heh, heh…" said Jack. "Didn't expect that… My turn is over…"

Francesca made a draw. She quickly took a Spell Card from her hand and played it.

"Hand Destruction!" she said. "Now we must each discard two cards and then draw two."

She quickly discarded two cards, and then made two draws. Jack carefully selected two (one of them was Sangan, but Francesca didn't recognize the other) and discarded them, and then made two draws.

Then Francesca's face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Limit Reverse!" she shouted. "I'll bring back Key Mouse!"

The small mouse with a key on its tail appeared with a squeak. (100 ATK)

"Next, because I have a Tuner on the field, I can Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight…"

In a flash of light, the horned, tailed Warrior appeared, pointing his trident menacingly. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I Tune together Key Mouse and D.D. Unicorn Knight…"

Key Mouse flew to the top of the tent, with the Warrior following…

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

The noble Beast appeared, its eyes flashing with powerful light. (2,200 ATK)

_Seems that my hunch at least pointed me in the right direction… _thought Jack. _Still… I can't be sure yet…_

"Now, I use Thunder Unicorn's effect," said Francesca, "which lowers your Monster's Attack Score by an additional 500 points…"

Bert groaned as electricity coursed over his skin. (700 ATK)

"Now… Attack Big Top Bert with Thunder Spear!"

Thunder Unicorn charged, stabbing the strongman with her horn and blowing him into particles. The crowd started to cheer.

"The lady is good!" said Jack, lifting her arms. "But the show has just started people…

"And it's going to get better from here…"

**(F: 7,750) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 6,500)**

"O-kay…" said Francesca. "Guess I'll be… Ending my turn now…"

**0000000000**

"What in the world?" said Grodus.

He dragged Crump out of the trash can that he had found him in behind a food service tent.

"Ooh…" groaned Crump. "What happened?"

"Why don't you tell me, Crump?" said Grodus, looking at him with an annoyed glance. "This isn't the first time I've had to haul your ass out of a trash receptacle…"

"Uh, heh, heh…" said Crump.

He brushed out the gunk from his beard.

"This is gonna make you laugh…"

As he looked at his clearly angry superior, he knew that was _very _unlikely… Grodus _never _laughed…

**0000000000**

"I draw one card…" said Jack.

"And I summon Big Top Barclay."

He played the card, and a young man wearing a silvery spandex suit, a green cape, and a helmet, appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)

"And what does he do?" asked Francesca.

"Funny you should ask…" replied Jack.

He snapped his fingers, and the floor opened up beside him. A large cannon slowly emerged from it, painted blue, and covered with red stars.

Barclay climbed onto the back of the cannon, and slipped inside.

"Human cannonballs are rare acts," said Jack, "and usually, if a troupe has one, they save it for the finale…

"But what the heck!"

The cannon slowly aimed at Thunder Unicorn.

"When Barclay does his act, I can sacrifice him to destroy one Monster, and then inflict damage equal to that Monster's Attack Score!"

The fuse on the cannon lit…

"Ho-boy…" said Francesca.

Then the cannon went off, blowing Thunder Unicorn to shards and knocking Francesca on her rump.

**(F: 5,550) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 6,500)**

"Now, I'm not allowed to summon any other Monsters this turn because of that," said Jack, as he threw a card into his Disk. "So I'll set a card face-down…"

A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"…and then it's your move…"

Francesca made a draw, and looked at her hand. The cards were Lock Cat, Double Summon, Uni-Horned Familiar, and Hypnocorn.

_Terrific… _she thought, as she chose the last one.

"I summon… Hypnocorn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the furry, blue Beast with ewe's horns appeared. (1,400 ATK)

She looked hard at the set card.

_I can't use its effect because he has no Monsters… I'm just going to have to go for broke…_

"Attack him directly!" she shouted.

Hypnocorn's eyes glowed.

"I activate… Draining Shield!" exclaimed Jack, as his facedown card lifted up. "It not only protects me, but I gain 1,400 Life Points!"

**(F: 5,550) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 7,900)**

_This guy is good… _thought Stan. _He clearly isn't your average carny barker…_

"I play Double Summon," said Francesca, as she played the Spell Card, "and I'll use it to set a Monster…"

She took Uni-Horned Familiar, and set it on her Disk.

"Your move, Jack," she said.

Jack once again drew a card.

"Well what do you know?" said Jack. "I just drew the card you're playing for, Francesca!

"Time to give you a preview… The Continuous Spell Card, Art Attack!"

He slipped the card into his Disk, and a strange Spell Card appeared in front of him. The image on it looked like Dark Magician Girl posing as the _Mona Lisa_ did.

Francesca waited.

"Uh…" she said. "Is it going to do anything?"

"Not yet…" said Jack. "This card has to gain power before its effect can be unleashed…

"In three turns, it will be at full power, and you'll see exactly what this card is capable of…

"Until then…"

He took two cards from his hand.

"I'll set a face-down, and then summon Big Top Bonita."

A set card appeared, and then a young woman in a skimpy acrobat's outfit covered with sparkling sequins appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK)

"So exactly why do all the names of your Monsters start with 'B's'?" asked Francesca.

"Why not?" asked Jack, with a shrug.

Francesca looked at him.

_Okay… _she said. _I… guess they really don't need a reason…_

She made a draw.

_This might come in handy… _she thought.

"Hypnocorn, attack…" she started.

Jack lifted his hand, and his face-down card lifted up, revealing Call of the Haunted.

In a blast of fire, a man wearing a comical devil's costume with a cape, holding a torch shaped like a pitchfork appeared next to Bonita. (1,400 ATK)

"I suppose you tossed that guy when I used Hand Destruction?" asked Francesca.

"Can't fool you!" exclaimed Jack. "And when Big Top Bernie here is on the field, the Attack Scores of all Monsters with the words 'Big Top' in their names are increased by 800 points."

Bonita's Attack Score rose to 1,800, while Bernie's rose to 2,200.

"The attack is called off," said Fran. "I'll set this card…"

She threw a card into her Disk, and a face-down card materialized in her Spell Zone.

"…and I'll call it a turn."

_Hopefully, next turn I can pull something out of my hat that will work, _she thought. _He doesn't seem to run out tricks of his own…_

**0000000000**

"Let me get this straight…" groaned Grodus, as he held his cranium. "For no reason, you punched out a clown who was giving out free samples of cookies?"

"It was kind of hard to resist…" muttered Crump.

"Crump, for the love of…" said Grodus. "As if people don't hate me enough as it is…"

"How was I to know they traveled in packs?" pleaded Crump.

"The Queen is going to go postal when she hears about this…" said Grodus.

"Wait, wait!" pleaded Crump.

He stood up, and picked something out of the trash. It was an iPad.

"I have information that the Queen will want to know…"

He turned it on, and was relieved to see that it hadn't been broken.

"Before that duel that Stan had with that soccer duelist, he won something… A card… I was able to find a hot spot and look it up…"

Grodus took the iPad, and looked at the picture.

"Alchemic Magician…" he pondered. "A powerful Spellcaster Xyz, so long as it's used right…"

He shoved the iPad back into Crump's hands.

"All right, Crump, fine…" he said. "I'll keep quiet about this, on two conditions…

"First, you don't do anything this stupid again…"

"And second?" asked Crump, nervously.

Grodus grunted in disgust.

"Second, you have to take a bath," he said. "You reek, pal!"

Crump sighed as Grodus walked away.

_That's usually the end result of lying in garbage for that long… _he thought.

**0000000000**

"My move!" laughed Jack, as he whipped the top card off his deck.

"I use my lovely Bonita's effect… With another 'Big Top' Monster on the field, she can attack directly!"

"Huh?" said Francesca.

"Fortunately for you," said Jack, "she has to do it with her base Attack Score."

Bonita leapt into the air, her Attack Score falling to 1,000. She did a flip, and came down with a kick to Francesca's stomach, knocking her over.

She cartwheeled back to Jack's side of the field, and her Attack Score returned to 1,800.

"Next, I play the Quickplay Spell, Sebek's Blessing," he continued, as he played a Spell Card. "It grants me Life Points equal to the damage I inflicted via that direct attack…

"Now… Big Top Bernie, destroy Hypnocorn!"

Bernie took a swig of something from a bottle, and then held the torch in front of his face. He exhaled a cloud of flame, incinerating the small Beast.

**(F: 2,950) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 8,900)**

"Andy?" said Stan.

"What?" said Andy, who was visibly upset. "In case you didn't notice, Fran's getting creamed!"

"Don't you think it's odd that Bernie has used not one, but two Life Point recovery Spells?" asked Stan. "It's almost as if… I dunno… He's really concerned about them getting low…"

"I throw two cards facedown," said Jack, as two set cards appeared behind his Monsters, and that's my move."

Fran quickly drew a card.

"I summon Lock Cat!" she shouted.

She threw the card on her Disk, and the sassy-looking cat with a lock on its collar appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"By doing so, I can Special Summon a Level 1 Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode."

Key Mouse appeared next to Lock Cat. The feline smirked at it. (100 DEF)

"Then, I flip Uni-Horned Familiar into Attack Mode…" she continued.

Her set Monster flipped face-up, and the small, horned imp appeared. (0 ATK)

Then her facedown card lifted up.

"I use Call of the Haunted!" she shouted.

In a flash of light, Thunder Unicorn appeared again. She let out a loud cry, and reared up on her hind legs. (2,200 ATK)

"You remember her effect right?" she said. "Because I have four Beasts on the field…"

"You can lower the Attack Score of one of my Monsters by… 2,000 points!" gasped Jack.

Big Top Bernie grunted, and fell to a score of 200.

"Thunder Unicorn, attack that firebug!" shouted Francesca.

The Unicorn charged horn-first, and the fire-eater burst in a plume of black smoke. Jack grunted.

**(F: 2,950) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 6,900)**

"Your acrobat is safe…" said Francesca, "because Thunder Unicorn is the only one who can attack after I use that effect… But she does lose the 800-point bonus.

"Next, I Tune together Uni-Horned Familiar and Lock Cat…"

The imp flew into the air with the sassy feline following… Familiar turned into a series of rings, with Lock Cat flying through…

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

In a flash, a second Thunder Unicorn appeared next to the first. (2,200 ATK)

"I end my turn…" she said.

_She's clearly a powerful duelist… _thought Jack. _But the true test remains…_

He drew a card. It was Pot of Avarice.

"Bonita moves to Defense Mode," he said, as the acrobat knelt and crossed her arms over her chest. (1,000 DEF)

"And that will be all for now…"

"You've got him on the run now, Fran!" shouted Andy. "Get him!"

Fran smiled as she made a draw.

_Hmm… _she thought. _Think I'd better save that one…_

"Thunder Unicorn number one," she shouted as she pointed, "attack Big Top Bonita!"

The first Unicorn charged, blasting the performer into shards.

"You're up next!" said Fran, pointing to the other one. "Attack him directly!"

The second Unicorn made a rush at Jack, knocking him down and knocking the hat off of his head.

**(F: 2,950) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 4,700)**

"It's your move…" said Francesca.

Jack chuckled as he got up. He picked up his hat.

He drew a card and looked at it.

"Not bad…" he said.

He played a card, and the Pot of Avarice appeared in front of him. He took Sangan, Bert, Barclay, Bonita, and Bernie from his discard slot, and shuffled them into his deck. He made two draws.

"Now, the time has arrived…"

"Time?" said Francesca. "Time for what?"

Then she realized that Art Attack card was glowing with eerie, multicolored energy.

_Good lord… _she thought. _I totally forgot about that…_

"Because Art Attack has been on my field for three of my turns…" said Jack, "I can now remove it from play, and pay 2,000 Life Points to initiate its true effect…"

"That's why he had so many Life Point recovery cards!" exclaimed Stan. "It was to make up for the cost of _that _card!"

"I now get to select _four _Level 4 or lower Monsters from my deck," said Jack, "and Special Summon all four of them!"

In four flashes of light, Bert (2,200 ATK), Barclay (1,200 ATK), Bonita (1,000 ATK), and Bernie (1,400 ATK) all appeared in front of Jack.

"Now don't panic yet…" said Jack. "There is a catch… These Monsters can't attack or use their effects."

"So then, what's the point?" asked Francesca.

"What's the point, she asks?" said Jack, addressing the crowd. "I now have an Earth, Wind, Fire, AND Water Monster!"

One of his two face-down cards lifted up. Francesca gasped. It was Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan, a card she remembered only too well from her duel with Yuki.

"I think I'm going to use the effect of this card to make two draws…" said Jack.

He drew two cards.

"Heh…" said Francesca. "You had me worried there… I thought you were going to destroy my Monsters…"

"I am…" said Jack.

His second facedown card lifted up.

"That's what _this _one is for! Elemental Burst!"

His four Monsters turned into orbs of brown, green, red, and blue pulsating energy. They flew towards Francesca's side of the field, and an explosion blasted her three Monsters to pieces, and almost knocked her over.

"I'm not done!" laughed Jack.

He took a card from his hand.

"I play… Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and the holy symbol appeared. Big Top Bonita appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I sacrifice her…"

Bonita turned into an orb of light.

"To summon Big Top Benny!"

The Monster that appeared this time was a stilt-walker, dressed like a typical hobo clown, juggling pins. (2,000 ATK)

"Show her what you can do, Benny!" laughed Jack.

Francesca covered her head as the heavy pins rained down on her relentlessly. It seemed like there were far more than he could possibly have been juggling…

The pins reappeared in Benny's hands, and he resumed juggling them.

"I'll throw one card face-down," said Jack, as a set card materialized behind Benny, "and I end my turn…"

**(F: 950) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 2,700)**

Francesca took a deep breath. She drew a card.

It was _her _Pot of Avarice.

She played it, and took one Thunder Unicorn, D.D. Unicorn Knight, Phantom Charger, Uni-Horned Familiar, and Hypnocorn from her discard slot. She shuffled her deck, and made two draws.

"I play… Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

In an aura of light, Thunder Unicorn appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

"I see…" said Jack.

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Shadow Spell!"

Chains shot out of the ground, looping around Thunder Unicorn. She let out a cry as they bound her, and her Attack Score fell to 1,500.

"Mmm…" said Francesca.

She threw another card.

"I summon Lady of Unicorns!"

As Francesca's Duel Monster lookalike appeared, Jack fidgeted…

There was no longer any doubt in him mind… He had the right girl… (1,400 ATK)

"All right…" said Francesca, as she took a Spell Card from her hand. "I play Star Blast… I have to pay 500 Life Points, but it lowers Thunder Unicorn's Level to 4…

"Which means I can Tune Lady of Unicorns and Thunder Unicorn together…"

Lady of Unicorns made a swipe with her scimitar, and the chains restraining Thunder Unicorn fell to the floor in broken pieces of metal. Then she flew towards the top of the tent, and the steed followed, both of them flying through shimmering rings…

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

Lightning flashed, and the mightiest of the three Unicorn sisters appeared in front of Francesca. (2,800 ATK)

"You put on a great show, Jack," said Francesca, "and all it needs now is a thrilling finale…

"And I've got one right here…"

She played the last card in her hand.

"Wild Nature's Release!"

Lightning Tricorn glowed with intense, flaming energy… (4,800 ATK)

Jack grit his teeth.

"Attack Big Top Benny!" shouted Francesca. "Lightning Punisher!"

Letting out a ferocious battlecry, Lightning Tricorn blasted burning lightning, blowing the hobo clown to pieces and knocking Mad Jack back ten feet…

**(F: 450) - - - - - - - - - - (MJ: 0)**

The crowd rose to their feet and started cheering. Francesca closed her eyes…

"WAY TO GO, FRAN!" shouted Andy.

He leapt out of his seat, and rushed towards her, and then he gave her a big hug.

Francesca opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Uh…" said Andy, nervously, as he let go of her. "Sorry… I… kinda forgot myself…"

Francesca blushed a little and smiled at him.

Jack slowly got up.

"Not bad…" he said.

He approached Francesca, turning his microphone off as he did so.

"Seems my suspicions were correct," he said, as he held the Art Attack card and the Crystal Card forward. "You're the one I meant to give this to… You _can't _be anyone else…"

Francesca looked at him, and then slowly took the two cards.

"This powerful card is yours now, Francesca…" he said. "How you use it is up to you…"

Francesca looked at the Art Attack card.

"It's another one of the cards that Merlow mentioned, isn't it?" asked Andy.

"I would bet the farm on it…" replied Francesca.

As they walked back to their seats, the spotlight fell on Jack again.

"Let's give one more round of applause for Francesca, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted.

The crowd cheered again.

"Now it's time for that part of the show that we like to call 'intermission'," he said. "Get up, stretch your legs, go to the taco stand if you want…

"But we have much more wacky, wonky fun coming your way in just twenty minutes, so be here then, cause if you aren't… We're starting without you!"

**0000000000**

Stan, Andy, and Francesca felt obligated to stay and watch the second act, but once it was done, they couldn't leave quickly enough. It was time to leave the noisy and sugary circus grounds behind.

Soon, they were on the road heading northward, towards the next town on their map, which happened to be Twilight Town.

"I'm glad to be away from that place…" sighed Andy. "I _really _don't like clowns…"

"Fear of clowns huh?" said Francesca, giving a shrug. "Hey, I've never been able to look Ronald McDonald in the face without getting the creeps myself so I'm not one to judge."

"Actually it was one clown in particular that really made me start dreading them," Andy sighed. "When I was little I stayed up one night watching TV and found myself watching _The Dark Knight._ It was an awesome movie sure, but when I first saw Heath Ledger as the Joker…"

He shuddered.

"Ugh, sometimes I think he was a little _too_ convincing in that role, I had nightmares for weeks afterwards about having him come after me with a knife. I'd wake up screaming just as he'd stick the blade in my mouth and go 'why so serious?'"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better I had an equally nasty experience in the last round of my first tournament," Francesca said.

She sat down on a tree stump, and opened her knapsack.

"Remember that creep I told you about? Well he might have been the first guy to leave me a little biased…"

Stan gently cleared his throat causing Francesca to blush a little.

"Heh, okay, maybe more than a _little_ biased against most guys," she continued, "but he wasn't the last, and the worst ones weren't even human."

This got the other two's attention as Francesca took out the same deck that she had kept the Unfriendly Amazon's card in.

"The guy I lost to in the finals was nice enough," she said, "but his Monsters were some of the vilest, creepiest, most disgusting things I've ever seen."

She held out three cards for Stan and Andy to see, and when they saw them they were more than a little confused.

"The Ojama brothers?" asked Andy.

"It's easy to deal with creepy things like, Dark Necrofear, Vampire Genesis, and Brain Crusher," said Francesca, "at least with them you know what to expect. But a bunch of slimy little gremlins in bikini briefs, shaking their asses in your face while making cheap pick-up lines? Good grief, it makes me queasy just thinking about it."

She shuddered.

"What Manjoume Thunder saw in those things, I'll never know. They give Beasts _and_ Light monsters a bad name, even if they are potent in the right hands."

Little did they know, the Shadow Queen was listening in on this conversation…

…and she was taking notes…

**0000000000**

**ART ATTACK (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A portrait of Dark Magician Girl posing as the Mona Lisa did.

**Card Description: **Place 1 "Art Counter" on this card during each of your Standby Phases (max 3). You may remove this card with 3 "Art Counters" from play and pay 2,000 Life Points to Special Summon 4 Level 4 or lower Monsters from your hand or deck. Monsters Special Summoned in this manner cannot attack and their effects are nullified.

**0000000000**

**PHANTOM CHARGER (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,700ATK/1,300DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is destroyed by battle, Equip this card to the Monster that destroyed it as an Equip Spell. A Monster Equipped with this card loses 1,000 Attack Points.

**0000000000**

**BIG TOP BERT (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/2,200ATK/0DEF**

**Effect:** This card cannot attack directly. Battle Damage done by this card is halved.

**0000000000**

**BIG TOP BARCLAY (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Wind/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/800DEF**

**Effect:** On the turn this card is Normal Summoned, you may Tribute this card to destroy 1 face-up opposing Monster and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the base ATK of the destroyed Monster. You may not Summon or set any other Monsters during a turn this effect is used.

**0000000000**

**BIG TOP BERNIE (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Fire/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/700DEF**

**Effect:** Increase the ATK of all "Big Top" Monsters you control by 800. You can only control 1 "Big Top Bernie".

**0000000000**

**BIG TOP BONITA (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect:** If you control a "Big Top" Monster other than "Big Top Bonita", this card can attack directly. If this card attacks directly using this effect, its ATK becomes its base ATK for the Damage Step only.

**0000000000**

**BIG TOP BENNY (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Effect/Lvl5/2,000ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect:** When this card is destroyed by battle, remove it from play; you may then select 4 Monsters in either Graveyard and return them to their owners' decks. The decks are then reshuffled, and both players draw two cards.

**0000000000**

_**Francesca has won the fifth Enchanted Card and her sixth Crystal Card, leaving her with only two more needed! Things are looking up… Perhaps…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: The road to Twilight Town is seemingly draped in eternal night. We've met a fellow Tournament contestant, and I'm eager to win another duel to gain some more ground, but this guy is not going to go down as easy as **__**José did…**_

_**Still, I have allies… Goombella isn't the only friend of the family I have in my deck, and I might see another before this duel is over…**_

"_**Chaos Burst" is coming soon.**_


	16. Chaos Burst

_**We've entered a new part of Arcadia, and I don't like it all…**_

_**It's not beautiful, like Petalburg Meadows was… It's not peaceful like the Boggly Woods was. It's not gaudy like Glitzville was, but I'd even prefer that…**_

_**These dark and mysterious woods that lead to Twilight Town are downright creepy.**_

_**I'm trying to keep calm by comparing the place to Halloween Town, the setting of **_**The Nightmare Before Christmas, **_**a movie I liked…**_

_**The thing is… That place was ruled by Jack Skellington, a benign ruler who was loved by his subjects…**_

**This**_** place… is ruled by the Shadow Queen…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL SIXTEEN**

**0000000000**

**Chaos Burst**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As had happened before, the terrain changed suddenly and dramatically for the three travelers. And not for the better.

One minute they were walking through grasslands, and the next, they were walking through a dark woods…

And it was truly dark. It seemed to be night already when they looked into the sky. There was no sun, moon, or stars… Just a gloomy overcast night sky.

Stan looked at his watch.

"Andy?" he said. "What, uh, what does your watch say?"

"Three-thirty-five PM…" replied Andy, looking at his watch.

"I see…" said Stan, ominously. "For a minute there I… thought mine had stopped…"

"Well, mine is digital…" replied Andy, as he nervously looked around.

The lack of the sun wasn't the only thing that made this forest creepy. The trees were gnarled and bent, and not many of them had any leaves.

There was wildlife watching them, just as there had been in other places of Arcadia, but the cute Des Koalas were now replaced by sinister-looking Vampire Koalas. D.D. Crows and Ritual Ravens perched in the branches eyed the three teenagers with curious looks.

"You think that these woods may be a focal point of the Shadow Queen's power?" asked Francesca.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen was watching through her crystal ball, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud when she heard that.

"Foolish child," she said, as she stood up. "All of Arcadia is a focal point of my power!"

She went to a stack of Duel Monsters cards, and selected one.

"I think you three need a little reminder of that…"

She threw the card into her fireplace, and the blue flames erupted again.

"Go, my minion!" she shouted. "Give them the scare of their lives!"

Once again, a blue fireball shot out of the mountain, and flew towards Twilight Woods.

**0000000000**

"GUYS!" shouted Francesca, as she held out her hand, holding them back.

Two evil, glowing eyes were in front of them, in the middle of the path…

Then the whole creature stepped into the dim light… It was a huge, hulking, demonic shadow. It let out an evil, cackling laugh. (2,800 ATK)

"Despair from the Dark?" screamed Stan.

Andy quickly drew five cards off of his deck.

"All right 'your highness'," he said. "You want to play hardball?"

He held up a Polymerization card.

"I fuse Red Eyes Black Dragon and Goddess with the Third Eye…"

The Dragon and the Fairy appeared in front of him, and then combined into a vortex of energy…

With a bellowing roar, Black Skull Dragon appeared in front of him. (3,200 ATK)

"Attack with Meteor Flare!"

An explosion lit up the dark woods…

Andy held his chest as his Dragon vanished…

"Wow…" said Francesca, as she looked at the scorched patch of grass where Despair from the Dark had been. "You didn't even need the sunglasses that time…"

"Yeah…" said Andy. "Now someone hold me up before I pass out…"

"Don't do that!" shouted Stan, holding onto him. "For all we know, the Queen might not be done sending her goons after us!"

Then they heard footsteps. Someone was running down the path.

"Case in point…" he said.

Stan and Francesca stood ready to activate their Disks…

Fortunately, to their relief, the one running up to them was human, and didn't seem like the typical dark warrior.

He looked about a year older than they were, with long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and bright blue eyes. He wore an old t-shirt with the logo of the band K.I.S.S. (a group that had been retired for a long time now) and battered jeans.

He wore a Duel Disk, so they assumed he was a tournament contestant.

"Hey…" he said. "What happened here? I saw an explosion…"

His accent was clearly Dutch.

"Uh..." said Andy. "Would you believe we were attacked by a Despair from the Dark?"

The young man looked around.

"Uhm…" he said. "Actually, I might… I've seen a few strange things since the tournament started, and this place…

"Well, if there was a Duel Spirit like that on Arcadia, this would kinda be the place where I'd expect it to be…"

"You're from Germany, right?" asked Francesca.

"Truthfully, Belgium," said the young man.

He held out his hand.

"Drake Bauer," he said.

After introductions were made, Drake looked around again.

"Say…" he said. "If you three are going to Twilight Town, I was heading there too… You know, there's safety in numbers…"

"That's the best idea I've heard in a long time…" said Stan.

**0000000000**

After a half-hour of walking, they came on a signpost that said "Twilight Town: 2 Kilometers". Still, the spooky wood was, if anything, even spookier.

"I don't know what we're going to encounter first," said Andy, "a pack of Flying Monkeys or a swarm of Acromantulas."

"Your friend watches a lot of movies, I assume?" said Drake, with a chuckle.

"It seems like that," said Francesca. "So how long have you been dueling, Drake?"

"Pretty much for as long as I can remember," replied Drake. "It's been my hobby all my life… I've been the champion of Benelux for three straight years."

They all looked at him.

"Benelux?" asked Stan. "Uh…"

"It's a customs union made up of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxemburg," said Andy. "The three countries are grouped together in a lot of ways, so it makes sense that they'd do so for Duel Monsters."

"I guess the truth is out now…" said Drake.

He sighed.

"Seeing as we're all in the tournament, maybe a duel would take everyone's mind off the surroundings?"

"How many Crystal Cards do you have?" asked Stan.

"Five," replied Drake.

Francesca and Andy looked at Stan. Then Stan looked at his Duel Disk.

_Champion of Benelux? _he thought. _Well… It's a small country… But does being the State Champion of Maryland make me just as good?_

He sighed. He wasn't really sure whether or not Benelux was bigger than Maryland, and he was pretty sure than Belgium had more to it than waffles, despite popular belief…

"_Go for it, Stan!" _cried a voice.

He was a little surprised. It was a female voice that he hadn't heard before…

He looked at his deck.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"_You'll see me soon!" _replied the voice. _"There's no evil spell holding you back now, so let's take this guy!"_

He looked at Drake.

"Okay…" he said. "Sure, Drake, I'll take you on…"

He activated his Duel Disk.

**0000000000**

As usual, Crump was watching them. Again, he had climbed a tree, but this time, he had chosen one that would be easy to climb down from.

_Humph… _he thought, as he looked with a pair of binoculars. _Stan's dueling again… Well, who knows? This Drake guy seems pretty tough. _

"Who?" said a voice

Crump turned his head, and saw An Owl of Luck perched on the branch curiously looking at him.

He sighed. He had learned his lesson by now not to mess with Duel Spirits…

**0000000000**

Drake drew his opening hand of five cards.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Drake: 8,000)**

"Uh…" he said. "After you…"

Stan paused for a minute, before making his first draw.

The card was Gagaga Magician.

He paused for a minute. He checked himself mentally…

Nothing. He sighed in relief.

_Guess the Shadow Queen's spell wore off, _he thought. _Thank goodness…_

He played the card, and the veiled Spellcaster wearing chains leapt onto the field in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

Stan smirked again. It was good to see his Monster wearing his normal clothes again… The whole soccer thing was pretty ridiculous.

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card flashed into view behind Gagaga Magician.

"That ought to do it…" he said. "Let's see what you've got, Drake…"

Drake drew a card, and then took one from his hand.

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Triangle Force…" he said, as he fit a card into his Disk.

Stan had never seen this card before, although the three Monsters pictured on it were easy enough to recognize… They were the three Magnet Warriors that the King of Games had used.

"Uh, okay…" said Stan. "And what does that do?"

"It lets me take two more copies of Triangle Force from my deck, and activate them," said Drake.

Stan lifted an eyebrow as two copies of the same card appeared next to the first.

"Other than that…" said Drake, "It doesn't do much…

"So, I'll set a card, and then a Monster, and then my turn is over…"

A reversed card appeared, followed by a set Monster.

Stan made a draw.

"I summon Trident Warrior!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, the powerful Warrior with his three-pronged spear materialized onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"And via his effect, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Monster from my hand…"

In a flash of light, Shine Knight appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,900 DEF)

"But, he isn't Level 3 anymore, because Shine Knight becomes Level 4 when he's in Defense Mode.

"Which means I can Overlay him and Trident Warrior…"

The two Warriors turned into the vortex of light…

The ground rumbled, and Kachi Kochi Dragon burst out of the ground. (2,100 ATK)

"Going for the gold early, I see…" said Drake.

"You bet!" shouted Stan. "Attack his Monster! Surging Shockwave…"

The Xyz Dragon roared…

"Well so am I!" shouted Drake.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Golden Barrier!"

The three Triangle Force cards shattered, and the imposing form of Golden Homunculus appeared, holding out its hand and catching the Dragon's blast.

"I can only use this card when I have three or more Spell or Trap Cards," said Drake. "I have to destroy all of them, but in return, your Battle Phase is called off, and I get to draw twice…"

He made two draws as the Homunculus vanished.

"Okay…" said Andy. "This is an… odd strategy…"

"For a minute there I was expecting him to use Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings…" said Francesca. "Guess not…"

Stan frowned. He had kind of been expecting it too…

"Uh… Your move, I guess…" he said.

Drake drew a card.

"I set another card," he said, as a concealed card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then play Soul Absorption."

Stan lifted an eyebrow again as the Continuous Spell Card appeared.

_Now _he was a little worried. He knew what Soul Absorption did, and there was really only one type of deck that a duelist played where it was useful…

…a deck known for being quite powerful…

"I end my turn…" he said.

Stan made a draw.

"I set a Monster…" he said, as a reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"And then I attack with Kachi Kochi Dragon!"

The Dragon blasted its bolt of energy, and a goofy-looking jester wearing yellow and green, along with a red cavalier hat with a large, lavender plume, appeared on the card. It was blown to bits.

"Peten the Dark Clown?" gasped Stan.

"That's right," said Drake. "And when Peten is destroyed, I can remove his card from play to Special Summon his twin brother from my deck…"

A duplicate of the Dark Clown appeared in front of him, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

"Which means, I gain 500 Life Points from Soul Absorption, because a card was removed from play…"

"But that Monster went to the Graveyard before that happened…" said Stan, "meaning my Dragon can use its effect to attack a second time!"

He discarded Shine Knight's card, and Kachi Kochi Dragon blasted its attack again, and the second Dark Clown was eradicated.

"I wasn't being entirely truthful when I said that they were twins…" said Drake.

A third Peten appeared in front of him. (1,200 DEF)

"Truthfully, they're triplets."

"I've got one more attack…" said Stan.

The third Peten looked at Gagaga Magician, made a goofy face, and blew a raspberry at the stronger Spellcaster.

Gagaga Magician was not amused. He pointed at the Dark Clown, and an eldritch bolt of energy blew it to pieces.

"It's your move…" said Stan.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 9,000)**

Drake drew a card.

"I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater…" he said.

He played the card, and a large mandrill ape with purple fur appeared in front of him. It let out a bellow and beat its chest. (1,600 ATK)

"Apes…" muttered Francesca. "I really don't like them…"

"You know…" said Andy, "primates are the animals that humans are the most closely related to…"

"I know…" muttered Francesca. "That makes it worse…"

"Next, I activate this…" said Drake.

His face-down card lifted up.

"Multiple Destruction," he said. "Because we each have a hand of at least three cards, we both fold them, and draw five times."

Stan looked at him. Drake discarded four cards, while Stan discarded Ego Boost, Familiar Knight, Gagaga Gardna, and Feedback Warrior.

"However…" said Drake. "I take 100 points of damage for each one I discarded…"

He made five draws.

"If he keeps ditching his cards, he's not going to have many left!" said Andy.

"He knows what he's doing…" said Francesca, ominously. "With this deck, the Monsters that are dead can be as useful as the ones that are alive…

"…and the ones that are eradicated completely can be even more useful…"

"Next, I use Bazoo's effect…" said Drake. "For every Monster in my Graveyard that I remove from play, I can increase its Attack Score by 300 per Monster…

"However… It has a three-Monster per turn limit…"

Three cards, the last Peten, and two copies of Gren Maju Da Eiza, appeared behind Drake, and vanished into ripples of light. Bazoo's Attack Score rose to 2,500.

"WHAT?" shouted Stan. "You removed _two _copies of Gren Maju Da Eiza from play to power up Bazoo?"

"Yes I did," said Drake, "and because I did, I gain 1,500 Life Points from Soul Absorption… And, he can do _this!_

"Attack Kachi Kochi Dragon! Breath of Souls!"

The ape blasted a beam of pure light from its jaws, striking Kachi Kochi Dragon and causing the rocky Dragon to dissolve into particles of light.

_Something is definitely wrong here… _thought Stan. _Gren Maju Da Eiza is usually the ace in a Chaos Deck…_

_Drake must have something big planned if he used two copies of it for Bazoo fuel…_

"I end my turn…" said Drake. "However, Bazoo keeps that bonus to its Attack Score until the end of _your _next turn…"

**(S: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 10,100)**

Stan drew a card. He smirked.

"I activate Gagagabolt!" he shouted.

"Eh?" said Drake. "What does that do?"

Then thunder rolled… Gagaga Magician lifted his hand…

Lightning crashed down, striking Bazoo and blasting it into particles.

"That," replied Stan. "Next, I use Gagaga Magician's effect to raise his Level to 8…"

Once again, the four stars appeared on the Spellcaster's belt, and doubled.

"…and Equip him with Bound Wand…"

The scepter appeared in Gagaga Magician's hand, and he aimed it at Drake. (2,300 ATK)

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself…" said Stan with a chuckle.

He played another card, and Gagaga Girl appeared next to him. (1,000 ATK)

"I think Gagaga Girl wants to join the party!"

"Now they've got something for you…"

Gagaga Magician fired a blast of burning energy from the Bound Wand, hitting him in the stomach. Drake grunted and held his gut.

"You're up!" said Stan, pointing to Gagaga Girl. "Gagaga Push!"

Gagaga Girl held up her mobile and blasted the digital beam at Drake.

**(S: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,800)**

Drake coughed and grinned nervously.

"That's one way to 'reach out and touch someone'," he muttered.

Stan looked at him strangely.

"Come on, Stan," he said. "You have to have humor in the face of adversity if you ever want to get anywhere as a duelist…"

Stan shook his head.

_That's easy for you to say, Drake… _he thought. _You don't have an evil sorceress trying to kill you…_

He took a card from his hand, and threw it into his Disk. A face-down card appeared in the spot to the left of the other one.

"I'm done…" he said, as Gagaga Magician's Attack Score fell to 1,900.

Drake made a draw.

"I summon Chaosrider Gustaph!" he shouted.

There was the roar of an engine, and a fiendish-looking biker in leather and a horned helmet, holding a long pike, rode onto the field in a noisy motorcycle. (1,400 ATK)

"Now, I remove two Spell Cards from play…" said Drake, as two copies of Triangle Force slipped out of his discard slot, "and for each one, my biker gains 300 Attack Points!"

(2,000 ATK)

"Mow Gagaga Magician down!" he shouted.

The biker started up his engine again, and sped towards the Spellcaster, burning rubber as he did so…

"I activate… Gagagashield!"

His facedown card lifted up, and the large shield appeared in Gagaga Magician's hand.

"By using this Trap, my Spellcaster can't be destroyed this turn…"

Chaosrider Gustaph skidded to a halt. He rode back to Drake's side of the field, and shifted into neutral.

"At least I gained 1,000 Life Points from Soul Absorption," said Drake. "It's your move…"

**(S: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,800)**

Stan drew, and then looked at his three cards.

_Two Trap Cards and a Spell… _he thought.

He looked at his set Monster…

_Better save that one… _he thought.

"Once again, I boost Gagaga Magician's Level to 8," he said.

(2,300 ATK)

"And he'll attack Chaosrider Gustaph!"

The bolt of magical energy hit Gustaph's bike, and there was a loud, fiery blast as the fuel tank exploded. A single wheel rolled around the center of the field a few times before disintegrating.

"Gagaga Girl…" said Stan.

The young apprentice did a flip, and then kicked Drake in the stomach hard. He fell over.

**(S: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,500)**

"I'll set two cards," said Stan, as two more face-down cards appeared behind his two magicians, "and I end my turn…"

"Keep it up, bro!" shouted Andy. "At this rate, you'll get to the Thousand Year Door in no time!"

**0000000000**

_This guy is the champion of Benelux? _thought Crump. _Are all the duelists there pathetic?_

"Who?" said the Owl of Luck.

Crump sighed, and looked at the Winged Beast.

"Go away…" he said.

"Who?" it replied.

"Argh…" groaned Crump.

**0000000000**

Drake drew, and then looked at Stan. He had a much more serious game face on now.

"Before I summon this…" he said, as he took another card from his hand, "I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon…"

He played a Spell Card. A cyclone tore across the field, and the Bound Wand flew from Gagaga Magician's hand. (1,500 ATK)

"Huh?" said Stan. "You could have used that on your last turn… But you waited?"

"I had my reasons…" said Drake. "Next, I play Soul Release…

"It's a very old card, but still useful after all these years. I can now remove up to five cards in either Graveyard from play… And I'm going to remove all five from mine…"

Five cards – Triangle Force, Bazoo, Mystical Space Typhoon, Gustaph, and Multiple Destruction – appeared behind him, and vanished into a ripple of light.

"I gain 2,500 Life Points from Soul Absorption… Now, I summon…"

He paused.

"Well… This Monster likes to make its own introduction…"

He played the card, and the dark sky turned red as an eerie, white-hot flame rose in front of Drake…

Stan stepped back in fright as it appeared. This Monster was pretty much a staple of a Chaos Deck, but that didn't make it any less horrifying… Gren Maju Da Eiza, the Crimson Lotus Demon.

It was very hard to describe this thing by comparing it to any terrestrial creature. It wasn't humanoid. It had a demonic head and an exoskeleton that combined the bones of a vertebre with the shell of some huge insect, all bright red. It had two wicked claws, but no legs on its bloated body, and two wings that, while large, didn't seem large enough to support its massive bulk in flight. It had a large, barbed tail, the only part of its body that actually moved as it glared at Stan and his two Monsters in stony silence.

Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl seemed just as nervous as Stan was…

"Uh…" said Francesca. "I lost track… How many cards has he removed from play so far?"

"Two Petens…" said Francesca. "Three using Bazoo's effect… Two using Gustaph's effect… And the five from Soul Release…"

"Twelve…" replied Drake. "And my Monster's Attack and Defense Scores are both 400 times that number. Multiply it…"

(4,800 ATK)

"Time to stop taking damage and start dishing it out!" he said. "Gren Maju Da Eiza… Attack Gagaga Girl!"

Gagaga Girl was close to panic as the demon stared into her eyes without blinking…

"Hang on!" shouted Stan, as one of his face-down cards lifted up. "I activate Gagagaguard!

"Because I have two Gagaga Monsters, this renders them invincible!"

"Maybe so," said Drake. "But it doesn't protect _you_…"

Stan suddenly felt like fires were burning inside him. He held his chest in pain.

When he looked, his two Spellcasters were looking at him with worried expressions.

"I'll be fine…" he muttered.

**(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 9,000)**

Drake set one card in his Disk, and a face-down card flashed into view behind the bloated Fiend.

"It's your move, Stan…" said Drake. "Next turn, those two will have nothing to protect them…"

"Maybe, maybe not…" said Stan.

One of his remaining face-down cards lifted up.

"Thanks to Shock Draw, I now get to draw three cards…"

He drew three times.

"Now I'll take my turn…"

He drew again.

"Hello?" he said when he saw the card.

He looked at the card strangely. It was another of the strange Monsters he had gotten from Merlow.

He looked at his two Monsters on the field, then at his last face-down card, then at the card he had drawn again.

_Hey! _he thought. _Not only can I defeat his Chaos Fiend, I can try out the card I won from Mad Jack!_

"All right Drake, get ready…" he said.

He threw the card on his Disk, and a dark aura of shadow appeared in front of him.

"I summon… _Vivian the Shadow Siren!"_

The shadow vanished, to reveal a rather petite figure, sort of a shadow in feminine humanoid form, her lower body trailing off into a ghostly tendril. She wore a large, red and white striped, wide-brimmed hat and had curly pink hair that covered her eyes, but not her big smile or her dimples. (1,800 ATK)

"Heh…" said Drake. "Kinda cute…"

The same warm feeling was there again for Stan and his two friends. Although they had never seen this creature before, seeing her was like seeing someone they had known all their lives… Who they had missed terribly…

Vivian looked at the Chaos Fiend, and her smile suddenly turned into a serious expression…

"All right…" said Stan. "I use Gagaga Girl's effect to make her Level the same as Gagaga Magician's, 4…

"Everyone…"

The three Spellcasters looked at him, and gave him a thumb's up sign.

"For this incredibly potent Xyz Summon," he continued, "I need a _triple _Overlay! So let's open the Overlay Network again!"

This time, it was different. The vortex that consumed the three Monsters was one of eldritch blue flames, forming a spiraling circle of magical energy…

"I call forth… Alchemic Magician!"

The vortex turned into a column of fiery energy, and then burst. A tall figure stepped out of it.

It was a female sorceress, who's most notable feature was her floor-length lime-green, curly hair. She wore a leather top and pants, gloves, two belts, boots, and a pair of goggles on her forehead. (1,500 ATK)

"O-kay…" said Drake. "I was kind of expecting more than 1,500 Attack Points…"

"There is more…" said Stan. "But first, due to Gagaga Girl's effect, I can reduce the Attack Score of one of your Monsters to zero."

Drake's eyes opened wide in shock as Gren Maju Da Eiza's Attack Score fell to nothing.

"Also, for every Spell Card in my Graveyard right now," continued Stan, "Alchemic Magician gains 200 Attack Points..."

Ego Boost and Bound Wand appeared behind Stan, and then both cards turned into energy, flowing into Alchemic Magician. (1,900 ATK)

"That's not all," said Stan, as he took Vivian's card from underneath Alchemic Magician's. "By detaching one Overlay Unit and sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can take a Spell Card from my deck, and then set it."

He discarded Vivian's card and Gagagaback. A set card appeared behind Alchemic Magician, and Alchemic Magician absorbed the power from Gagagaback. (2,100 ATK)

"Next…" said Stan.

His previously-set face-down card lifted up, and Call of the Haunted glowed with energy. Vivian reappeared in the same shadowy aura. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack that abomination!" shouted Stan. "Fiery Jinx!"

Vivian pointed, and a large blast of fire shot from her fingertips. The Crimson Lotus Beast didn't actually move, but an unearthly howl like something out of the depths of Hell came from it right before it shattered.

"Whoa…" said Andy. "Cute AND able to kick some serious A!"

"I'm not done with you…" said Stan, as Alchemic Magician held up her hand, and arcane symbols appeared in the air around her. "Alchemic Magician, attack directly with Arcane Burnout!"

The strange symbols spun into a circle, and then turned into a spinning blade of magical energy. Alchemic Magician threw it, and Drake grunted as it cut across his chest.

**(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,100)**

"It's your move…" said Stan.

"Oh, I'll gladly make it…" said Drake, as he made a draw. "This is kinda getting interesting…"

"I summon D.D. Crazy Beast…" he said.

He threw the card on his Disk, and a multicolored portal opened in front of him. An ugly, weird creature emerged from it, a _thing _with a huge mouth full of very big teeth, eyes on the side of its head, and very big, clawed limbs. (1,400 ATK)

"I know that thing…" said Francesca. "It removes from play any Monster it defeats… Still, it's not all-too strong…"

"Somehow, I'm afraid Drake might have other plans for it…" said Andy.

Drake's face-down card lifted up.

"I use Escape From the Dark Dimension!" he shouted, as another portal opened. "This Trap Card lets me Special Summon a Dark-Attribute Monster that I removed from play…"

Peten the Dark Clown stepped out of the portal. (500 ATK)

"And because both these Monsters are Level 3," he said, as the Spellcaster and the Beast were consumed by a spiraling vortex of energy, "I can use them to create the Overlay Network on my own…"

There was a loud screech, and a creature flew out of the vortex. It looked like a large, winged serpent with sky-blue scales, with a mane of fire surrounding its head. (1,800 ATK)

"Yeah…" said Andy, nervously. "That's _exactly_ what I was afraid of!"

"You wanted to know why I was so willing to remove two of my copies of Gren Maju Da Eiza from play," said Drake. "Well, here's why… I can use Leviair the Sea Dragon's effect…"

D.D. Crazy Beast's card appeared, and Leviair snapped it up in its jaws.

"…to Special Summon a Monster that was removed from play…"

Once again, the hellish flames appeared, and the wicked Chaos Fiend appeared again. (4,000 ATK)

"Fortunately for your Shadow Siren, Gren isn't the vindictive type… But she'll get hers…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I activate Mist Body!"

A misty aura surrounded the Sea Dragon.

"Gren Maju Da Eiza…" he commanded. "Eradicate Alchemic Magician!"

The Spellcaster Xyz trembled as the demon stared her in the eye.

"Vivian, now!" shouted Stan, as he discarded a card.

Then Vivian grabbed hold of Alchemic Magician, and the two vanished, seemingly into the dark shadows behind them. Gren Maju Da Eiza looked a little confused…

"What happened?" said Drake.

Vivian and Alchemic Magician reappeared.

"It's called Vivian's Veil," said Stan. "Vivian has the power to pull herself and an ally into the shadows to shield themselves from danger.

"In game terms, if I discard a card from my hand, she can use her effect to negate an attack on one of my Monsters…"

"I see…" said Drake. "Can she do that more than once per turn? Leviair, attack Vivian with Wavefire!"

The Sea Serpent shot a blast of fire at the Shadow Siren…

Stan discarded another card, and Vivian vanished into the shadows again, causing the flames to strike empty ground.

"Okay… I'll take that as a yes…" said Drake, as Vivian reappeared.

"And because I discarded Cross Attack," said Stan, "Alchemic Magician gets stronger…"

(2,300 ATK)

"Yeah, well…" said Drake. "You can't do that forever… I end my turn…"

_He has a point… _said Stan. _Leviair can use its effect again, so next round I'm going to be dealing with TWO of those things…_

_Man, how would the guys who had originally fought the Shadow Queen have dealt with this?_

"With a little ingenuity, and a whole lot of patience," said a voice.

**0000000000**

Stan was startled. It was the same voice that had encouraged him before the duel started.

He looked around, and he was alone… Andy, Francesca, Drake, and the Monsters were gone…

All except for Vivian, that is.

"Uh, hi…" he said.

"I thought it was time to make a formal introduction…" said Vivian, with a shy smirk. "You might say I was closer to the Dark Sorcerer than any of the other Companions were…"

"I know what the situation was with you and your sisters, Vivian…" said Stan. "I know the storyline of the video game…"

'Don't believe it," said Vivian, with a sad sigh. "That was the sugar-coated, PG-rated version. The truth is a lot less pretty."

"Uh… Dare I ask?" said Stan.

"You think that my older sisters were pulling the wool over my eyes when I was working with them and they were working for the Shadow Queen?" said Vivian. "No… I was very eager to join them…

"We were part of a cult that followed the Shadow Queen as her acolytes… But the thing is… What might have saved me was the fact that I just wasn't as good a sorceress as they were, at least at first."

"I don't follow…" said Stan.

"In order for her acolytes to use the dark magic that she herself used," said Vivian, "we had perform this ritual where we swore allegiance to some dark entity that she drew power from. I'm not sure who or what he was.

"I was the youngest sister, and they did the ritual well before I got a chance to try. But… I was never able to actually do it… I seemed to be lacking the skills. Beldam and Marilyn told me to keep practicing, and in the meantime, we worked as her enforcers back then…

"I think the ritual may have involved giving up your soul and renouncing everything decent… Not having done it…"

"You still had a conscience…" said Stan. "Unlike her other acolytes."

Vivian nodded.

"I was eager to work for the Queen at first, but I started to be able to tell right from wrong…" she sighed. "What the Queen wanted from us… It was _very _wrong…

"Even when my magic became even stronger, the ritual became even harder to do… It was like there was a mental block keeping me from it…

"Then it happened…"

"What?" said Stan.

"We fought the Three Heroes for the first time," said Vivian. "It was a long battle… Eventually, my sisters were out cold, the Dragon Master was stunned, the Unicorn Princess was tied up and her unicorn was trapped in a net… It was down to me and the Dark Sorcerer.

"And eventually, my magic proved no match for his… But he chose to show mercy…

"After that, it all changed. The Queen was merciless to traitors, but it didn't seem to matter to me. The next time she told us to hunt down a fugitive, we ended up at the wrong house… Beldam and Marilyn never realized that I had purposely read the divination wrong. Then the next guy got away, and Beldam blamed her spell failing on a bad case of butterfingers… She never noticed the counter-spell I had cast…

"Then came the day of reckoning… The Queen placed a death sentence on someone who I was certain was innocent. I actually rushed ahead and warned him."

"Let me guess…" said Stan. "You got in trouble when the Queen found out."

"Fortunately, turning coat on her had a benefit," said Vivian. "Someone warned _me _that she had signed a new death warrant, and it had my name on it. I ran for my life. The one option I knew of was to find the Three Heroes and ask for asylum… And to my surprise, they welcomed me with open arms…

"The rest was history…"

"And now we have to make history repeat itself," said Stan, "and to do that, Andy, Francesca and I have to make it to the Door. Any idea how to deal with this?"

"Like I said," said Vivian, "ingenuity and patience is the key… You already have a few things that might help… You just have to use them right…"

**0000000000**

Stan made a draw. It was Resonance Device, not much help there…

_Wait a minute… _he thought.

He looked at his Monsters.

_My set Monster! _he thought. _Almost forgot about it…_

_Gonna be a risk, but… here goes…_

"I flip Crystal Seer into Attack Mode!" he shouted.

His set Monster flipped up, and a mysterious-looking individual wearing a red robe and turban, with a blue cape and veil, appeared in a soft light. (100 ATK)

"Due to its Flip Effect," he continued, "I get to look at the top two cards on my deck… I get to keep one, and then put the other on the bottom…"

_But if neither are any good, _he thought, _I've had it…_

He took the top two cards off his deck, and looked at them. They were Gagaga Druid and Marauding Captain.

He quickly took Gagaga Druid and put it at the bottom of his deck.

"I summon Marauding Captain!" he shouted.

He played the card, and one of the most popular Warriors in the game, wearing his armor, cape, and holding his two swords, walked onto the field. (1,200 ATK)

"I don't think a pro like you needs me to explain his effect," said Stan, as he took a card from his hand. "So… I'll just summon Gagaga Kaiser…"

In another aura of energy, a strange Warrior appeared next to the Captain. He was wearing an impeccably clean white military uniform and a cape with a fur sole. Like most of the Gagaga Monsters, he covered the lower part of his face with a veil, and held a long staff tipped with a red ruby. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I use Kaiser's effect…" said Stan. "By removing a Monster in my Graveyard from play – any Monster at all, I might add – I can change the Levels of all Gagaga Monsters I have to the Level of the removed Monster…"

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

"The Monster I'm removing is Gagaga Gardna, which means that Kaiser's Level changes from 3 to 4."

"Why on earth did you do that?" asked Drake. "You could have used him and the Captain to summon a Rank 3 Xyz."

"Because I'd rather summon a Rank 4 Xyz," replied Stan.

He turned a Spell Card in his hand around.

"And thanks to Resonance Device, I can do that. See, Marauding Captain is an Earth-Attribute Warrior, just like Kaiser, meaning this Spell can make his Level the same as Kaiser's.

"But first… Because that's another Spell Card in my Graveyard, Alchemic Magician gains a slight boost…"

The Spellcaster smiled as she glowed with energy.

"And now, I Overlay Marauding Captain and Gagaga Kaiser…"

The vortex appeared, consuming the two Warriors… The orchestra music started again…

Then Maestroke the Symphony Djinn appeared before him. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I use my Djinn's effect," said Stan. "By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, he can switch one of your Monsters to set Defense Mode!"

Drake stepped back in surprise as Gren Maju Da Eiza turned into a set card.

"So?" he said. "It's Defense Score is the same as its Attack Score…"

Stan smirked, as the face-down Spell Card he had set last turn with Alchemic Magician's effect lifted up.

"Shield Crush!" he shouted.

A bolt of energy shot out of the card, blowing the set Monster to pieces in an explosion of dark smoke.

"I'm not done," said Stan, as Alchemic Magician's Attack Score rose to 2,700. "Attack Leviair the Sea Dragon!"

Alchemic Magician cast her dark spell, and the Sea Dragon roared. It stood firm, due to its Equip Spell, but Drake winced a bit.

"Are you done?" said Drake.

"Almost…" said Stan.

A small lizard appeared in the middle of the field.

"Wha?" said Drake.

"It's called an Overlay Eater…" said Stan. "I discarded it to use Vivian's effect. And by removing it from play, I can take Leviair's Overlay Unit from it, and put it on Maestroke."

The small lizard vanished, and Peten's card was yanked from Leviair, then absorbed by the Symphony Djinn.

"Overlay Eater?" said Drake, looking a little pissed. "More like Overlay _Stealer _if you ask me!"

"I didn't name the card…" said Stan.

"Yeah, well…" said Drake, "you removed two Monsters from play this turn, meaning I gain 1,000 Life Points from Soul Absorption."

"I guess…" said Stan. "It's your move…"

**(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,200)**

Drake drew a card. He looked at the two cards in his hand…

"Leviair, attack Crystal Seer!" he shouted.

Leviair shot its Wavefire at the gypsy, and Stan groaned as the magician exploded…

But then he smirked.

"Sucker!" he said. "I was hoping…"

"…that I'd aim for the more vulnerable target and forget about Vivian, right?" said Drake. "Actually, I didn't forget about her…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I give up 1,000 Life Points to play Dimensional Archaeologist…"

"Uh…" said Stan, as he looked at the weird Spell Card. "So what does that do?"

"Ever hear of Burial from a Different Dimension?" said Drake. "It's basically the same thing, but it can restore _any _three cards to the Graveyard, not just Monsters…"

He took the three copies of Triangle Force from his pocket and slipped them into his discard slot.

"You're obviously wondering why I did that…" he said.

"Kind of…" replied Stan.

Drake held up his last card.

"I activate That Wacky Magic!" he shouted.

"That Wacky Magic?" said Andy.

"Sounds kinda like what they would name an old disco song…" said Francesca.

"Like your friend previously said," replied Drake, "I didn't name the card… But it's very powerful… What it does is remove from play every last Spell Card in my Graveyard…"

All three copies of Triangle Force, Soul Release, and Dimensional Archaeologist appeared behind him, and then disappeared.

"…then I multiply the number by 300, and all opposing Monsters with Defense Scores equal to or less than the result are destroyed…"

A powerful wave of magic blasted across the field. Maestroke hung onto his hat and withstood it, but both Vivian and Alchemic Magician were blown into shards.

"Vivian…" said Stan, sadly.

"Don't forget, Stan," said Drake, "I gain 2,500 Life Points from Soul Release… With that, my turn is over…"

**(S: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,700)**

Stan sighed as he drew his card.

"_The duel isn't over yet Stan!" _he heard Vivian's voice call out.

Stan set the card on his Disk.

_She's right… _he thought, as a set Monster appeared next to Maestroke. _Now let's hope for the best…_

He turned the card on his Disk, and Maestroke sheathed his sword and knelt. (2,300 DEF)

He nodded to Drake.

Drake drew a card.

It was D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation.

_Hmm… _he thought. _I could use this to summon that other copy of Gren…_

_Trouble is, I need to discard a card to use it, and I don't have one…_

"I pass…" he said. "Your move…"

Stan quickly made a draw. He looked at it briefly, but then quickly flipped his set Monster into Attack Position. The Morphing Jar appeared, and let out a cackling laugh. (700 DEF)

Drake looked at him sternly. He discarded the Equip Spell, and made five draws.

Then his face-lit up.

One of the cards he had drawn was Monster Reborn… That was even better… And he had Chaos End and Heavy Storm to boot…

Stan made his five draws.

Then he took one.

"I play… Pot of Avarice…" he said.

The silly-looking jar appeared, and he took Alchemic Magician, Kachi Kochi Dragon, Familiar Knight, Trident Warrior, and Shine Knight from his Graveyard pile, and reshuffled his deck. He drew twice.

"Get some good ones?" asked Drake.

"That's not the point…" said Stan.

"Eh?" said Drake.

Stan played one of his six cards.

"First, I use Monster Reborn," he said. "Guess who's back?"

Vivian appeared, again spouting her sweet smile. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, Gagagarevenge," he continued, as he played another Spell Card.

In a flash, Gagaga Girl reappeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I summon Magician's Valkyria!"

He played another card, and Valkyria leapt onto the field with a flip. (1,600 ATK)

"Impressive…" said Drake.

"I'm just getting started…" said Stan. "Maestroke, move back to Attack Mode!"

The Symphony Djinn stood up, and drew his rapier. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, the Spell Card, Star Changer!" he said. "By using it on Morphing Jar, I can raise its Level from 2 to 3.

"So I'll open the Overlay Network… _Twice!_

"First, with Valkyria and Vivian…"

The two Spellcasters hi-fived each other, and then turned into a spiraling vortex of energy…

The ground rumbled again, and Kachi Kochi Dragon appeared again. (2,100 ATK)

"Stan didn't use Pot of Avarice to draw cards…" said Andy. "He used it to send that guy back to his Extra Deck!"

"Exactly!" said Stan. "And now, with Gagaga Girl and Morphing Jar…"

The Spellcaster and the Rock formed a second vortex of energy.

"I can Xyz Summon Melomelody the Brass Djinn!"

In another burst, the young female Fiend appeared, astride her huge horn. (1,400 ATK)

"And because Gagaga Girl was Equipped with Gagagarevenge, all three of my Xyzs gain 300 Attack Points…"

(Kachi Kochi Dragon: 2,400 ATK; Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: 2,100 ATK; Melomelody the Brass Djinn: 1,700 ATK)

"Nice, but you forgot something…" said Drake. "The Mist Body on my Monster… As long as it has it…"

"I didn't forget…" said Stan. "Maestroke still has two Overlay Units…"

Drake looked at Maestroke.

"Oh, shit…" he said.

Stan quickly discarded Gagaga Kaiser's card, and Leviair flipped into set position as the Mist Body card shattered.

"Now…" said Stan, as he discarded Gagaga Girl's card, "by using Melomelody's effect, she can enable an Xyz with the word 'Djinn' in its name to attack twice this turn.

"Think I'll give that effect to Maestroke…

"But before he does… Kachi Kochi Dragon… Surging Shockwave!"

The Dragon blasted its beam of energy, blowing the Sea Dragon to teeny-tiny pieces.

Stan discarded Vivian's card.

"And then I use its effect, and attack you directly!"

The Dragon fired again, hitting Drake in the chest.

"ARGH!" he shouted.

"Maestroke, you're up!" shouted Stan, as the musical scales started to intertwine around the Djinn's sword. "Death Symphony!"

Maestroke shot a blast of sound at Drake, and Drake struggled to keep standing…

Then Maestroke swung again, making a second attack. Drake held his chest.

"Melomelody…" said Stan. "Finish him off! Melodic Wave!"

The Brass Djinn blew her terrible horn, and the wave of sound struck Drake, knocking him over.

**(S: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)**

"Whoa…" said Stan. "Maybe I got a little carried away there…"

Drake groaned as he got up.

"Gee, Stan…" said Francesca. "I hope I never have to duel you… You're crazy…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Crump had fallen out of the tree again. The last round of attacks that Stan had made in the duel had taken him by surprise.

He opened his eyes to see a Kagetokage licking his face with a long tongue.

"Buzz off!" he shouted.

The Reptile scurried away.

_Better get to Twilight Town when the coast is clear, _he thought. _These kids are using some pretty weird cards, and I think it would be best if I did some research on them…_

**0000000000**

"Hey, Drake, you did pretty good…" said Stan.

"Yeah…" muttered Drake, as he rubbed his back.

He handed Stan a Crystal Card.

"But next time… Spar with Kaiba, okay?"

"So…" said Francesca. "You still going to walk with us to Twilight Town?"

Then a loud, spooky howl echoed over the trees, and their hair stood on end.

"Uh, I have a better idea…" said Andy.

"Right…" said Drake. "Last one to Twilight Town is a rotten egg…"

Then the four of them ran down the path, not looking back.

**0000000000**

**MULTIPLE DESTRUCTION (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A soldier falling into a crevice, dragging another soldier down with him.

**Card Description:** Activate only when both players each have 3 or more cards in their hands. Both players discard all the cards in their hands and draw 5 cards. Then, you take damage equal to 100x the number of cards you discarded via this effect.

_Note: "Multiple Destruction" was first used by Bakura in the original anime episode "Showdown in the Shadows (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**TRIANGLE FORCE (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **The three original Magnet Warriors flying forward.

**Card Description: **Upon activation, take 2 copies of "Triangle Force" from your deck and place them face-up in your Spell/Trap Zone.

_Note: "Triangle Force" was first used by Yubel-possessed Johan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Ultimate Face-Off (Part 1)". __Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GOLDEN BARRIER (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Golden Homunculus on one knee, deflecting a volley of arrows shot at it with a shield of light.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack and you control at least 3 Spell and/or Trap Cards other than this one. You cannot activate any other Spell and/or Trap Cards during the turn you activate this card. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control to negate the attack and end the Battle Phase. Then, draw 2 cards.

**0000000000**

**DIMENSIONAL ****ARCHAEOLOGIST**** (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **An alien-looking, thin creature with four spindly arms and a bug-like face wearing long, dark robes, examining a demonic-looking skull with a magnifying glass.

**Card Description: **Pay 1,000 Life Points. Select 3 of your cards that have been removed from play, and return them to your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**VIVIAN THE SHADOW SIREN (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,800/1,000**

**Effect: **During your opponent's Battle Phase, you may discard 1 card from your hand to negate an attack against one of your face-up Monsters.

**0000000000**

_**With his Crystal Card count now at four, Stan is well on his way to catching up to his two comrades. With Twilight Town in their sights, what will they find on the next page of this story?**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: In the dark burg of Twilight Town, the people are a grim, morose lot… Still, the most depressed person I've found here isn't a native… He's another duelist competing in the Tournament like myself. **_

_**Why is he so glum? I don't know, but his attitude doesn't seem healthy at all…**_

_**Maybe I can find out…**_

"_**Regretful Rebirth" is coming soon. **_


	17. Regretful Rebirth

_**Ever since I've met Francesca, my feelings towards her have grown.**_

_**Why? Well, she's attractive, smart, and witty, but there's another reason…**_

_**I've always been sort of a pessimist, and that's a handicap. No-one likes a pessimist much… Francesca, however, is clearly an optimist.**_

_**Put an optimist and a pessimist together, and you get a solid realist. That's the healthiest way of thinking.**_

_**Twilight Town is a gloomy place, and I've met a guy who seems far more of a pessimist than I ever was.**_

_**Everyone has a story, and maybe I can delve into his…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL SEVENTEEN**

**0000000000**

**REGRETFUL REBIRTH**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The group stopped running after about twenty minutes. If the source of the howl had been chasing them at all, they had clearly lost it. Fortunately, they could see buildings up ahead…

To their surprise, to each side of the road were rows of cultivated trees. Unlike the ones in the woods, these were healthy, with leaves, and had branches full of scrumptious-looking peaches!

It was a mystery to them how peach trees could flourish in this dark place. It was tempting to pluck the delicious-looking fruits, but they figured they likely belonged to someone, and continued forward…

…towards the gates to Twilight Town.

The buildings of the modest town were all old-looking structures made of wood, and it seemed like whoever built them had an odd sense of architecture. Many of them seemed off-balance and slightly crooked. Most of them seemed to be no more than two stories tall. There were a great deal of dead trees here and there, and D.D. Crows were perched in a few of them.

"Heh…" said Stan. "Looks like my grandfather's type of place… Everything's made of wood!"

There were more than a few people around, dressed in old-fashioned clothing and keeping busy. One was brushing a horse at a stable, while a woman was hanging clothes up to dry. Everyone looked rather pale, likely because they didn't get much sun in this place.

A few of them turned and saw the visitors, but simply shrugged, and went back to their work.

"Uh, excuse me," said Stan, to someone who was pounding a nail into a loose shingle on a house.

The carpenter looked at him.

"Is there anywhere…" he started.

As he said this, he was interrupted by a loud, spooky chime. It seemed like the tolling of some sinister bell, far off in the woods.

The creepy bell rang five times, and then stopped.

"What was THAT?" shouted Andy.

"That was the Creepy Steeple," said the carpenter, ominously. "It's an old abandoned church that lies somewhere out in the woods…

"They say that a curse was put on the place a thousand years ago… Every hour, on the hour, the Steeple's horrible bell rings out the time…

"Some say that a demon lives up there… But others say that the Steeple's only true master is the bell itself… Few people are brave enough to go there to find out… Whoever does… never comes back…

"The folks here in Twilight Town… We just learn to live with it…"

Stan looked at his watch… Sure enough, it was five PM.

"Uh…" he said, nervously. "Is there somewhere around here where four Tournament contestants can get dinner?"

The carpenter turned, and pointed to what looked like the largest building in town. A sign on the door said "Twilight Inn".

"Try the cold peach soup," he said.

"Uh… Thanks…" said Stan.

As they walked towards the inn, the carpenter watched them. Then he lifted his fist, and rapped it three times on the wooden wall.

_A little luck never hurts these days… _he thought.

**0000000000**

Inside the dining room at the inn, the four teenagers were surprised at how many items on the menu involved peaches in some way.

Andy glanced at a table that was away in the corner. It was occupied by a young man a little older than they were.

He was a morose-looking sort, with spiky, black hair, hazel eyes, and a short goatee. He wore a silver hoop earring on his left ear, and black, fingerless gloves on both hands. He wore a black tank top covered with a gray, button-up collared shirt (left unbuttoned), faded black jeans, and sneakers.

He looked rather lonely, sitting by himself, sipping a soda. A Duel Disk was on the table in front of him.

"This place really takes peaches seriously," said Francesca, as she looked at the menu.

"That's right," said the waitress, as she came up to their table.

She was dressed all in black and just as pale as anyone else here, but seemed attractive in her own way.

"Twilight peaches are the specialty of the town," she said. "Hi, I'm Charlene. What can I get you?"

"Hey…" said Andy. "Who's that guy?"

He pointed to the young man at the corner table.

Charlene looked at him.

"Dunno," she said. "He came in about an hour ago. He doesn't seem to talk much…"

Then the young boy turned and looked at them, clearly having noticed this. It may have been true that he didn't talk much, but apparently, his ears worked just fine.

Then he turned back to his soda.

Andy got up, and walked up to his table.

"Care to join us, friend?" he said. "You look awfully lonely here…"

"Thank you," he said, glumly, "but I'd prefer to be alone…"

"Is something wrong?" said Andy.

"Not really," he replied.

Andy looked at him. This certainly didn't seem like much of a conversation.

"You have a name?" he asked.

"Of course I do," he replied.

Andy waited. But he didn't say anything else.

"Uh," he said. "So… Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Sean Kishore," said the youth, with a sigh.

"The question you first asked was whether I had a name. If you meant 'what is your name', then maybe that's what you should have asked."

"Okay, I tried to be friendly…" said Andy.

He went back to his table.

"Let's see…" he said. "Golden peach soup with shrimp and crab ceviche? Think I'll try that…"

**0000000000**

As the four of them were being served, Crump was at a computer at an internet café on the other side of town, sipping a cappuccino and going through the database on the I2 website.

_Odd… _he thought. _Not even a reference to Vivian the Shadow Siren or Madame Flurrie of the Fog…_

He rubbed his beard.

_They could be custom cards, sure… _

He thought again.

_No, that's impossible… The Queen's magic prevents any custom cards that she didn't personally create from working in the Tournament…_

_Unless…_

He shuddered.

_Unless they were created by someone who's even more powerful than the Shadow Queen!_

_Grodus mentioned that this Merlow fellow was stronger than he was, but stronger than the Queen?_

He motioned to the barista.

"Can I get another cappuccino over here?" he said.

**0000000000**

The meal inside the inn was simple and filling.

"So now what?" said Drake, as they stood outside.

"Well…" said Andy, "I was kind of hoping to get in a duel before the day was out…"

"Duel?" said a voice.

He turned, and saw Sean standing by the door of the inn, wearing his Duel Disk. He looked a little more enthusiastic than before. Not by much, just a little.

"Now dueling is something that I can do," he said, as he looked at Andy. "And if you want a challenge, then I'm more than willing…"

"You sure?" said Andy, as the townsfolk started to gather.

"More than sure," said Sean, as he held up a set of Crystal Cards. "I have five of these already…"

"Whatever you say…" said Andy. "You're on…"

_And maybe I can shed some light on why this guy seems so depressed, _he thought.

He took the sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. Then he activated his Duel Disk.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Sean: 8,000)**

As Andy drew his sixth card, he was startled as the Creepy Steeple began tolling again, marking the six o'clock hour.

_Blasted bell, _he thought. _Someone should do something about that…_

He waited for the six tolls to finish before choosing a card from his hand. He played it, and Cave Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"I'll set these…" he said.

He threw two cards into his Disk, and two hidden cards appeared in two flashes of light.

"…and it's your move…"

Sean made a draw, and looked over his hand.

He set one on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

He nodded.

"Don't talk much, I take it," said Andy, as he drew a card.

"I summon Doppelganger Dragon!"

He played the card, and the amoeboid blog appeared in front of him, slowly transforming into a vaguely Dragon-like shape. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I pay 1,000 points," he said, as Fiend Skull Dragon's card appeared behind him, "and by selecting this Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck, Doppelganger Dragon can take the form of its non-Dragon component…"

The plasma Dragon shifted in form, taking a shape that vaguely resembled Lesser Fiend.

"Then, Polymerization!" shouted Andy.

He played the Fusion card, and the two Dragons were drawn into a spiraling portal…

Fiend Skull Dragon let out a loud roar as it crawled out of the portal. (2,000 ATK)

"Destroy his Monster!" shouted Andy. "Death Gale!"

The Dragon blasted a gust of fowl wind at the set card. A shadowy-looking assassin holding two long knives appeared on the card before it was blown to pieces.

"Night Assailant, huh?" said Andy. "Fortunately for my Dragon, he negates Flip Effects…"

"Is that your turn?" asked Sean.

"For now," said Andy.

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)**

Sean made a draw.

Then he set two cards in his Disk, and two set cards, one a Monster, one in his Spell Zone, appeared.

He nodded again.

_He doesn't talk much, _thought Francesca, _and he doesn't seem very aggressive as a duelist either…_

Andy drew another card. The three cards in his hand were Tyrant Dragon, Masked Dragon, and Fusion Recovery.

He took the second one and played it. Masked Dragon appeared in a glowing red aura.

"Fiend Skull Dragon, you first…" said Andy. "Destroy!"

The Dragon-Fiend merge blasted its vile wind towards the card. A large, ugly-looking ball of puss appeared on the card, and exploded into black goo.

"Giant Germ!" shouted Andy.

"Yes…" said Sean. "And due to its effect, you take 500 points of damage, and I get to summon two more Germs…"

Two more of the fiendish bacteria appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK x2)

"In Attack Mode, however…" said Andy.

Masked Dragon exhaled a cloud of flames, and one of the two Germs was incinerated.

Andy grunted a little.

"It's your move then…" he muttered.

**(A: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,600)**

Sean drew a card, and then looked over his hand.

"I activate Call of the Haunted…" he said.

His face-down card lifted up, and another Giant Germ appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Then I sacrifice both Germs…" he said.

The two Germs turned into orbs of pure darkness.

"A double sacrifice?" exclaimed Drake. "You don't see many of _those_ nowadays…"

There was an aura of eerie darkness, and a tall, intimidating creature stepped forward. He was a tall, muscular man with golden skin, wearing a long cloak and hood. He had a nasty scowl on his face. (2,900 ATK)

"Invader of Darkness?" shouted Francesca. "That's something else that you don't see too often…"

"Because I Tribute Summoned a Monster," said Sean, "I'm able to Special Summon Illusion Snatch from my hand…"

The Monster that appeared looked at first like nothing more than a ghostly shadow with two sinister eyes. But it quickly took a more solid form, transforming into a copy of Invader of Darkness. (2,400 ATK)

"Okay, I've never seen _that _one," said Francesca.

"It turns into a clone of the Tribute Summoned Monster?" asked Francesca.

"Not completely," replied Sean. "It does copy the Monster's Attribute, Type, and Level.

"Illusion Snatch is already a Dark Fiend, but now it's Level 8, just like Invader of Darkness…

"So then… Attack his Fiend Skull Dragon with Dark Punisher."

Invader of Darkness simply pointed, and his hand became shrouded with flaming violet energy. Then a blade of the same energy shot at Fiend Skull Dragon, piercing right through it. It collapsed, and then exploded into pixels.

"Nasty…" said Andy.

Illusion Snatch pointed at Masked Dragon and repeated the trick, and Andy grunted in pain as the smaller Dragon was blown to pieces.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect!" he shouted. "I can now summon a Dragon from my deck with 1,500 Attack Points or less…"

Lancer Dragonute appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"Then I activate… BOTH my Trap Cards!" he continued. "Call of the Haunted and Miracle's Wake!"

Call of the Haunted flipped up first, and Fiend Skull Dragon appeared again. (2,000 ATK) Then, Miracle's Wake activated, and Masked Dragon appeared, sitting in Defense Mode. (1,100 DEF)

"The beauty of this is," he continued, "is that Fiend Skull Dragon's effect destroys Call of the Haunted..."

The Trap Card shattered.

"...but Fiend Skull Dragon's effect also prevents it from being destroyed along with it. It's like Monster Reborn for him."

"I'll set one card face-down," said Sean, as if nothing had happened, "and then take a break…"

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared.

**(A: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,600)**

Andy made a draw. He put it aside, and took Tyrant Dragon from his hand.

"I sacrifice Lancer Dragonute and Masked Dragon…" he said.

The two smaller Dragons turned into a cloud of golden motes…

Then the motes coalesced, and formed into the huge, imposing form of Tyrant Dragon. It let out a bellow that seemed to shake the whole town. (2,900 ATK)

Still, this seemed to get no reaction from Sean. He tapped his Duel Disk, and his face-down Spell Card lifted up.

"I activate the Crazy Eights Quickplay Spell," he said.

"Huh?" said Andy.

"I could have activated this last turn, when I had two Level 8 Monsters," said Sean, "but now that we _both _have at least one, I can use its effect to the fullest.

"I pay 1,000 Life Points, and we both draw one card for each Level 8 Monster on the field…"

"Whatever you say…" said Andy.

He drew three cards, and Sean did the same. A small glimmer seemed to appear in Sean's eye when he saw what he had drawn…

"Tyrant Dragon, attack Illusion Snatch!" shouted Andy. "Imperial Inferno!"

The huge Dragon blasted its merciless flame, and the demonic impersonator was blown into dark globules of energy.

"Now, by using Tyrant Dragon's effect," continued Andy, "it can attack a second Monster…"

Tyrant Dragon launched its blast at Invader of Darkness. The demon frowned, and pointed, blasting its Dark Punisher… The two blasts collided in mid-air…

Andy and Sean both struggled to keep balance as a massive explosion shook the field, obliterating both Monsters.

"It was a draw!" shouted Stan.

"But Andy still has one Monster left!" added Francesca.

"Exactly!" said Andy, as Fiend Skull Dragon roared. "Attack him directly!"

The vile wind hit Sean squarely in the gut, and he grunted in pain, gritting his teeth as he did so.

"Well!" said Andy. "Seems I finally got a reaction out of you!"

"Just finish your turn…" said Sean, sounding rather annoyed.

"I'll move to my End Phase…" said Andy, "and play Super Rejuvenation…"

A Spell Card appeared on the field in front of him.

"…which lets me draw one card for every Dragon I sacrificed this turn…"

He made two draws.

"…and it's your move… Seems the score is tied…"

**(A: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,100)**

Sean quickly drew the top card off of his deck.

"I remove my three Giant Germs from play…" he said.

He took the three cards from his discard slot and pocketed them. Andy lifted an eye in worry…

_Dear lord… _he thought. _There's only one Monster that you summon like this… And I'm_ really_ not anxious to meet her again…_

Another dark shadow appeared in front of Sean, and two evil-looking, vaguely feminine eyes peered out of it…

Everyone watching couldn't help but shudder a little as the Monster appeared fully. This was hardly the most powerful Fiend in the game, but her infamy and history made her one of the most dreaded. Resembling a female demon with a bald head, pointed ears, and blue skin, she wore a halter top, boots, and a skirt that were made of metal and covered with barbs and spikes, some of which were piercing her own flesh. Some of her torso was eaten away, revealing rib bones underneath (that seemed to be made of metal, not bone), and she held a broken doll in her arms that resembled a deformed infant… In short, an evil and disturbing parody of a mother with a child. (2,200 ATK)

"Dark Necrofear…" muttered Andy. "I do NOT like that card…"

"You have a problem with it?" asked Sean, getting a little angry.

"I… had a bad experience with it…" said Andy.

"Let me guess," said Sean. "You lost a duel to a duelist who used her card?

"Well, let me tell you something… This card saved my life… She convinces me to keep going. If it weren't for her, I might have put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger a long time ago…"

"Don't talk like that!" shouted Francesca. "It can't be that bad…"

"And how, pray tell, does Dark Necrofear convince you to 'keep going'?" asked Stan.

"You want me to finish the duel or do you want my life story?" asked Sean.

"I dunno…" said Andy. "You've kind of piqued my interest here…"

Sean sighed.

"Fine…" he said.

"My mother… She died giving birth to me… Complications in childbirth, you know…

"My dad sank into depression after that, and started drinking. He was never able to be a good parent because of it.

"It basically left my older brother to raise me. He tried his best, but it was hard…

"Eventually the drinking became too much for my dad… Two years ago, he died, and my brother had to support us while earning his Master's Degree…

"Through it all, I couldn't shake the feeling that, if it weren't for me, none of it would have happened…"

"That's ridiculous," said Andy. "Blaming yourself for your mother's death? It sounds ludicrous…"

"Some might say the same thing about what happened next…" said Sean. "I found a knapsack lying in the hallway at my school. There was no identification on it, and quite a few valuable things were inside. I turned it in to the office, and after a month, no-one claimed it, so they gave it to me.

"One of the things inside it was a deck of Duel Monsters cards that included Dark Necrofear… I could almost swear that when I looked at it, she was telling me not to give up, and to try to succeed.

"Sound advice… The kind that a mother gives to a son…

"So I built a Fiend Deck, and was surprised at how easy I adapted to the game…

"And it's still my turn!"

He played a Spell Card.

"I play Cost Down!" he shouted. "I'll send this card to the Graveyard…"

He discarded a card (it was Winged Minion), and then held up another card.

"…to downgrade the Level of this Monster from 6 to 4. Thus I can summon… Inferno Hammer!"

There was a hoarse roar, and an incredibly ugly Fiend appeared next to Dark Necrofear. It was a huge, hulking thing, with a body made up of exposed muscle, all except its head, which was a bare skull. An odd, glowing emerald was in its belly. It wore green trousers and spiked wristbands, and carried a huge metal hammer. (2,400 ATK)

"Inferno Hammer, attack his Dragon!" exclaimed Sean. "Savage Smasher!"

The demonic ogre rushed at Fiend Skull Dragon and slammed its weapon down so hard that the ground shook, blowing the Dragon to bits.

"Dark Necrofear, attack Andy directly!" shouted Sean. "Doom Murder Gaze!"

Dark Necrofear's eyes widened to twice their normal size, and a beam of what could best be described as pure Evil shot out of them, striking Andy in the chest. For a minute, Andy felt like a hand had grabbed hold of his heart and was squeezing…

He took some deep breaths as the horrible feeling went away.

**(A: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,100)**

"Well, Sean is certainly being more enthusiastic _now," _said Drake.

"This is insane!" shouted Francesca. "It's one thing to use Dark Necrofear… But thinking she's your mother? She's a demon, Sean! It makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense, Francesca…" said Andy, slowly.

"Huh?" said Francesca.

Andy looked at Sean.

"Sean…" he said. "I think I see what the issue is here… You not only blame yourself for your mother's death, you honestly believe that _she _blames you for it.

"That's why you identify this horrible demon as her… You think that she's waiting for you to die so that she can drag you into Hell to punish you for what you think you've done…

"That's why this card _really _inspires you to keep going… She scares you, and you don't want to die because you don't want to face her."

Andy looked at him. Sean started to say something, but then stopped. He just gave a sad look…

"Look, Sean…" said Andy. "I can't honestly say what your mother thinks… But I truly doubt that's the case…

"So… Consider the rest of this duel therapy…"

Sean glared at him. He took one of his two remaining cards, and threw it into his Disk.

"I set this card face-down," said, as it appeared in his Spell Zone. "Make your move…"

Andy drew a card, and looked over the seven cards he now had in his hand.

_I have Ego Boost, _he thought, _and Alexandrite Dragon… I can use both to defeat Dark Necrofear…_

_But at the end of my turn, Dark Necrofear's effect would activate, leaving me defenseless… To defeat that creature, I'm going to have to outsmart him…_

_Or rather… them…_

He set a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of him.

"That's all…" he said.

"Then it's my move!" shouted Sean, as he made a draw.

"Inferno Hammer, get it!"

The brute swung its weapon, and Andy's second Masked Dragon appeared on the card, and was blasted to pieces.

Andy threw a card on his Disk, and a third Masked Dragon appeared in Defense Mode. (1,100 DEF)

Dark Necrofear's wicked gaze focused on the third Masked Dragon, blowing it to shards.

"I use that one's effect to summon… Ancient Dragon!" shouted Andy.

Lightning flashed, and a beautiful golden-scaled Dragon with a wise-looking face and a broad wingspan appeared on the field in front of Andy. (1,400 ATK)

"I'll set another card…" said Sean, as a second face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and that's all for now…"

"Draw…" said Andy, as he drew a card.

"First I summon… Alexandrite Dragon!" he exclaimed.

In a sparkle of light, the gemstone Dragon appeared next to Ancient Dragon. (2,000 ATK)

"Then, Monster Reborn!"

The holy ankh appeared, and Masked Dragon appeared alongside the others. (1,400 ATK)

"Now, by using Ancient Dragon and Alexandrite Dragon," he said, as the two Dragons turned into a vortex of energy, "I build the Overlay Network!"

There was an explosion of dark energy, and Queen Dragun Djinn appeared in front of him. (2,200 ATK)

"All right…" said Andy. "I'm using her effect… I ditch one of her Overlay Units…"

He threw Alexandrite Dragon into his Disk's discard slot.

"And I get to Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Monster from my Graveyard…

"_However… _this particular one can't be Special Summoned from the Graveyard unless I sacrifice another Dragon first. So, Masked Dragon, you're out…"

Masked Dragon vanished, and Tyrant Dragon appeared again with a mighty roar. (2,900 ATK)

"Now, due to Queen Dragun's effect, Tyrant Dragon loses _its _effect, and can't attack this round… But Queen Dragun makes all my Dragons except herself invincible in battle.

"So… Queen Dragun… Attack Dark Necrofear!"

The Dragon Queen pointed her scepter at the demoness…

"Going for another knockout draw, Andy?" asked Sean.

"Not this time," said Andy, as he played a card. "I activate Ego Boost!"

Queen Dragun's Attack Score shot up to 3,200. She blasted fire from her scepter, and Dark Necrofear staggered as flames surrounded her…

Then she shattered.

"I set two cards face-down," he said, as two cards appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"Then I play Fusion Recovery…"

He took the Spell Card from his hand and played it.

"By doing so, I get to take a Polymerization card and a Monster that I used in a Fusion from my Graveyard…"

He took the Spell and Cave Dragon from his discard slot.

_Let's hope he takes the bait… _he thought.

"I end my turn!" he said, as he stabbed his thumb downward. "Which means the effect of Ego Boost, naturally, wears off."

"And Dark Necrofear's effect activates!" shouted Sean.

Dark Necrofear's ghost appeared, and flew towards Tyrant Dragon, flying into its chest as the huge Dragon gasped. Then it was pulled over to Sean's side of the field, a glazed look on its eyes.

"You'd think that after his 'bad experience' with Dark Necrofear, he would know that would happen…" said Drake.

"I think he did…" said Francesca, quietly. "I think Andy has a plan…"

**(A: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,100)**

Sean smirked as he drew a card.

"Perfect," he said.

His other Trap Card lifted up.

"With Escape from the Dark Dimension, I can bring a Giant Germ back to the field…"

A dark portal opened, and one of the filthy orbs appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"Then I sacrifice it…"

The Germ vanished, and a bonfire of pitch-black flame spouted up from the same spot…

There was diabolic laughter as a hulking, but well-dressed Fiend wearing a horned helmet stepped out the bonfire. Dark Ruler Ha Des had arrived. (2,450 ATK)

Andy tensed. A bead of sweat fell down the side of his face…

"Tyrant Dragon…" ordered Sean, "attack Queen Dragun with Imperial Inferno!"

The possessed Dragon opened its jaws… Flames formed in them…

"Gotcha…" said Andy.

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"Nitwit Outwit!" he shouted.

He took Cave Dragon from his hand, and discarded it.

"Normally, Tyrant Dragon would be immune to this Trap, but like I said, because it was summoned by Queen Dragun, it loses its immunity.

"And due to my Trap Card, it loses Attack Points equal to the Attack Score of the Monster I just discarded."

"Yep!" said Stan. "Seems like Andy has really gotten the hang of that card I gave him!"

Tyrant Dragon's still breathed fire, but its blast was considerably weakened. (900 ATK) Queen Dragun aimed her scepter, and fired, blowing the Dragon to fiery sparks…

Dark Necrofear appeared in phantom form, glaring at Queen Dragun…

Then she aimed her scepter again, and the demon was eradicated.

Sean stopped short. He was clearly upset.

Then he took a deep breath, and looked at Andy.

"Smart move…" he said, "but that still isn't enough to win the duel…"

His face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Option Hunter…" he said. "Now I gain Life Points equal to the base Attack Score of your Tyrant Dragon…

"Not that I probably need them… Ha Des, attack…"

"I activate Immortal Dragon!" exclaimed Andy, as his last Trap Card lifted up. "Now I can Special Summon Tyrant Dragon from my Graveyard once again…"

"You have to sacrifice a Dragon to do that!" exclaimed Sean. "Don't tell me you're going to sacrifice your Queen?"

"Seeing as I'll lose if I don't, it seems I have to…" said Andy.

Queen Dragun dissolved into granules of light, and once again, Tyrant Dragon loomed over the field. (2,900 ATK)

"All right…" said Sean with a sigh. "I end my turn…"

**(A: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,700)**

Andy quickly drew a card.

_Got it… _he thought.

"I summon Mirage Dragon!" he shouted.

He played the card, and an oriental-style Dragon that seemed to be sculpted entirely out of light appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I play Polymerization again!"

He played the card, and both Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared in front of them. They were drawn into the portal, and in a blast of dark fire, King Dragun appeared. (2,400 ATK)

"Tyrant Dragon, wipe out those two Fiends!" he shouted.

The huge Dragon blasted its Imperial Inferno once, and Inferno Hammer erupted into flames. A second time, and Dark Ruler Ha Des screamed before collapsing into burning residue.

"Mirage Dragon, attack directly with Spectrum Blast!"

The Dragon fired a ray of multicolored energy, and Sean grunted in pain.

"King Dragun, one more for good measure," said Andy. "Twilight Burn!"

The Dragon King aimed his scepter, and fired a dark blast of flame, knocking Sean over and on his back.

**(A: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)**

Everyone watching applauded as Andy let out a loud sigh. He took off the sunglasses and pocketed them.

Sean slowly got up.

"Andy…" he said.

He sighed.

"I have to say, I'm impressed… A little… That strategy you used to take down Dark Necrofear… Kinda clever…"

"Would you believe it came to me on the spur of the moment?" said Andy. "Look… I know I probably can't convince you right away…

"But at least think about what I said… If you look at it long enough, maybe you might come to conclusions that you didn't see before."

Sean sighed.

"Anything's possible, I assume…" he said.

He took a Crystal Card out of his pocket, and tossed it to Andy.

Then he sighed again, and walked back to the inn.

As he did, violin music started to come from the town square…

**0000000000**

_Man, _thought Crump, as he walked down the street, _you'd think a place that made half of its profits selling coffee would have a public restroom!_

Then he nearly bumped into someone.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Watch where you're…"

Then he saw who it was, and almost turned white…

It was a young man about seventeen years old, wearing a brown shirt and jacket, brown slacks, and glasses. He had sandy brown hair.

"L-lord Leopold…" gulped Crump.

"Crump…" sighed the young man, "can't you go five minutes without embarrassing yourself?"

"Don't hurt me, please…" begged Crump.

"I'm not going to hurt you," sighed Leopold. "You aren't worth it…

"Put this on…"

He tossed Crump an amulet with a stone setting that appeared to be turquoise.

"Uh…" said Crump. "Is it magical?"

"Don't ask stupid questions!" said Leopold. "Put it on, and whatever you do, don't take it off! If you take it off, you'll regret it when I do what I came here to do in about half an hour."

"Right, gotcha," said Crump, as he put it around his neck.

"Eh… So, how does it look on me? Be honest here…"

But the Shadow Spawn of Earth was gone.

Crump sighed. Then he remembered he had to find a rest room.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen sighed as she reclined on her throne.

She got up, and went over to the stack of cards.

_I'd better start preparing in case Leopold messes up, _she thought.

She sighed and shook her head. Just a few days ago, she never would have thought such a thing… But that was before Melissa, Kurtis, and Tyson had been handed their first defeats by these foes that she had been raising them to fight.

_If only it were more like the old days when contests like this were fought with swords by warriors wearing armor, _she thought. _Of course, it's not like my original heirs did much better that way…_

She picked up a card, and threw it into the fire. Again, the flames burned fiercely. There was a cackling, evil laugh…

Then a creature leapt out of the furnace, doing a flip as he did so.

"I am humbly at your service, my Queen," he said, bowing and tipping his hat. "I must say, you look lovely in that dress."

The Queen smiled a little.

"I like you already," she said. "Now listen, there's a duelist in Twilight Town, and I want you lure him to the Creepy Steeple, and duel him…"

She took three cards out of her dress, and handed them to him.

"Add these to your deck… They should help immensely…"

The Duel Spirit looked at them.

"Sure, sure…" he said. "I could... do that…"

Then he turned into dark flames, and flew out the summit of the mountain, towards Twilight Woods.

The Queen sighed again, and sat back on her throne.

**0000000000**

**IMMORTAL DRAGON**** (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A shadowy, winged dragon bursting out the ground.

**Card Description: **Select and activate 1 of the following effects: * Special Summon a Dragon-Type Monster from your Graveyard. * Special Summon 1 of your Dragon-Type Monsters that was removed from play.

_Note: "Immortal Dragon" was first used by Manjyome in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga, Chapter 017. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**CRAZY EIGHTS (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Rabidragon making an angry rush at a fire-spouting Berserk Dragon.

**Card Description: **Activate 1 of the following effects depending on the situation:

* You control 2 or more face-up Level 8 Monsters: Pay 1,000 Life Points to draw 2 cards. You may not Summon, set, or activate cards drawn by this effect this turn.

* Each player controls at least 1 face-up Level 8 Monster: Pay 1,000 Life Points; both players may draw 1 card for each face-up Level 8 Monster on the field. You may not Summon, set, or activate cards drawn by this effect this turn.

**0000000000**

_**Five Crystal Cards are now in Andy's possession. With this victory under his belt, can things get anything but better?**_

_**Unfortunately, no. They're just going to get worse…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: Reptiles. There used to be a time when they were the most neglected Type in the game. The only thing they were really good for was sacrifice bait if you wanted to use Ultra Evolution Pill. Not that Dinosaurs were much better.**_

_**But things changed. They introduced the Venom archetype, and with it a Monster that was practically invincible, along with the game's first Automatic Win Condition since Final Countdown. Then came the Aliens, then the Reptilianne Monsters. Quite a few prominent Reptiles appeared that were able to stand on their own too, like Evil Dragon Ananta and The Tyrant Neptune.**_

_**Now, it seems that another of the Shadow Queen's children has struck, and I'm his target…**_

_**He doesn't use Reptiles, oh no…**_

_**His Monsters are a Type with a very similar history. **_

"_**Call of the Earthbound" is coming soon. **_


	18. Call of the Earthbound

**Author's note: A lot of readers of the original version have wondered why Sean didn't use Dark Sanctuary like he did in the original. I have to wonder how anyone could ask that question. It was one of the most broken cards ever used by a villain. The fact that it was a Field Spell that Bakura could activate from his deck during his opponent's Battle Phase was bad enough, never mind the multiple one-sided effects that it had.**

**In addition, the card broke many fundamental rules of the game. The Ghost of Dark Sanctuary was treated as a card, but didn't take up any spaces on Bakura's Spell or Monster Zones, and for some reason didn't disappear after the Monster that it possessed (Dark Magician Girl) was sacrificed to summon Osiris. In addition, the effect it caused simply doesn't make any sense. How can you select an opponent's Monster for an effect and keep the selection a secret from your opponent? Long story short, you can't. Anyone who wants to make a proxy version of Dark Sanctuary is welcome to try. I guarantee, you will fail. **

**For these and many other reasons, I concentrated more on Sean's background in the chapter then on his actual strategy, making him, in my eyes, a tragic character. I thought I was making Andy and Francesca sympathetic towards him and wanting to help with what they saw was an unhealthy outlook on his life. If people took this the wrong way, I apologize.**

**Now, on with the story…**

**0000000000**

_**We've defeated three of the Shadow Spawn thus far… But from what Merlow told us, Melissa was the youngest sibling. Kurtis was born right before her and Tyson before him.**_

_**Clearly, the siblings are coming after us in the order of reverse seniority. **_

_**I'm standing before Leopold, the Shadow Spawn of Earth, and he seems to think he's pretty smart. Of course, my uncle once said that what you know and how you use what you know are two different things. In other words, knowing how a rifle works is one thing, but actually hitting a target with it is something else entirely. **_

_**At least I hope that this is the case, and he's not as smart as he claims…**_

_**Because outsmarting his siblings is how we each survived our duels with them…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL EIGHTEEN**

**0000000000**

**CALL OF THE EARTHBOUND**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The clouds had cleared, and a full moon rose over Twilight Town.

Apparently, in this town that was draped in eternal night, the people were glum during the day, but when night truly came, things turned a bit livelier.

In the town square, several townsfolk were playing a lively tune on violins, while another was playing an old-fashioned accordion. A woman (actually Charlene, the waitress from the inn) was dancing to the music around a fire with a tambourine.

Stan, Andy, and Francesca watched, somewhat nervous. They weren't completely certain that the music and dance was purely for recreation, as they had heard stories of how gypsies had danced in similar styles to ward away evil spirits…

Meanwhile, Drake was a distance away from the group, talking to Sean.

"You sure about this, Sean?" asked Drake, as he shuffled his deck. "After all, I've seen your deck…"

"Some of it…" replied Sean, with a smirk.

"All right then…" said Drake.

The two duelists' Disks activated.

Back at the dance, Charlene suddenly stopped.

Then she let out a scream.

"What?" gaped Stan. "Wh-what? What happened!"

Charlene pointed at a tree…

A Yata-Garasu had perched on it.

"Charlene, get ahold of yourself!" said an old man, who rushed up to her.

He hugged her.

"There, there, child…" he said.

"Look…" said Stan. "Is anybody going to tell us just why everyone is so afraid of those things?"

Charlene sobbed. The man comforting her spoke.

"Yata-Garasu…" he said. "It's a sign that one of _them _is coming… It's the only warning you get…

"Poor Charlene knows only too well… The last time one of them came here… Her husband was his target…"

"Philip…" said Charlene, sadly.

"Them…" said Andy.

"People…" said Francesca. "We saw one when we entered Hooktail Castle… Then one before we entered the Great Tree… Then another on Jolene's window…

"They mean the Shadow Spawn…"

The townsfolk shuddered at the mention of what was clearly a hated title.

"He said his name was Leopold…" sobbed Charlene. "He had the power to control the very ground that he walked on. Poor Philip… He didn't have a chance against that monster…"

"People, calm down!" shouted Stan. "I guarantee, those guys are only after us now… You all are safe…"

**0000000000**

"Such comforting words, Mr. Mason," said Leopold, as he took a card out of a pouch on his belt. "So unfortunate that they're going to turn out to be wrong."

The card was Gorgon's Eye.

"I hope that fool Crump had the sense not to take that amulet off," he said, as the card begun to glow. "If he did… It's too late now…"

**0000000000**

Everyone in the town square was startled as a weird, green fog started to rise.

"What's happening?" said Andy, as it started to cover everything.

"I don't know!" cried Charlene. "This has never happened be –"

Her last word was cut off, and with the thick fog, the three young duelists couldn't see what had happened to her.

"What's going on?" shouted Stan. "Andy? Francesca?"

"I'm here," said Andy.

"So am I," replied Francesca. "But I don't know if anyone else is…"

The fog slowly started to subside… Then it vanished completely…

But all was not well. To the three duelists' horror, the townsfolk had been frozen into statues of hard stone, looks of incredible fear caught on their faces the moment they had been petrified.

The man who was holding Charlene to comfort her had still been doing so when the vile spell had struck them, combining them both into one statue.

"In the name of all that's unholy…" said Stan.

They looked around. Then they started walking down the street.

More victims were around. It had happened to everyone.

Then, to their utter shock, they saw that not even Drake and Sean had been spared. Their duel had come to an abrupt end as the horrid curse had struck. The Solid Vision holograms had vanished due to their Duel Disks turning to stone, and it was impossible to tell who had been winning.

"It happened to the whole town…" said Stan.

He looked around.

"Everyone but the three of us…"

Then they heard a whistling sound. Someone was whistling the theme to _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly._

"Seems there's one person left…" said Andy. "And I think I know who it is…"

Leopold stepped out of the darkness, still whistling.

"Why?" said Stan, looking at him with anger. "Does human life mean anything to you monsters?"

Leopold chuckled.

"I may have turned them to unliving stone, Mr. Mason," he said, "but the process can be reversed. I simply want to handle you with as few interruptions as possible…"

"And you're the Shadow Spawn of Earth, I assume…" said Stan. "I guess your mother doesn't believe in protection from double jeopardy in this farce of a justice system you have?"

"To be honest, the issue has never come up before," replied Leopold. "Now, let's get down to business…

"My job is to duel you, and I intend to do my job. It's as simple as that. I just gave you a little incentive to comply… You don't want the citizens of Twilight Town to remain as oversized paperweights, do you?"

"Bastard," said Stan.

Leopold chuckled.

"Amusing…" he said. "But when you're as smart as I am, you learn to take insults with a grain of salt…"

"You're that smart, are you?" asked Stan.

"Well, I don't like to brag," said Leopold, "but I took the admittance test for Mensa once to see how well I could do… Passed with flying colors.

"You see, while most of my siblings were wasting their times with frivolities, using their privileged status as my mother's heirs to simply enjoy themselves when my she didn't need them to do their duties, I was studying. With my keen mind, I was able to devour whole Arcadian libraries, becoming superior to the rest of them in every way…

"And it's that edge that, I'm certain, will make me succeed where my younger siblings have failed.

"Anyway… Meet me in the peach orchard in twenty minutes if you accept my challenge… Don't be late…"

He turned, and walked away into the shadows, still whistling.

"You really think he's as smart as he says he is?" asked Andy.

"He may be 'book smart'," said Francesca. "I've known a lot of people who are 'book smart'. But it takes more than being 'book smart' to win a duel. You also need a lot of intuition and general 'street smarts' to succeed…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, people…" said Stan. "If what Merlow said is true, this guy still has a perfect record…

"But he's left me with the same choice that Kurtis did… Practically none at all…"

He sighed.

"Leopold, huh?" said Stan. "If he wasn't the Shadow Queen's son, that's a name that likely would have gotten him teased a lot as a kid…"

Stan looked up at the moon. Then the bell from the Creepy Steeple started to chime.

"Eight o'clock…" he said.

**0000000000**

Fortunately for Crump, he had kept the amulet on. When you work for the Shadow Queen, one thing you learn early is, when one of the Shadow Spawn tell you to do something, you do it.

As the three teenagers walked towards the peach orchard, he looked in wonder at the petrified townsfolk.

_Weird… _he thought.

He looked one of the statues in the face.

He put his hands in his ears, made a face, stuck out his tongue, and made a goofy sound in the statue's face.

"Heh, heh…" he thought. "Alright, best follow them… This is one duel I don't want to miss…"

**0000000000**

As Stan and his two friends walked into the orchard, they saw that Leopold had set up a table and a chair. A silver tea service was on it, and he was drinking from a cup.

"Hmm, you're early…" he said.

"A little late for afternoon tea, isn't it?" asked Stan, rather annoyed.

"It's always afternoon somewhere," replied Leopold.

"Look, Leo," said Stan.

"Leopold!" snapped the Spawn, clearly offended by the nickname.

"Whatever," said Stan. "Do you promise to reverse your spell after this duel is over?"

"I suppose," said Leopold, as he stood up. "They make rather ugly statuary anyway…"

They looked at him, about ready to explode.

"So yes," he continued, "once this is over, I'll restore them to flesh and let them continue with their depressing, pointless lives…"

"Why, I oughta…" said Andy, as he lifted his fist.

"Lay one hand on me, Mr. Markova," said Leopold, sternly, "and your friend is disqualified."

Andy lowered his fist.

"It's not like hitting me would accomplish much anyway," continued Leopold. "My father was a dao, after all, a species of elemental spirits known for their physical strength and durability, and that's one thing I inherited from him…

"But I simply _despise _having to resort to fisticuffs… It's so… _Undignified…"_

"Are we going to duel, or are we going to talk all night?" asked Stan.

Leopold shrugged, and then took a Duel Disk from under the table. He put it on.

"I won't insult you by repeating that accusation that Kurtis made," he said. "My siblings like to say it because it makes them feel big, but I'm above such things…

"Now… Shall we?"

_This guy has got to be the biggest snob I have ever met, _thought Stan, as he activated his Disk. _Call me suspicious, but I think the whole "I don't like to brag" claim was a lie. I'm almost starting to miss Kurtis…_

He sighed. He hoped this duel would be easier than the one against the Spawn of Wind… But he doubted it would…

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Leopold: 8,000)**

He made his first draw and looked over his six cards.

_I don't know exactly what to expect from him… _he thought, _but at least I have my most reliable Monster here…_

He played a card, and Gagaga Magician appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

_Typical, _thought Leopold, with a smirk.

Stan threw a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind his Spellcaster.

"It's your move…" he said.

"All right, I draw a card…" said Leopold, as he made his sixth draw.

He quickly took a card from his hand.

"And I will summon Giant Rat…"

There was a loud squeak, and the familiar Earth-Attribute searcher, a huge rodent clutching a skull, appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"I'll end my turn there…" he said.

Stan made a draw, and looked over his five cards.

_Lovely… _he thought. _The only other Monster I've got here is A/D Changer…_

"Stomp that rat, Gagaga Magician!" he shouted.

The sorcerer's fist glowed with energy, and he threw a punch, blasting flames towards the rodent and blowing it to pieces.

"I use Giant Rat's effect," said Leopold. "I summon the deadly and high in carbohydrates… Oyacorn!"

The Monster that appeared took Stan _completely _by surprise. It looked like a humanoid ear of corn, wearing a blue cape with a high collar and holding a sword. It had a long mustache and curly hair on the top. (1,200 ATK)

"Uh…" said Stan.

"Something wrong?" said Leopold.

"Not… Quite what I was expecting…" said Stan.

"What did you expect?" asked Leopold. "Rocks?"

"Kind of…" replied Stan.

Leopold chuckled softly.

"Mr. Mason…" he said. "An intelligent duelist knows that, if he wants to win, he must always do two things… Expect the unexpected from his opponent… And always give his opponent the unexpected.

"You seem to have failed in both regards… You expected me to use something very typical of the Earth Attribute, while I, on the other hand, could practically have counted on you using Gagaga Magician."

"Well _excuse _me!" shouted Stan. "Just take your turn!"

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,900)**

**0000000000**

Crump was watching in a large peach tree, not ten feet behind Francesca and Andy. He felt a little safer being so close with Leopold here.

_Man, these are primo seats, _he thought. _I could really go for a bag of popcorn here…_

He looked at the delicious-looking peaches on the branch above him.

_Well… _he said. _I guess I could use more vitamins in my diet these days anyway…_

He reached up and picked one.

**0000000000**

Leopold made a draw, and then opened the Field Zone on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Field Spell, Cursed Arboretum," he said.

It was hard to imagine the dark surroundings getting even darker, but that's just what happened. The trees around them became gnarled and twisted, and demonic faces appeared on their trunks.

"In case you don't know," he said, "an arboretum is a park that holds a collection of trees."

_I knew what it was… _thought Stan, looking at Leopold with an annoyed glance.

"First of all," continued Leopold, "with a Field Spell in play, Oyacorn's effect activates, and it gains 1,000 Attack Points."

(2,200 ATK)

As Stan looked around nervously, Leopold played another card.

"I summon Cactus Bouncer," he said.

A new Plant-Type Monster sprouted up from the ground, a thick-bodied peyote cactus with arms, a flower on top, and a pudgy face with beady eyes. (1,800 ATK)

"Looks kind of like a Cacnea…" said Francesca. "But not as friendly…"

"I didn't know you were into Pokémon," said Andy.

Francesca giggled nervously.

"It's a weakness…" she said, slowly.

"I'll deal with you two later…" grumbled Leopold. "So long as I have another Plant on the field, like Oyacorn, Cactus Bouncer prevents both players from Special Summoning. I'm afraid that means Xyz Monsters are out."

"It has 1,800 Attack Points," said Stan. "Impressive, but not unbeatable…"

"Perhaps…" replied Leopold, "but while you may be able to summon a stronger Monster, you won't be able to destroy it with one hit, thanks to my Field Spell.

"You see, Cursed Arboretum allows all Level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monsters to survive one battle per turn, so long as they're in Attack Mode.

"This is what I mean when I say that intelligence matters… I think ahead… I know how to use things to my advantage… I can…"

Stan's Trap Card lifted up.

"You talk too much, you know that?" asked Stan. "I activate Threatening Roar!"

"I end my turn…" growled Leopold.

Stan drew a card. He looked hard at Leopold.

"Okay, Mr. Brains," he said. "Think your way out of this…

"I sacrifice Gagaga Magician…"

The Spellcaster turned into an orb of dark energy.

"…for Gagaga Druid!"

The mysterious robed, hooded figure holding a wooden shillelagh appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Is that guy supposed to scare me?" asked Leopold. "Like I said, Cactus Bouncer can survive its attack, and on my turn, Oyacorn's attack can destroy it without being destroyed itself."

"Ever hear the old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, Leopold?" asked Stan. "I play Gagagabolt!"

He threw a Spell Card into his Disk.

"With a Gagaga Monster on the field, I can destroy one card…"

"You're going to use that on Cactus Bouncer?" gasped Leopold.

"Wrong," replied Stan.

A bolt of lightning crashed down, blowing the demonic trees to shards.

"He used it to trash the Field Spell!" exclaimed Andy, as Oyacorn fell to an Attack Score of only 1,200.

"Okay…" said Leopold. "Maybe I… didn't expect _that…"_

"Get used to it…" said Stan, as the Druid pointed his shillelagh at Cactus Bouncer. "Attack with Gagaga Wrath!"

A bolt of energy shot from the staff, blowing the pudgy cactus to shards.

"Seeing as that Monster's effect prevents Special Summoning," said Stan, "I'm guessing that it can't be Special Summoned itself, meaning we likely won't be seeing it again. Am I right?"

"Yes, you're very smart!" shouted Leopold, getting angry.

Stan set a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind Gagaga Druid.

"Don't get mad now…" said Stan. "I end my turn…"

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)**

_Time for plan-B, _thought Leopold, as he made a draw.

"I summon my Gigantic Cephalotus!" he exclaimed, as he played the card.

The ground split open again, and a large man-eating plant on legs with a huge, toothy mouth appeared next to Oyacorn. (1,850 ATK)

"Now then…" he continued. "You may have foiled my initial plan… But every cloud has a silver lining, as Kurtis likes to say. You just have to find it.

"I really have nothing against Xyz Monsters, you know… In fact, there's one that I kind of admire…

"And because both of these Level 4 Monsters are Earth, I can summon it…"

The two Plants turned into the spiraling vortex of energy.

"Thus, I build the Overlay Network!"

The portal turned into a column of flame…

Then the Monster appeared, and it wasn't what Stan or his friends had expected at all. It looked like a handsome elf noble dressed in royal raiment, like something out of a fantasy RPG. He had long, platinum blonde hair, a laurel crown, and wore white and purple.

"Behold… Fairy King Alverd!"

(2,300 ATK)

"Is he supposed to be some long-lost brother of Fairy King Truesdale?" asked Stan.

"Seeing as both Monsters are Plants, that theory isn't as farfetched as it sounds," replied Leopold, as he pushed his glasses upwards with his finger. "However… Alverd's effect is almost the opposite of Truesdale's.

"See, by detaching one Overlay Unit…"

He discarded Oyacorn's card.

"…all Monsters on the field except Earth Monsters lose 500 Attack Points. Seeing as your Druid is decidedly Dark, that's bad news for him."

Gagaga Druid groaned. (1,700 ATK)

"Attack his Monster with Starlight Sword!"

Alverd thrust his right hand out, and a blade of pure, shimmering energy appeared in his hand. He slashed with it, cutting Gagaga Druid in two.

Leopold smirked as he took two cards from his hand. He threw them into his Disk, and two set cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

_Now let's hope all goes as planned… _he thought.

"Your move…" he said.

Stan's facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Miracle's Wake!" he shouted.

There was an aura of dark energy, and Gagaga Druid appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

**(S: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)**

Stan made a draw.

"All right Leo," he said.

"It's _Leopold!" _shouted the Spawn.

"Whatever…" said Stan, as he played a Spell Card. "I play Hand Destruction, so ditch 'em."

Leopold chuckled, and discarded the two cards in his hand, Card Rotator and Pot of Avarice. Stan discarded his A/D Changer and Marauding Captain.

"I summon Feedback Warrior!" shouted Stan, as the robotic Warrior with stereo speakers on his armor appeared. (800 ATK)

"And his effect makes Gagaga Druid Level 3, meaning I can us my two Monsters to build the Overlay Network…"

The two Monsters turned into the vortex again.

"…and bring out someone new! I call out Temtempo the Percussion Djinn!"

There was the sound of drums, and a new Djinn appeared. This one was young, male, with impish pointed ears, wearing a green jacket, red pantaloons, oddly pointed shoes, and a hat that was more a sombrero than anything else. His horns pointed through the hat. He wore a harness that held five drums, three small ones in front of him, and two big ones behind him. (1,700 ATK)

"Just how many of these things do you have, Stan?" asked Andy.

"Don't worry, Andy," said Stan, "this is the last one… As far as I know, there are no Djinns that play woodwinds or keyboards."

"You think I'm impressed because you summoned an Earth Monster?" asked Leopold. "He may be immune to Alverd's effect, but Alverd is stronger."

"We'll see about that," said Stan.

He discarded Gagaga Druid's card, and Temtempo started to rap on his drums.

"By getting rid of one of his Overlay Units, Temtempo can strip an opposing Xyz of one of its Overlay Units…"

Gigantic Cephalotus' card was yanked from Alverd, and then shattered.

"And each time he does that," continued Stan, "all Xyz Monsters with the word 'Djinn' in their names gain 500 points."

(2,200 ATK)

"Still not strong enough," said Leopold.

Stan took a card from his hand, and played it.

"He will be once I Equip him with Xyz Unit!" he shouted. "This Spell gives an Xyz Monster 200 extra Attack Points times his Rank, and if it becomes necessary, can be used as an Overlay Unit!"

(2,800 ATK)

"Attack Fairy King Alverd with Death Solo!" shouted Stan.

Temtempo started to vigorously play on his drums.

"You took the bait, you fool!" laughed Leopold.

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"It's called As Stupid as Corn," he said, "a funny name, I admit, but what it does is no laughing matter!

"Since you declared an attack with a Monster that has at least 2,500 points, this Trap lets me Special Summon a Giant Tacorn from my deck."

**0000000000**

Crump, who was halfway through his third Twilight peach, stopped short.

_Giant Tacorn? _he thought. _What the sam-hill is that?_

Then the whole orchard shook. Crump was lucky that he had secured himself this time. (After falling out of a tree twice, he wasn't going to let it happen again.)

He watched as an ear of corn the size of a bus with squid-like tentacles sprouting from it rose out of the ground.

**0000000000**

Stan looked at the huge ear of maize in disbelief. (2,500 DEF)

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Leopold.

"Depends on your definition of 'impressive' I assume," replied looking at the huge – and rather ridiculous – Plant Monster.

"My Trap Card also requires your attacking Monster to switch its attack to Giant Tacorn," said the Shadow Spawn.

"No problem," said Stan. "Temtempo can beat that Defense…"

The Percussion Djinn started to beat his Drums again…

"I activate… Shield Spear!" shouted Leopold, as his other facedown card lifted up. "This card combines Reinforcements and Castle Walls into one, increasing my Monster's Attack and Defense Scores by 400 each!"

(2,900 DEF)

Then energy blast from the Djinn bounced off the colossal Plant. Stan sighed.

He took his last card, and set it in his Disk. It appeared face-down in his Spell Zone.

**(S: 7,300) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)**

"My turn already?" asked Leopold, as he made a draw.

Leopold chuckled a little as he saw the card he had drawn. This card was so powerful, it almost frightened even him…

_The conditions aren't quite right to summon this right now… _he thought, _but perhaps later…_

"I move Giant Tacorn to Attack Mode…" he said.

The huge vegetable shifted. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, here's where it gets interesting…" said Leopold, with an evil smile. "True, Giant Tacorn looks downright silly, and its Attack Score is pathetic for a Level 8 Monster, but when used right, its effect can be pretty deadly.

"When it's on the field, each of my Plant-Type Monsters gain Attack Points equal to the base Attack Scores of all other Plant-Type Monsters I have. In other words, they combine their Scores into one lump sum, and that sum becomes each Plant's Attack Score."

"You gotta be kidding…" said Stan.

Clearly he wasn't, because the Attack Scores of both Giant Tacorn and Fairy King Alverd rose to 3,300 each.

"And I'll make them even stronger…" said Leopold, as he played a card, "by summoning Milus Radiant."

There was a cute yipping sound, and a small, shaggy Beast with pointed ears (with earrings) and a scarf around its neck materialized next to Alverd. Whether it was a cat or a dog was hard to determine. (300 ATK)

"It isn't a Plant, but it increases the Attack Score of all Earth Monsters by 500 points."

The Attack Scores of Alverd and Giant Tacorn rose to 3,800 each, while Milus Radiant itself rose to 800.

"That goes for Temtempo too, by the way!" shouted Stan, as the Percussion Djinn's Score rose to 3,300.

"A minor setback…" said Leopold. "Alverd… Destroy it…"

The glowing sword appeared in the Fairy King's hand again, and he swiped downward, blasting Temtempo into tiny shards.

"Now then, Mr. Mason…" said Leopold, "for you…"

Milus Radiant leapt at Stan, and sank its fangs into his wrist.

"You little beast…" said Stan, as he shook the nasty thing off.

Then he turned, and looked at the much bigger problem…

What happened next was likely the most brutal direct attack that Andy or Francesca had ever witnessed. Giant Tacorn literally grabbed Stan with a tentacle, then lifted him off the ground, and then slammed him against the ground. Then, as if that weren't enough, it lifted him again, and _threw _him against the ground.

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)**

"Not so confident now, are you?" asked Leopold.

"STAN!" screamed Andy and Francesca at once.

Stan groaned. Then he sat up, holding his ribs.

"I'll… I'll live…" he said.

"Don't count on it," said Leopold. "My turn is over…"

Stan tapped his Duel Disk.

"I activate… Shock Draw…" he muttered through his pain. "See, I can find the silver lining in a dark cloud too, Leopold…"

He drew five cards from his deck.

Then he got up, and made the draw for his Draw Phase.

_Got to turn this around… _he thought. _If I lose a duel, it sure as Hell isn't going to be to someone using a mutant ear of corn…_

"From my Graveyard…" he said, "I use the effect of A/D Changer…"

"Huh?" said Leopold.

"I remove it from play," said Stan, "and one of your Monsters moves to Defense Mode…"

Fairy King Alverd's sword vanished, and he got down on one knee. (1,400 ATK)

"Hey…" said Andy. "That guy doesn't look quite so tough now…"

"Then…" said Stan, "because you have a Monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Level Warrior!"

There was an explosion of stars, and a costumed superhero in red with a cape and a golden star on his mask appeared in front of him. (300 ATK)

"Eh?" said Leopold.

"And because I summoned him that way," continued Stan, "his Level becomes 4.

"Then… Goombella, you're up…"

He played the card, and Goombella hopped out in front of him. Leopold flinched a little. (500 ATK)

_He used that weird card against Kurtis… _he thought.

Goombella hopped on Stan's shoulder, and took the top three cards from his deck. They were Star Changer, Frontier Wiseman, and Gagaga Girl.

Stan looked at Goombella, and she nodded. He took Frontier Wiseman, and discarded Star Changer.

"All right Leopold…" he said. "I build the Overlay Network again!"

Level Warrior and Goombella turned into the vortex of energy…

With a roar, Kachi Kochi Dragon burst out of the soil. (2,100 ATK)

"By the way," said Stan, "this is an Earth Monster too, so it gains the bonus from Milus Radiant. Guess using that thing wasn't as smart as you thought it was."

(2,600 ATK)

"Attack Fairy King Alverd! Surging Shockwave!"

The blast of energy shot from the Dragon's jowls, and the elven noble grunted as he was propelled backwards. He turned into shimmering motes of light and vanished.

"All right!" shouted Andy. "With him gone…"

"Giant Tacorn's score takes a nosedive!" added Francesca.

It was true. The huge Plant fell to only 1,500 Attack Points.

"And by using Kachi Kochi Dragon's effect," said Stan, as he discarded Level Warrior's card, "it can attack again, and turn that thing into corn fritters."

The Dragon blasted its weapon again, and Leopold watched with disbelief as the huge Plant caught fire, and then exploded in a blast that shook the orchard.

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 6,300)**

"Mr. Mason…" he snarled, "it isn't often that I lose my temper… But you are quickly reaching that precipice!"

"Did you say something?" asked Stan. "Sorry… Kind of hard to hear… I'm a little too concerned about those folks back in Twilight Town who are under a curse that you created.

"See, Leopold, you're such a rotten person, I don't _care _whether I make you angry or not. You, your siblings, and your mother have kind of made this personal by now…"

**0000000000**

_Boy, _thought Crump, _think I'm gonna need an antacid after THAT lame speech…_

He picked another peach, and bit into it.

Then he held his stomach. It was making funny noises.

_Ooh… You know, come to think of it, maybe I really DO need an antacid… I don't feel too good…_

He started to try to remember everything he had eaten today that might have caused indigestion, as he started on the peach…

_Don't think it was the chicken wings… Probably wasn't the fish and chips… It couldn't have been the cheese sandwich…_

**0000000000**

_All right… _thought Leopold, as he made his draw. _I've never had to summon this thing before, but I guess there's a first time for everything…._

"Milus Radiant moves to Defense Mode…" he said.

The small Beast sat on its hindquarters. (250 DEF)

"And then I set this card…"

He threw a card into his Disk, and a concealed card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"It's your move…"

"Draw," said Stan, as he drew a card.

"And I summon Frontier Wiseman!"

There was an aura of light, and the royal Spellcaster holding his leather-bound tome appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"He gains the bonus from Milus Radiant," he said, as the sage rose to an Attack Score of 2,100, "but that's not going to matter much…"

Kachi Kochi Dragon blasted its Surging Shockwave, eradicating the small Beast. Stan two Monsters quickly fell to their base scores.

Stan quickly discarded Goombella's card.

"Attack him directly!" he ordered.

The Dragon fired its blast again.

"GAH!" shouted Leopold, as it hit him in the chest.

"Frontier Wiseman, get him!" shouted Stan. "Sacred Lightning!"

The sorcerer lifted his hand, and lightning fell from the heavens, striking Leopold and knocking him down.

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,600)**

"I set this facedown…" said Stan, as a set card materialized behind his two Monsters, "and then it's your move…"

Leopold drew, his eyes glowing with evil light as he did so.

"Impressive…" he said, in a somewhat deeper voice. "I should congratulate you Mr. Mason… You've done something that no duelist has ever been able to do…

"You've brought out the beast in me!"

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate The Transmigration Prophecy!" he said. "I can now take two cards from either Graveyard, and return them to the owners' decks."

Cactus Bouncer and Giant Tacorn slipped out of his discard slot.

"These two Monsters are worthless in the Graveyard, so I choose them."

He reshuffled his deck.

Then, five cards appeared behind him: Giant Rat, Oyacorn, Gigantic Cephalotus, Fairy King Alverd, and Milus Radiant.

"At this time, Mr. Mason," he said, "my Graveyard consists of _exactly _five Earth Monsters… And with exactly five, no more, no less, the conditions are just right…"

He threw a card on his Disk.

"…to summon my ultimate creature…"

The whole orchard started to shake. Clouds covered the moon, and lightning flashed.

"Arise…"

Then the ground split, and a form burst out of the ground… Stan was shocked by the giant creature…

…and even more shocked when he realized that it was just the creature's hand…

Then the rest of the thing followed, a giant titan covered with armor that strangely seemed to be made of stone and metal at the same time. It had oversized forearms and shoulders, and cold eyes that looked down and showed no emotion.

"I give you… _Grandsoil the Elemental Lord!" _

(2,800 ATK)

"Dear lord…" said Francesca, looking at the goliath.

"Where's Godzilla when you need him?" gasped Andy.

_Heh, heh… _thought Crump. _Stan is about to be turned into lumpy oatmeal…_

Then he held his stomach. He let out a loud moan, and dropped the peach he was eating.

Francesca looked up.

She nudged Andy with her elbow.

"What?" asked Andy, who was more than a little frightened at the sight of Leopold's Monster.

Francesca pointed up, towards Crump.

"Looks like we have a rat problem…" she whispered.

Andy turned to her and nodded.

"So, what do you think now, Mr. Mason?" asked Leopold.

"Well, it sure is… big," said Stan, nervously.

"And it has a powerful effect," said Leopold. "Simply by summoning it, I am able to Special Summon any Monster in either Graveyard…

"Now, if I were the average sadistic bad guy, I would use that effect to Special Summon one of your Monsters, simply to gloat…"

Grandsoil stomped its foot down, and Fairy King Alverd was propelled out of the ground from the impact. (2,300 ATK)

"But then, I've learned that sadistic bad guys and successful ones tend to be mutually exclusive.

"Now, let's see…"

He rubbed his chin.

"That's 700 plus 700… No, not enough… Guess I'll have to summon this too…"

He played a card, and a second Milus Radiant appeared on the field. (300 ATK) The effect boosted the Attack Scores of all five Monsters, increasing their Attack Scores by 500.

"First for your Wiseman…" said Leopold. "Starlight Sword!"

Alverd thrust at Frontier Wiseman, impaling the sage with his blade. The Spellcaster collapsed to his knees, and then shattered.

"Grand Soil, attack his Dragon! Seismic Smasher!"

The giant's attack was not subtle at all. It simply slammed its huge hand down, crushing Kachi Kochi Dragon as flat as a pancake and creating a shockwave that knocked Stan backwards.

**(S: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,600)**

"Now for the final strike…" said Leopold.

Stan sat up.

"Your 'final strike' is going to be a direct attack with that little thing?" he asked, looking at Milus Radiant. "Isn't that kind of anti-climactic for someone like you?"

Leopold looked at him.

"Hmm, I suppose it is…" he said, talking in his normal voice again. "Ah, well… If anyone asks, I'll lie…"

Milus Radiant barked, and made a rush at Stan…

"Go, Call of the Haunted!" shouted Stan.

His facedown card lifted up, and Gagaga Magician leapt onto the field. (1,500 ATK)

Leopold chuckled.

"Seems you escaped defeat for one turn…" he said. "Still, your choice was rather stupid… If you had used that Trap Card to summon Kachi Kochi Dragon, it would have at least benefited from Milus Radiant's effect."

_True, _thought Stan. _But I only have two Monsters that can possibly defeat Grandsoil unless I manage to bring out Gagaga Girl… And both of them are Rank 6…_

"By the way…" said Leopold. "In case you're thinking of summoning Magi Magi Magician Girl and stealing control of Grandsoil…"

He played a Spell Card, and a Continuous Spell appeared on his side of the field.

"…forget it…"

"Spear of Submission?" asked Stan. "I never heard of that one…"

"It's not very common…" said Leopold. "I get to choose Fusion Summoning, Ritual Summoning, Synchro Summoning, or Xyz Summoning, and for the next three turns, the type of summoning I choose is off-limits to both players.

"I choose Xyz Summoning."

Stan didn't say anything.

"Not much to say, huh?" said Leopold. "It's your move…"

Stan looked hard at his deck.

_This guy isn't smarter than me… _he thought.

He wasn't sure if he truly believed what he was telling himself, however… Even as he made his draw.

Then his eyes opened wide as he saw the card.

_Hey… _he thought. _I haven't gotten a chance to use THIS guy yet!_

_It's a longshot, but it's my only chance…_

"Time for another blast from the past!" he said. "I summon Yoshi, the Loyal Steed!"

A large, green spotted egg appeared in front of him, and it quickly hatched, disgorging a comical-looking green dinosaur about the size of Gagaga Magician, standing upright on his hind legs (on which he wore red boots) with opposable thumbs on his hands. He had a spunky look on his face and a tuft of red hair on the top of his head. (1,400 ATK)

It happened again. Seeing this Monster gave Stan, Andy, and Francesca the same feeling of friendship that they had felt from the other cards that Merlow had given them. The soul of an old family friend was clearly in this card.

Yoshi smirked at Milus Radiant, and his Attack Score went up to 1,900.

"That was the best you could do?" said Leopold. "A third-rate Dragon?"

"Uh, excuse me, he's a Dinosaur," said Stan, as Yoshi gave Leopold a dirty look. "And he's far from third-rate.

"First, I'll use Gagaga Magician's effect to increase his Level to 8…"

The four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then doubled in number.

"Then, Yoshi can use his effect…"

"You got it, boss!" said Yoshi, giving him a thumb's up.

Yoshi bent down, and Gagaga Magician hopped on his back, mounting the small Dinosaur.

"A Union Monster?" gasped Leopold.

"That's right," said Stan. "The first thing that Yoshi does is increase the Attack Points of the Spellcaster or Warrior he's Equipped to by 500 points."

(2,000 ATK)

"He grants his rider another effect, depending on the rider's Level. Because Gagaga Magician is now Level 8, when he attacks a Special Summoned Monster, that Monster's Attack Score falls all the way to zero."

"No…" said Leopold. "You can't!"

"I can and I will!" shouted Stan, as Gagaga Magician charged towards Grandsoil on Yoshi's back.

There was a blast of magical energy… The giant titan shuddered…

Then cracks appeared all over its armor. The ground shook as stone and other pieces of what was once Grandsoil the Elemental Lord rained down upon the field. Leopold covered his head.

**(S: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 600)**

"That was for Philip," said Stan.

"Huh?" said Leopold. "Who's Philip?"

"You really don't know, do you?" asked Stan.

He shrugged.

"Fine… I didn't expect you to anyway…"

This was too much for Crump. He was too busy holding his stomach to hold onto the tree, and finally fell off.

_Note to self… _he thought. _Stop climbing trees…_

Quickly, he realized that Andy and Francesca were glaring at him. He grinned nervously as he reached into his pocket…

He held up a Spell Card… Dimensionhole. It glowed, and a black hole opened up, sucking him through.

_Crump… You're an idiot… _thought Leopold.

Meanwhile, Stan was looking nervously at Fairy King Alverd…

"What?" said Leopold. "Did you expect him to go away when you destroyed Grandsoil?"

"Kind of…" said Stan, more than a little frightened now. "I figured that Grandsoil probably had some catch to it if it had an effect that powerful…"

"It does…" said Leopold. "But that isn't it… Is that your turn?"

Stan hung his head.

"I'll take that as a yes…" said Leopold, as he drew a card.

"You haven't lost yet, by the way… The 'catch', as you say, is I don't get a Battle Phase this turn because you smashed Grandsoil…

"_However… _Next turn, you're going to have to deal with this…

"I sacrifice Milus Radiant…"

The small Beast vanished into grains of light.

"…for the mighty Gemini Monster, Gigaplant!"

There was a deep, throaty laughter, and a huge, bulky, carnivorous plant with a huge mouth and large, thick tendrils rose out of the ground. (2,400 ATK)

"Fortunately for you, I have to wait until I Gemini Summon it next round before I can do anything with it. Next, seeing as you'd just do the same thing to Alverd that you did to Grand Soil, he moves to Defense Mode…"

Alverd knelt and his sword vanished. (1,400 DEF)

"And I end my turn…"

"This is bad…" said Andy. "Even if Stan defeats Alverd, when Leopold does Gemini Summon Gigaplant, he can use its effect to summon Alverd again…"

"Stan has to do something NOW," said Francesca.

Stan drew a card.

He smirked.

"Yoshi, separate from Gagaga Magician…" said Stan.

The Spellcaster dismounted, and fell back to an Attack Score of 1,500. Yoshi stepped forward. (1,400 ATK)

"Then, I sacrifice Yoshi…" said Stan.

The Loyal Steed vanished.

"…to summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

With a loud roar, the cybernetic Warrior materialized on his side of the field. (2,200 ATK)

"Big deal," said Leopold.

"I'm not done," said Stan. "I play… Monster Reborn!"

The holy ankh appeared, and Gagaga Druid appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (2,200 ATK)

"And just what are you going to do with them?" asked Leopold. "Need I remind you that my Spear of Submission is still going to be around for one more turn?"

"I know…" said Stan. "But as further proof that you aren't all you cracked up to be, Leopold, I'm going to do something much simpler…

"I play Cross Attack!"

He played a Spell Card, and Gagaga Druid pointed his staff at Leopold.

"Because I have two Monsters with the same Attack Score, one of them can attack directly, so long as the other one doesn't."

A look of panic appeared on Leopold's face.

"This isn't possible!" he shouted. "You forced me to use my best Monster and still… This can't be…"

"It seems possible to me," said Stan. "And let me tell you, putting a snob like you in your place has never felt so good…"

Gagaga Druid cast his dark spell, and Leopold screamed.

**(S: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 0)**

"I'll tell you who Philip is, Leopold," said Stan, as the Shadow Spawn of Earth fell to his knees. "He was someone else you subjected to one of these mock trials as one of your mother's enforcers.

"You likely forgot all about him. So I guess you may be smart, but your memory is selective.

"I doubt you'll forget this duel though… And it's only the beginning… There's going to be a price for him and everyone else you've hurt…

"And sooner or later, you and the rest of your family are going to pay the piper…"

As he said those last words, Leopold simply vanished into dust.

Sweat poured down Stan's face as the Monsters vanished. Leopold was gone. The clouds slowly parted, and the full moon shone again.

"Wow…" said Francesca.

"We'd best…" said Andy.

"There they are!" shouted Charlene's voice.

They turned, and breathed a sigh of relief to see Drake, Sean, and all of Leopold's other victims rush into the orchard. Clearly, the curse had broken when Leopold had been sent back where he came from.

"You beat him!" gasped Charlene. "You dueled that bastard and won…"

She hugged him.

"If only Philip could have seen it…"

Stan chuckled as he hugged her back.

"Easy…" he said. "I'll bet he's laughing his head off wherever he is. Are you folks all right?"

"We're a little stiff, but we'll be fine…" said Drake, glancing at Sean. "I'm just sorry our duel was ruined… I was about to win there…"

"Yeah, keep dreaming…" said Sean.

Then the Creepy Steeple started to chime again.

"Nine o'clock…" said Andy. "And we've got a problem, by the way… The Shadow Queen has a guy spying on us…"

"Eh?" said Stan.

"We caught the little snitch in the act," said Francesca. "But he got away…"

"We'll keep an eye out for him…" said Stan.

"Can… Can we get you kids anything?" asked Charlene.

"Uh…" said Stan. "I don't want to bother anyone after what happened, but I am a _little_ hungry… Is there any more of that peach upside-down cake you had at the inn?"

"I… think so…" said Charlene. "I can make some old-fashioned peaches and cream if there isn't…"

"Be careful lad," said the old man who had comforted Charlene earlier. "Those Twilight peaches may be good, but if you eat too many of them in one day, they can make you sick."

"Seriously?" asked Francesca.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "Too many of those things can be bad for the digestive tract. They can cause nausea, indigestion, cramps, constipation…"

**0000000000**

Two hours later, Stan was fast asleep in the room he had been given at the inn.

He frowned in his sleep as the Creepy Steeple chimed out eleven tolls.

"Hey, wake up boss!" said a voice.

Stan's eyes – his mind's eyes – opened, and he saw Yoshi in front of him.

"Man, it's great to be back in action!" said the enthusiastic Dinosaur.

"Yeah, thanks for the help back there…" said Stan.

"Don't mention it!" said Yoshi. "Seems just like old times… Way back when your ancestor first hatched me…

"Back then, I was _his _mount!"

He bent over.

"So how about it?"

"You want me to ride you?" asked Stan, in shock.

"For old time's sake, eh?" said Yoshi.

Stan sighed. He didn't know the first thing about riding horses, let alone dinosaurs… But seeing as he was dreaming…

He slowly mounted the Duel Spirit…

**0000000000**

**AS STUPID AS CORN (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A giant tentacle bursting out of the sea, throwing a rowboat into the air.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack with a Monster with 2,500 ATK or more. Special Summon 1 "Giant Tacorn" from your hand or deck in face-up Defense Position. Then, the Special Summoned "Giant Tacorn" becomes the target of the attack.

**0000000000**

**GIANT TACORN (Monster Card)**

**Plant/Earth/Effect/Lvl8/1,000ATK/2,500DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned, except via the effect of "As Stupid as Corn". While this card is face-up on the field, each face-up Plant-Type Monster you control gains Attack Points equal to the combined base Attack Scores of all other face-up Plant-Type Monsters you control.

_Note: "As Stupid as Corn" and "Giant Tacorn" were first used by Captain Corn in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" manga, Rank 012. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**SPEAR OF SUBMISSION (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Steelswarm Caucastag holding a spear of alien design.

**Card Description: **Select 1 of the following: Fusion Summon, Ritual Summon, Synchro Summon, or Xyz Summon. Neither player can perform the selected summoning method. On your third End Phase after activation, destroy this card. You can only control 1 "Spear of Submission".

_Note: "Spear of Submission" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Ascension"._

**0000000000**

**CURSED ARBORETUM (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **Warrior Dai Grepher wandering through a dark forest full of evil-looking trees with demonic faces.

**Card Description: **Level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monsters in Attack Position cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn each.

**0000000000**

**YOSHI THE LOYAL STEED (Monster Card)**

**Dinosaur/Earth/Union/Effect/Lvl4/1,400/800**

**Card Description: **Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can Equip this card to a Warrior or Spellcaster-Type Monster you control as an Equip Card OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in Attack Position. A Monster Equipped with this card gains 500 Attack Points and 1 of the following effects depending on its Level: 4 or 5: When this card attacks, you may change the Battle Position of the opposing Monster. 6 or 7: When this card attacks a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster, reduce the ATK of the opposing Monster by half until the end of the damage step. 8 or higher: When this card attacks a Special Summoned Monster, reduce the ATK of the opposing Monster to zero until the end of the damage step. (A Monster may only be Equipped with 1 Union Monster at 1 time. If the Equipped Monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.)

**0000000000**

_**Four down, two to go. The conflict between our heroes and the Queen's demented children is clearly being won by the heirs of her ancient enemies. Still, each older sibling has put up a progressively stronger fight than the younger one before him, and whoever strikes next will likely be even deadlier than Leopold…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: A goading taunt in the middle of the night leads me deep into the woods to investigate the infamous Creepy Steeple. This old, haunted cathedral is a place where fear strikes the hearts of those who dare enter…**_

_**And the duelist waiting for me on the top floor is someone who tries to take advantage of not one, but two of my fears, not just by who he is, but by the weapon he uses. **_

"_**Dark Assailant" is coming soon. **_


	19. Dark Assailaint

_**You ever hear of "coulrophobia"? Compared to other phobias, it's a rather new word, as it didn't appear in any psychiatric work dated before the 1980's. Most assume that it's one of many words that were coined with the advent of the internet.**_

_**Anyway, it means fear of clowns, and it's more common than a lot of folks think. As I've already said, my fear of them is the result of a movie where the villain was an evil clown, but that's rarely the case overall. Some psychologists say it is caused because children are easily afraid of an unfamiliar face on a familiar body type, like a clown's pasty, make-up covered face with colored wig on a human's body. It can be rather frightening for a young child, which is ironic, because all an honest clown wants to do is make them laugh. **_

_**Now… I'm facing a clown who seems to be frightening on purpose. If he was at the Wonky Circus, he'd likely scare everyone away…**_

_**This is not going to be pleasant…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL NINETEEN**

**0000000000**

**DARK ASSAILANT**

**0000000000**

**00000**

At the same time Stan dreamed of riding with Yoshi, Andy tossed and turned in his sleep.

After the Creepy Steeple chimed eleven, a soft voice came from his open window.

"_Andy…" _it said. _"Oh, Andy…"_

Andy frowned.

"_I'm at the Steeple, Andy…" _said the voice. _"Won't you come and play?"_

"Yeah, right…" muttered Andy, still half-asleep. "Like I'm gonna fall for that…"

After about five minutes, the voice came again.

Andy sat up, fully awake.

"WHAT?" he said.

He looked out the window. Then he jumped out of bed, and pulled on his clothes.

"No way is some stupid bell gonna double-dare me and get away with it…" he muttered.

He picked up his Duel Disk, and marched down the stairs.

_Time to find out what the deal is with that place once… and… for… all… _he thought.

He went up to the front desk of the inn, where the innkeeper was snoozing on the desk.

Andy shook the old man gently.

"Excuse me…" he said.

"Eh?" said the old man. "Wha?"

"Sorry to bother you at this hour," said Andy. "But… Uh… How do I get to the Creepy Steeple?"

"Just take the path directly to the south," he muttered in reply.

As Andy turned to leave, the innkeeper woke up in a start.

"WAIT!" he shouted.

He reached for his spectacles, and put them on. Then he grabbed Andy's arm.

"You aren't actually going there, are you?" he gasped.

"Look, fellah…" said Andy. "That thing just made a personal challenge, so if anyone here knows more about that place then simply 'it's cursed', I'm willing to listen."

The innkeeper sighed.

"I might be able to tell you a few things about that place…" he said. "But this is all pure conjecture, I assure you… Passed down by word of mouth, from generation to generation…"

"I'm listening…" said Andy.

"A long, long time ago," said the innkeeper, "folks say that the place was a beautiful cathedral, with holy power dedicated to the forces of Good…

"But then… Then came the dark times… Arcadia became the capital of the Empire of Shadow, and the…"

His voice sank to a whisper.

"…Shadow Queen perverted it, turning it into the Dark Chapel. Its evil magic caused the sun to stop shining over this part of Arcadia, and the bell had vile powers back then_… _The horrible tolling could rain plagues and curses upon her enemies…

"You know… Like locusts, lice, even smallpox…

"But a thousand years ago, when her empire fell, the bell was silenced, and the place seemed to lose most of its power. The sun never came back, but the church couldn't do anything but look creepy… So people called it the Creepy Steeple…"

_The Three Heroes must have done something to it when they defeated the Queen the first time, _thought Andy.

"Five-hundred years ago, the bell started ringing again," said the innkeeper. "But it seemed to have lost its previous powers. The eerie tone was all it seemed to have…

"BUT… But… That doesn't change the fact that so far, everyone who has gone into that building hasn't come out…"

"I'll be sure to look for them when I go in," said Andy.

"Reconsider I beg you…" said the innkeeper.

"You can't stop me…" said Andy.

"No, I suppose I can't…" he replied with a sigh.

_Besides… _said Andy, as he walked out the door, _I don't need to be told that this is one of the Queen's traps…_

_I already _know_ it is…_

_But the way I see it, the Creepy Steeple is important to her in some way… And if the Three Heroes could weaken her by striking at the symbols of her power, then maybe the same thing will work now…_

**0000000000**

Andy cautiously walked down the southern path, which, if anything, was even spookier than the road that had led to Twilight Town where they had met Drake.

Here and there were a few of the Twilight peach trees, but they were far less healthy than the ones in the well-tended orchard. Their barks were covered with some sort of blight, and the few fruits that they had were rotting.

Even worse were the sinister Duel Spirits that watched him from the edge of the path; Dark Plants, Dark Vergers, Vampire Koalas, and Skull Mark Ladybugs (a Monster that, despite its name, looked far more like a huge tick). He was even sure he saw a Vampire Orchis watching from a distance, but it didn't seem interested in confronting him.

It came on him rather suddenly…

The Creepy Steeple… He was surprised at how big it was… A dark chapel rising deep in the woods, its spires pointing like daggers towards the night sky. The front was dominated by a stained glass window that depicted a frightened woman fleeing from two shadowy hands that were reaching to grab her.

_Not exactly the type of church that would hold a canned food drive… _he thought. _This place would be creepy even if there _was _daylight…_

Then he was startled as the bell started to toll again. It was much louder now, and it lasted a full twelve times.

_Midnight… _he thought.

Then the front doors slowly swung open.

He walked into the foyer, and the doors slammed shut, as he expected them to.

He looked around. Cobwebs covered the walls of the dark foyer, which held a few old paintings and broken statues on pedestals.

"I'm here!" he shouted.

Then the eyes of two of the paintings glowed. Demonic faces and claws sprouted from them, and they floated out of the walls. (1,200 ATK x2)

"I'm so scared…" said Andy, sarcastically, as he activated his Duel Disk.

He threw a card on his Disk, and Ancient Dragon appeared in front of in a beam of light. (1,400 ATK)

"Dismantle those third-rate mantelpieces!" he shouted. "Scorching Ray!"

Ancient Dragon blasted a beam of pure, burning light, and one of the two Portrait's Secrets was burned to ashes.

Then there was a low moan, and a spectral man in armor holding a sword and shield, but with no head, walked through the wall. (1,450 ATK)

"Better…" said Andy, as he played a card.

Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

"…but still pathetic…"

Behemoth blasted its cone of frost, and Headless Knight groaned before shattering into pixels. Then Ancient Dragon blasted its Scorching Ray again, and made short work of the second Portrait's Secret.

Then there was an even louder moan, and a spectral rotting corpse dressed in the tattered clothes of nobility, holding a rapier, floated through the wall. (2,000 ATK)

"If you think I'm impressed, I am not…" said Andy, as he held up another card.

Ancient Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth vanished, and Tyrant Dragon appeared with a roar. (2,900 ATK) It launched its Imperial Inferno, and The Earl of Demise went up in flames.

Andy looked up.

"Well Quasimodo?" he shouted. "What nightmare are you going to send after me next? I can keep this up as long as you can… Or you can decide to confront me face to face."

Then a door opened in front of him. Tyrant Dragon vanished.

Andy looked through, and saw a spiral stairway going up.

"I guess he got the point," he said, as he started to walk up.

**0000000000**

Andy eventually climbed to the top of the stairs and opened a door… He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on as he went in.

This was clearly the belfry… A large, iron bell hung overhead… And there was a long chain that might have been what was used to ring it.

Still, the room had quite a few things that you normally didn't find in a belfry. The most unlikely were the two dozen oddly-shaped mirrors that were placed along the walls. They looked like funhouse mirrors, but didn't distort Andy's reflection when he looked into them…

In fact, they didn't cast his reflection at all. They reflected everything else in the room, but not him.

At the other side of the room was a chair.

Before any could do anything else, a voice came from the chair.

"Welcome to the Creepy Steeple, Mr. Markova…" said the sinister voice.

Then came a soft, sinister laugh, and the chair spun around. Andy started to sweat. He recognized the Duel Spirit, but the sight of the creature gave him chills.

This was a clown, one that didn't seem funny in the least. He wore a wide-brimmed pointed hat, and a ruffled harlequin's outfit, all in shades of purple and black, with a high collar shaped in a multi-triangular pattern that was red. His face hardly looked human. It was oblong in shape, with his mouth almost completely on the left side. His face was white, with a black stripe down the left, and his right eye, which was closed, was covered by a golden star.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" gasped Andy.

"That's my name," said the Duel Spirit, as he stood up. "Don't wear it out, or I'll make you buy me a new one."

Andy noticed that Saggi's reflection wasn't showing in the mirrors either. _That _came as something of a relief… Likely, it was a property of the mirrors, not something that the Steeple had done to him.

"A clown…" muttered Andy. "Why did it have to be clowns…"

He tried to muster up some courage.

"So _you're _the 'demon' that's been scaring the people of Twilight Town all this time?" he asked. "Pardon me for saying this, but I find that hard to believe."

"Well, I _wouldn't _believe it," chuckled Saggi. "I'm actually house-sitting for the guy who usually lives here… He took a couple of days off, and left me in charge…"

"Huh?" said Andy. "Just who is this guy?"

"Normally, I'd be glad to make your acquaintance," said Saggi, "but that will have to remain a secret for now…"

Then the door slammed shut behind Andy.

"_I'll _be the one handling you tonight…"

"You'd better start talking, clown…" said Andy.

"Oh, lighten up, kiddo," said the Dark Clown, as he pulled something out of his pocket. "What's wrong with having a laugh every now and then? It does wonders for me."

Andy saw that the things he had taken out of his pocket were un-inflated balloons.

"How about some balloon animals to cheer you up?" he asked.

He quickly blew them up, and then started to tie them together.

"Maybe a dog?" he asked.

He looked at Andy, who was clearly not amused.

"A nice giraffe then? Wait… I know… This one is my favorite…"

He held up a black balloon tied in the shape of a gun… And then, there was a flash of light, and Saggi was holding a real Thompson sub-machine gun.

"A TOMMY GUN?" screamed Andy.

Saggi chuckled.

"Holy-h-h-hey, take it easy pal," said Andy, as he backed up, as Saggi walked towards him. "W-what are you gonna…"

"We-ell, it's a gun and I've got it pointed right at your head," said Saggi, with a sneer, "I'd say that's pretty self-explanatory, wouldn't you, kid?"

He giggled a little.

"You wanted a joke, well here's the punch line!"

He pulled the trigger, causing Andy to cover his head and scream…

Only to be showered in confetti as a little flag popped out of the end with the words 'RAT-TAT-TAT' printed on it. Andy peeked an eye open as Saggi burst into shrill high-pitched laughter, giving Andy a blank look right before he lunged, knocking the fake gun out of the clown's hands and his hat off of his head as he wrapped his hands around the mad jester's throat and pinned him to the wall.

"You think that's funny, you sick little freak?" he shouted. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your legs and see you try to laugh THAT off!"

A smile crossed Saggi face that made Andy's blood run cold…

"I'll give you two good reasons, kiddo…" he said. "Stan and Francesca…"

"What about them?" asked Andy, relaxing some of the pressure on the clown's throat.

Saggi took something else out of his pocket. It was a Spell Card: Jade Insect Whistle.

"You know what this Spell Card does, right?" asked Saggi. "It forces a player to choose an Insect Monster in his deck, and place it on top. Not the most useful card…

"But here in Arcadia, Spell Cards can do far more… This card can be used to issue commands to Insect Duel Spirits… Like the two Parasite Parasides lurking in the beds that your two friends are sleeping in right now…"

Andy turned pale. He had once dueled someone who had used that horrible card, and he could still remember how his Dragons were deformed as they were literally eaten alive from the inside out by flesh-eating worms… And if the Monsters on Arcadia were real…

He slowly let go of Saggi.

"Getting the picture Andy?" said the Dark Clown, as he picked up his hat. "One little command – which I can guarantee I can make faster than you can try and take this from me by the way – and my pets will do far worse to your friends then a measly thousand points of burn damage. Of course, like in the game, Parasite Paracide doesn't actually KILL its host, but you can bet they'll wish otherwise."

"You're insane…" said Andy.

"I thought I was a Pisces," said Saggi.

Andy quickly recognized that joke… It was what Jack Nicholson's Joker had said in the 1989 version of _Batman _when Vicki Vale had called him insane. Nicholson's Joker hadn't been _quite _as demented as Ledger's… But he had been demented enough.

Saggi held up a Crystal Card.

"But…" he continued. "Just so you don't think you came here for nothing… I'll hand over this should you happen to win this duel… As if."

He chuckled madly, and a Duel Disk appeared on his left arm in a puff of multicolored smoke.

"Uh…" said Andy. "Just how can you do this stuff anyway?"

"DUH!" said Saggi, making a really dumb look. "I'm a Spellcaster, you know? As in someone who can cast magical spells? Boy, you're dense."

"Okay!" snapped Andy. "I admit, you were scary a minute ago, but now you're just plain _annoying!"_

He activated his Duel Disk.

"And I may even enjoy this… I've wanted an excuse to beat the crap out of clown for years…"

"Aw, I'm shaking in my little boots," said Saggi.

**0000000000**

Little did Andy or Saggi know, Saggi's threat had become practically meaningless almost before he had made it.

Back at the inn, at about the same time, Stan was fast asleep… Until he woke up to someone shaking him.

"Stan, wake up! Wake up!"

"Andy…" grumbled Stan, waking up.

He looked up.

"Oh, Francesca…" he said, as he turned over.

Then he looked up.

"Francesca?" he said, not knowing what to make of this.

"Stan! Get out of bed!" she shouted.

"I don't have any pants on…" replied Stan.

"All right, stay in bed!" said Francesca. "Just listen! I couldn't sleep, so I went down to the dining room to try to get a glass of warm milk, and the innkeeper was there drinking brandy…"

"You woke me up to tell me that?" asked Stan.

"He told me he does that when he's worried!" urged Francesca. "He told me that Andy left to go to the Creepy Steeple! Something about a 'personal challenge' or something."

Now Stan was fully awake.

"Good lord," he said.

He threw the covers off, and leapt out of bed. Francesca covered her eyes, but he had been kidding; he was wearing sweatpants.

'You can look," he said. "We'd best get there too…

"You know, I kinda had feeling we'd end up at that place eventually… I just kind of hoped that it would be as a group… And during the day…"

"It's _never _day here!" shouted Francesca.

"Good point," said Stan.

**0000000000**

Saggi drew his opening hand, and looked over his six cards.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Saggi: 8,000)**

"Now, let's see…" said the Dark Clown. "Decisions, decisions… I think I'll set this Monster, and end my turn there…"

A reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"Wonder who it could be?"

"Yeah, well…" said Andy. "My Monsters don't have to defend… I summon Axe Dragonute!"

The draconic Warrior holding a heavy axe appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack with Axe Smasher!" he shouted.

The Dragon-man slammed his axe down, causing A/D Changer to appear briefly before it was blown to pieces.

"Now my Monster moves into Defense Mode…" he said.

Axe Dragonute knelt and leaned on its axe. (1,200 DEF)

"…and it's your move…"

A face-down card appeared behind his Dragon.

"Then I draw…" said Saggi, as he made a draw.

"Let's see now…" he said, looking at a card. "This one's good… But then… There's always this one…"

"Oh, I get it…" said Andy. "Your strategy is to irritate me until I punch you in the face, causing me to forfeit the duel."

"Perish the thought!" said Saggi.

He set a card on his Disk, and another set Monster appeared.

"There," he said.

Andy drew a card.

"I summon Masked Dragon!" he shouted.

In a fiery aura, the rust-red Dragon with a metallic hide wearing a mask over its face appeared. (1,400 ATK)

Axe Dragonute stood up in Attack Mode. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack!" shouted Andy, as he pointed.

Masked Dragon exhaled a cloud of fire, and to Andy's surprise, Peten the Dark Clown appeared on the card. It was burned up.

"Him?" asked Andy.

"Yes…" said Saggi. "And I'm sure you know how this works…"

A second Peten appeared where the first one was. (1,200 DEF)

"Care to attack again?" asked Saggi.

"No," said Andy, as he crossed his arms. "You'd just summon a third one, and my Axe Dragonute would be forced into Defense Mode, where it would be more vulnerable.

"So I'll end my turn now."

Saggi chuckled a little.

"Maybe you are a little smarter than I anticipated…" he said. "But no matter… The true fun is about to start…"

**0000000000**

Stan and Francesca rushed up to the doors of the Creepy Steeple. Unfortunately, when they tried to open them, they were locked.

"Seems that whoever lured Andy here expected us to follow," said Francesca.

"Those doors are solid oak," said Stan. "We'd need a battering ram to force them open."

Francesca activated her Duel Disk.

"One battering ram, coming up," she said.

She discarded Key Mouse from her hand, and Egotistical Ape appeared in front of her. (1,200 ATK) Then she placed another card on her Disk, and Sunlight Unicorn appeared next to it. (1,800 ATK)

Then the Tuner and the non-Tuner turned into eight glowing stars, and in a flash of light, Garnecia Earthshaker appeared with a loud trumpet. (2,200 ATK)

"Smash down that door, big guy!" she shouted.

The huge Beast started to batter against the door with its shoulder. Stan played a card, and The Fiend Megacyber appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Give it a hand, Megacyber!" he said.

The Warrior joined in, and slowly, the door started to splinter and crack…

**0000000000**

Saggi chuckled as he drew a card.

"Oh, Andy?" he said, as he turned the card around. "Look what I've got!"

Andy frowned. Saggi had drawn his own card.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" he said. "It's a Normal Monster with what… 600 Attack Points? Not exactly the Master of Magicians."

"Are you saying it's worthless?" asked Saggi. "Kaiba used it, I believe…"

"As Virus bait," replied Andy. "That Trap Card is illegal now."

"Perhaps," replied Saggi, "but there is one use for this card that I don't think even Kaiba knew about…"

"I heard you like Fusion Monsters…"

He turned another card in his hand around.

"A Polymerization card?" gasped Andy.

"That's right," said Saggi, "which I'll use to fuse my card with Peten together…"

A duplicate of Saggi appeared on the field, and then it and Peten combined into a vortex of darkness.

_A Fusion of Kaiba's two Dark Clowns? _thought Andy.

"I summon Dark Harlequin!" shouted Saggi.

The portal opened, and a tall, string bean thin jester, wearing a foolscap and a harlequin outfit, all black and white, leapt onto the field. A domino mask covered his eyes, and diamonds and hearts, still all black, covered his torso. (2,000 ATK)

"His Attack Score may not be very high for a Level 6 Fusion Monster," said Saggi, "but when there's at least one Dark-Attribute Monster on the field, other than himself, he gains 700 more Attack Points. And I believe Axe Dragonute fits the bill…"

(2,700 ATK)

_Okay, it's clear that Kaiba never even heard of this thing, _thought Andy. _He clearly would have tried to use it against Yugi if he had… Yugi's deck had LOTS of Dark Monsters…_

"Attack Masked Dragon!" shouted Saggi. "Acrobatic Flip!"

Dark Harlequin leapt into the air, did a flip in mid-air, and kicked Masked Dragon, blowing it to shards.

"Ergh…" said Andy. "I use Masked Dragon's effect to summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

The two-headed Dragon loomed over the field, giving Saggi a snide look. (1,500 ATK)

**(A: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)**

"Andy!" shouted a voice.

"Huh?" said Saggi.

Andy turned as Stan and Francesca rushed into the room.

"Lovely…" said Stan. "He's already losing…"

"Andy, whatever possessed you to come here alone?" shouted Francesca.

"Uh…" said Andy, looking sort of embarrassed. "This guy kind of… Double-dared me…"

"Andy, come on!" said Stan. "What would you have done if he had double-dared you to jump off a twenty-story building?"

He held his forehead.

"Good God, did I just say that? I'm starting to sound like my parents…"

"How in the world did you two get in…" said Saggi.

Then it hit him.

"Oh boy…" he muttered. "Doopliss is going to kill me when he gets back…"

"Who is 'Doopliss'?" demanded Andy.

_The duplighost? _thought Stan. _The master of the Creepy Steeple?_

"Uh…" said Saggi, nervously. "Maybe you all should just… Forget I said that…"

"Seems your Jade Insect Whistle is worthless," said Andy. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just ditch this duel."

Saggi glared at him.

Then he tapped a button on his sleeve, and a glowing cord of energy shot from it, grabbing Andy by the wrist.

"HEY!" shouted Andy.

"I hoped I wouldn't have to use this Duel Binder," he said, "mostly because it means I can't escape either. The Queen is working on correcting that problem. But now that I have, neither of us is leaving until this is over…

"And it's still my turn…"

He took three cards from his hand.

"I'll set a Monster and two face-down cards, and then it's your turn…"

A reversed Monster appeared next to Dark Harlequin, while two set cards appeared behind them both.

"All right!" shouted Andy, as he made a draw.

He looked at the cards in his hand: Lord of Dragons, Des Volstgalph, Spirit Ryu, Pot of Avarice, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and the card he had just drawn, Immortal Dragon.

_If I can just draw Polymerization, I can bring out King Dragun, _he thought. _But… I have to get rid of Dark Harlequin first…_

"Axe Dragonute, take a load of…" he said.

The Dragon man turned into motes of light.

"I summon Des Volstgalph!"

The armored, winged Dragon appeared, looking at Saggi as steam poured from its grinning mouth. (2,200 ATK)

"I just sacrificed my Dark Monster to summon an Earth one," said Andy, as Dark Harlequin fell to an Attack Score of 2,000, "too bad for that guy…

"Attack with Blazing Barrage!"

Des Volstgalph shot a volley of fireballs from its mouth, and Dark Harlequin grunted as it was propelled backwards, then turned into swirls of dark energy.

"And due to Des Volstgalph's effect, you take an additional 500 points of damage…"

Saggi laughed nervously as a glowing red aura surrounded him.

"Now my Behemoth is going after that mystery Monster of yours…" said Andy.

Twin-Headed Behemoth blasted its chilling ray, and a fat, ugly clown appeared on the card, right before it was atomized.

"I activate… Miracle's Wake!" shouted Saggi, as one of his face-down cards lifted up. "I summon Crass Clown back to the field…"

The fat, ugly clown appeared again, wearing a green suit with yellow polka-dots and a ruffled purple collar. It was balancing on a blue ball covered with stars, and held a long staff with a scythe blade on the end. (1,350 ATK)

"Attack Mode?" exclaimed Andy. "Don't you know that if you had used your Trap Card to Special Summon that thing in Defense Mode, you could have switched it to Attack Mode on your turn, which would have activated its effect, and sent one of my Monsters back to my hand?"

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Saggi.

Andy looked at him.

_This guy is clearly up to something… _he thought.

He fit Immortal Dragon into his Disk, and it appeared set behind his two Dragons.

He nodded.

**(A: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,300)**

Saggi made a draw, and looked at it.

He might have smirked… Seeing as he was always smirking, it was rather hard to tell.

"I move Crass Clown to Defense Mode…" he said.

The portly Fiend crossed its arms. (1,400 DEF)

"Then I summon Dream Clown…" he continued.

Another jester appeared. This one was dressed in a red suit and foolscap, both covered with stars, with a blue cape and a yellow vest and pants. He had purple hair that covered his eyes. (1,200 ATK)

"What in the world does he think he's doing?" said Francesca. "Andy will cream those clowns long before Saggi gets a chance to use their effects!"

"I beg to differ!" laughed Saggi.

His face-down card lifted up.

"Thanks to my Zero Gravity Trap Card, all Monsters on the field switch modes."

Quickly, all four of the Monsters changed positions. (Twin-Headed Behemoth: 1,200 DEF; Des Volstgalph: 1,700 DEF; Dream Clown: 900 DEF; Crass Clown: 1,350 ATK)

"Which _means, _the effects of both my clowns activate… As Andy said, the effect of Crass Clown sends a Monster back to his hand…"

Des Volstgalph vanished, and the card appeared among the others in his hand.

"…while the effect of Dream Clown lets me destroy one Monster…"

Twin-Headed Behemoth exploded into pixels.

"But wait… You may think that you're safe from my Dream Clown because I'm not allowed to switch it back to Attack Mode, right?"

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

"Due to my A/D Changer, which you conveniently destroyed on your first turn, I can do just that!"

The card vanished, and Dream Clown stood up again. (1,200 ATK)

"Now I'm got something for you…" said Saggi. "Time for Dream Clown to strut his stuff!"

Dream Clown put his thumb in his mouth and blew, and his fist enlarged to three times its size. He grinned, and made a rush at Andy…

"I activate… Immortal Dragon!" shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

"Guess you got me!" said Saggi, with a giggle.

He took the last card in his hand, and placed it in his Disk.

"I'll set this face-down, and then you go…"

_He's obviously going to sacrifice that guy for Des Volstgalph again… _thought the Dark Clown. _Once he attacks with it… Boom… My Magic Cylinder blasts the attack right back at him! Then on my turn, I'll be able to use Dream Clown's effect again…_

Andy drew a card.

He lifted an eyebrow.

"I sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth…"

As Behemoth vanished, there was an odd smell in the room… Sort of like the smell of sea spray at a beach…

"I summon Admiral Bobbery the Bomber!" he shouted.

The Monster that appeared was clearly no Dragon. It looked like an old fashioned black bomb with a face… With a bushy moustache, a sea captain's hat, and an apparatus on his back that looked like the steering wheel of an old ship. (2,200 ATK)

It was the same feeling all over again for Andy and his two friends. They had never seen this strange creature before, but seeing him gave them the feeling that they had known him all their lives.

But there was no time to get reacquainted…

"This guy is a real _blast!" _said Andy. "Show him, Bobbery! Bob-ombast!"

The fuse on top of Bobbery lit…

Then an explosion shook the whole room, knocking both Andy and Saggi on their rumps.

"What hit me?" said the Dark Clown.

When he looked, he saw that the explosion had destroyed his two Clowns, along with the strange Monster that Andy had summoned.

"Your Monsters got blowed up!" said Andy.

"So did yours, smart-ass!" said Saggi, angrily.

"Yeah, yeah…" said Andy. "I can't Special Summon on the turn I do that… So… It's your move…"

"Andy's ending his turn with no Monsters and nothing in his Spell Zone?" gasped Francesca.

"Don't panic…" said Stan. "Saggi has no hand… Maybe Andy will be lucky…"

Saggi frowned as he drew a card. Then he growled a little.

"Well, this is a Monster…" he said.

He threw the card on his Disk, and it appeared set.

"…but it's not exactly an offensive one, so you lucked out… I end my turn…"

Andy drew a card. He sighed. Still no Polymerization.

_Ah, well… _he thought.

"It's my Standby Phase…" said Andy, "and because I used Bobbery's effect last turn…"

A cloud of pixels coalesced together, and Bobbery reappeared. (2,200 ATK)

"…let's just say he's a guy who's hard to keep down. Next I summon Mirage Dragon…"

The wispy Dragon made of light appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"I don't know what that Trap Card of yours is," said Andy, "but you're not gonna be using it… Mirage Dragon… Attack with Spectrum Blast!"

The Dragon fired a blast of multicolored light at the card. Morphing Jar appeared, and was pulverized.

"Heh…" said Saggi.

He quickly snatched the top five cards off of his deck. Andy discarded his five cards, and then drew another five.

Then he smiled at Saggi.

"Uh-oh…" said Saggi.

"Oh, you bet, uh-oh," said Andy. "But first… Bobbery… Attack him directly!"

Bobbery hopped towards the Dark Clown, and the evil jester was thrown backwards by another explosion.

"Ugh…" said the Duel Spirit.

"Now, I play Stamping Destruction!" shouted Andy, as he played a Spell Card.

Saggi's Magic Cylinder shattered as the Clown grunted in pain.

_You're gonna pay for this… _thought the Dark Clown.

**(A: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,600)**

"I set this," said Andy, as a face-down card appeared in front of him, "then I end my turn, which means I can play this…"

A Quickplay Spell appeared in front of him.

"Super Rejuvenation?" gasped Saggi.

"Thanks to your Morphing Jar, I discarded four Dragons that turn," said Andy. "That means I get to draw four times!"

He made four draws.

Francesca giggled a little.

"And to think we were worried…" she said.

Saggi growled as he drew a sixth card.

"I'm through with the joviality and frivolity," he said in a voice that clearly expressed rage as he shook his fist. "Now it's time to be _serious!"_

He held up a Spell Card.

"I activate… The powerful Dark Hole!"

"Huh?" said Andy.

Before he could realize what was Saggi was doing, a dark void appeared over the playing field.

"NO!" screamed Andy.

He couldn't stop it. Both Bobbery and Mirage Dragon were sucked into the dark void.

_Next round, this clown is going to be frowning on the inside AND the outside… _thought Andy, as he clenched his fist and looked at his hand of cards.

Saggi threw two cards on his Disk, and a set Monster along with a face-down card appeared in front of him.

"It's your move…" he growled.

Andy quickly drew a card.

_Finally, _he thought.

"I play Polymerization!" he shouted.

Red Eyes Black Dragon and Goddess With the Third Eye appeared in front of him. The Goddess closed her two normal eyes and opened her third one, and slowly transformed into Summoned Skull.

Then both Monsters were drawn through the spiraling portal…

There was a loud roar as Black Skull Dragon lumbered out. (3,200 ATK)

"I hate to cut this short…" said Saggi.

His face-down card lifted up, and a strange object appeared in front of him. It looked like a large, ceramic vase, shaped like a Dragon's head. The eyes glowed.

"A Dragon Capture Jar?" shouted Andy.

"You got it," said Saggi, "and it forces all Dragons on the field to move to Defense Mode and stay there."

Black Skull Dragon crouched and folded its wings. (2,500 DEF)

_Okay… _thought Andy. _This could be a problem…_

"I play Fusion Recovery…" he said, as he played a Spell Card.

He took Red Eyes and Polymerization from his discard slot.

"I'm done for now…"

Saggi cackled manically as he made his draw.

"You think this Monster here is another Crass Clown, don't you?" he laughed. "Well, it _isn't…"_

The set Monster flipped up.

"It's something far more insidious… Reveal… Dragon Manipulator!"

An armored Warrior mounted on a shaggy, fat dragon with small wings appeared in front of Saggi. (700 ATK)

"And its effect lets me take control of one of your Dragons for one turn…"

"Yeah?" said Andy, as Black Skull Dragon was pulled over to Saggi's side of the field. "Well, I don't see what good it's gonna do you… You can't move it to Attack Mode because of your Trap Card…"

"I know that…" said Saggi. "So I'm going to sacrifice it… Along with Dragon Manipulator…"

A portal of darkness appeared underneath the two Monsters, and they were sucked into it… Then, slowly, a tall, armored form started to rise out of it…

Slowly, terror gripped Andy in the pit of his chest. This hulking Warrior garbed in steel plate armor was, quite possibly, the only thing he feared more than clowns. A rare and legendary card owned by the King of Games himself, it lived for one purpose… To kill Dragons…

The Buster Blader glared at Andy… And then raised its mighty sword menacingly. (2,600 ATK)

"From the look on your face, I'm sure you know its effect," said Saggi. "It gains 500 Attack Points for each Dragon you have on the field and in your Graveyard."

(6,600 ATK)

"Hmm, only eight? Kinda hoped for more… Well, I can fix that…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I'll give up 1,000 Life Points to play Abyssal Designator…"

There was a haunting laugh, and Dark King of the Abyss appeared out of a dark shadow.

"I get to name a Type and Level, and if you have a Monster that matches in your deck, it goes to the Graveyard.

"Think I'll name… Dragon, Fire…"

Andy nervously took his deck from the holder.

"If you were hoping to make me discard Tyrant Dragon, you're out of luck," said Andy. "I've still got a Masked Dragon here…"

He discarded the card.

"No matter…" said Saggi. "It still makes Buster Blader strong enough to finish you!"

(7,100 ATK)

"Go!" commanded the Dark Clown. "Attack! Buster Blade!"

The hulking Warrior lifted its deadly sword…

"I activate Nitwit Outwit!" screamed Andy.

He discarded Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"By getting rid of Red Eyes, your Monster loses 2,400 Attack Points!"

"Maybe so!" laughed Saggi, "but it gains another 500!"

Buster Blader fell to 4,700 Attack Points, but then rose to 5,100…

The impact hit Andy like a jackhammer, throwing him across the room until he hit the opposite wall with a slam.

He slumped to the ground like a rag doll…

**(A: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,600)**

"ANDY!" screamed Francesca.

She was about to run to him.

"If either of you two go near him, I'll consider it outside interference," said Saggi.

Francesca backed off.

"My move is over, Andy, assuming you can hear me… If you can't, I believe that tournament rules say a player is disqualified if he doesn't make his draw in two minutes…"

**0000000000**

Actually, Andy could hear him, and he was perfectly capable of getting up…

…he just wasn't sure if he _wanted _to.

Never before had he been hit that hard… This was a nightmare come true…

Through his pain, he heard a voice…

"Rise up," it said.

Andy looked up. It was happening again. He was alone in the belfry, his foe and his supporters gone. And Admiral Bobbery was standing in front of him.

"Get up lad…" said the Duel Spirit. "If you're half the man I thought you were, that second rate joker isn't going to get the best of you. You said it yourself… He was good for nothing but sacrifice bait for a Trap Card that isn't even legal anymore."

"That's easy for you to say, Bobbery," said Andy. "That Monster of his has more Attack Points than an F.G.D.! That's one Dragon Fusion I don't have, I might add. I don't know how I'm going to…"

"Oh, by Blabberton's beard!" interrupted Bobbery. "Don't tell me you're giving up?

"I made the same mistake and it cost me the best years of my life…"

Andy sat up.

"You?" said Andy. "You gave up? A tough sea-salt who can – and would – blow himself up to win a fight?"

"It wasn't an enemy that I could fight that made me give up, lad…" sighed Bobbery. "The enemy that made me give up was none other than the blame I put on myself for something I had no control over.

"Listen closely, it's quite a tale…

"Long, long ago, many years before the Three Heroes came to Arcadia, I was a sailor. I loved the sea. Time and again, I took to the helm of a craft, seeking faraway lands, and the riches and wonders that they held…

"But… There was one thing I loved even more… My wife, Scarlette.

"Ah, Scarlette… A damsel with blue eyes and flaxen hair, and a voice so lovely that it made the songbirds green with envy. Her beauty was only matched by her devotion and her loyalty. Every time I went out to sea, she would patiently wait for me to return…

"But on one particularly long winter voyage, something happened… Scarlette took ill. I never learned exactly what her illness was, but by the time I finally returned, she had perished from it. I was devastated.

"I saw her in my nightmares… I kept thinking that if only I was there, I could have nursed her back to health… From that point on, looking at the sea sickened me. I couldn't bring myself to board a ship again.

"I became a recluse, rarely leaving my house, spending the next several years blaming myself every waking minute. I had given up…"

"So what happened?" asked Andy.

"As fate would have it, the Three Heroes came to Arcadia," replied Bobbery. "The Dragon Master heard stories of the famed admiral, and it led him to me; he and his friends needed someone with skills that only I had… But I was still sunk in a pit of self-loathing over my perceived failure, and refused to help.

"He did some research, and found out what had happened… And when he dug deeper, he found something… He found a letter than Scarlette had written to me on her deathbed. She meant for me to get it, but for some reason, I never did.

"But he brought it to me… I'll never forget the words that it said… The final words she was speaking to me through that letter.

"She told me that she still loved me… And reminded me of my love for adventure… She begged me not to lose both of the loves of my life…"

Andy looked at Bobbery hard.

"It gave me the strength to move on," said Bobbery. "It convinced me that it wasn't too late. It convinced me not to give up…"

"Whoa…" said Andy.

"You'd best not make the same mistake, lad," said Bobbery, "and if my count is correct, you've got about fifteen seconds to decide!"

**0000000000**

Andy snapped his eyes open.

He struggled to his feet, and drew a card.

"Still trying to win?" asked Saggi.

"It took a rather heart-wrenching story to convince me," said Andy, "but let me tell you, Saggi…

"If I'm gonna lose to a Duel Spirit, it sure as Hell isn't going to be to a pathetic lunatic like _you…_

"As far as I'm concerned, you're _still _nothing more a junk card. You're even junk compared to the other cards that could have been used as Virus bait. And as for that Dark Harlequin card, anyone with an ounce of common sense who wanted to summon it would have used a Fusion Substitute with Peten.

"I summon Masked Dragon!"

His third Masked Dragon appeared in a fiery aura. (1,400 ATK)

"And due to your Dragon Capture Jar, it retreats into Defense Mode…"

(1,100 DEF)

"And Buster Blader's Attack Score goes up another notch," said Saggi.

(5,600 ATK)

"Then I'll set two cards," said Andy, as two cards appeared in his Spell Zone next to each other, "and it's your move…"

Peten made a draw. Then he snarled.

"Bad draw?" asked Andy, with a smirk.

"Oh, have it your way…" said the clown.

Buster Blader's sword crashed down, blowing Masked Dragon to bits.

Andy threw a card on his Disk, and Ancient Dragon appeared, kneeling and folding its wings. (1,300 DEF)

"You never learn, do you?" asked Saggi. "Each Dragon makes my Monster even stronger…"

Buster Blader rose to a score of 6,100.

"Uh, Fran?" asked Stan. "You do think Andy has some idea of what he's doing, right?"

"Yeah…" replied Francesca. "But I really don't know what in the world it is…"

Andy turned to them, and smiled.

Then he turned to Saggi.

"That was your last turn, clown…" he said.

He grunted as he drew the next card off his deck.

"Yes, this one will do…" he said.

One of his face-down cards lifted up.

"I activate… Panic Wave!"

"Panic Wave?" said Saggi. "What does _that _do?"

"Simple…" said Andy. "I destroy another of my cards…"

His other set Trap Card (it was Dragon's Rage) lifted up and shattered.

"…and in return, the effects of all Continuous Traps, Continuous Spells, and Effects Monsters are nullified for the rest of this turn."

"Wait…" said Saggi. "That means…"

"You got it," said Andy. "Dragon Capture Jar is rendered ineffective…"

The evil-looking jar turned grey and its eyes dimmed.

"…while Buster Blader's Attack Score falls to its base score of 2,600."

It was true. The Warrior's score now registered zero Dragons, despite the fact that there were ten in Andy's Graveyard and one on his field.

"I move Ancient Dragon to Attack Mode," said Andy, as the Dragon stood up. (1,400 ATK)

"And then summon Alexandrite Dragon!"

The shimmering gemstone Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"Can't add, huh?" said Saggi. "Buster Blader doesn't need its effect to deal with those…"

Andy held up another Spell Card.

"…guys… Oh… no…" said the Dark Clown.

"I play Dragon's Mirror!" shouted Andy.

Red Eyes and Goddess With the Third Eye appeared in front of him again, and then vanished into nothing. Then Meteor Black Dragon loomed over the field. (3,500 ATK)

"Now for something that I got courtesy of the Glitz Pit," said Andy, as he played another Spell Card. "The devastating Power Lift! It adds Meteor Black Dragon's Defense Score to his Attack Score!"

The Dragon let out a bellowing roar the shook the whole Creepy Steeple… (5,500 ATK)

"Now wait just a minute!" shouted Saggi.

"Of course, it also means that he won't survive past the end of the turn… But he's got longer than you have!

"Attack with Meteor Death Stream!"

The huge Dragon let loose an inferno, and Buster Blader screamed in agony as its armor literally melted before it shattered into little bits.

"Impossible…" gasped Saggi. "Buster Blader… Vanquished by a Dragon…"

"Yes, ironic…" said Andy. "And you're next…"

"Wait, wait…" said Saggi. "Can't we talk about this?"

Ancient Dragon and Alexandrite Dragon blasted beams of energy, and the evil clown screamed… He was thrown backwards as the Duel Binder snapped, crashing into a mirror and smashing it to pieces…

**(A: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)**

As the smoke cleared, Andy was surprised to see that the broken mirror had revealed a room behind it. It had been hiding a secret door.

He looked at Stan and Francesca, and nodded. They slowly walked towards it.

Saggi was gone, but lying on the floor was the Crystal Card he had promised. Andy quickly picked that up.

The room was empty, save for a pedestal, and it held a single card.

"I think that belongs to you too," said Stan, looking at Andy.

Andy picked up the card and looked at it.

"It's another of those special cards…" he said. "Most likely… We're coming close to completing the set."

Francesca hugged him.

"Just try not to do something like this again, okay?" she said. "I mean…"

Then she was interrupted, as the horrible bell chimed. It was one o'clock.

"People…" said Andy, as they walked into the main room again, "what say we do the citizens of Twilight Town a favor and bust this blasted bell?"

Bobbery appeared beside them.

"Just give me a boost up there, lad," he said, "and I'll have it done in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

"You got it!" said Andy.

He activated his Duel Disk, and Ancient Dragon appeared again. (1,400 ATK)

"You heard the Admiral," he said. "Carry him up to that bell!"

Ancient Dragon let out a cry, and grabbed Bobbery in its claws, flying up to the top of the belfry. Bobbery's fuse lit…

"Uh, guys…" said Stan. "Maybe we should… run?"

They all dashed out the door and down the stairs as the two Duel Spirits flew into the bell…

Seconds later, an explosion tore through the top of the Creepy Steeple, followed by a loud crash…

Bobbery landed on the floor of the belfry, where the now-cracked bell was lying on its side. The other mirrors had somehow survived, but not much else had.

He winked, and vanished.

**0000000000**

An hour later…

Saggi the Dark Clown was kneeling on the floor of the Shadow Queen's throne room as the monarch looked at him. Next to her, Sir Grodus was standing, crossing his arms, and Lord Crump was standing in the background.

"So…" said the Queen, who clearly didn't like Saggi nearly as much now as she did before, "you not only lost the duel… But as a result of your loss, Andy now has the Sweet Feast card _and _the Creepy Steeple's bell is totaled?"

"Doopliss will be thrilled…" sighed Grodus.

"This may well be the worst failure we've experience in this endeavor so far…" said the Queen, with a bitter tone to her voice.

"Uh…" said Saggi. "I love what you did with your hair!"

The Queen frowned. She waved her hand and Saggi screamed as shadowy claws dragged him into the darkness.

"I can repair the Steeple…" said Grodus, as she slumped on her throne, "but it will require expending energy that I would rather use for other purposes…"

"I'm open to suggestions, people!" exclaimed the Queen.

"I've had a lot of suggestions," said Crump, "but they always seem to be ignored."

"They _seem _ignored because they _are _ignored," said Grodus. "And you're in enough trouble, Crump… That little snafu back at the peach orchard wasn't the first time your appetite got you in trouble…"

"Your majesty…" said Crump. "If I may…"

The Shadow Queen glared at him.

"You have five minutes to get my attention, Crump…" she said, in an annoyed tone.

Crump reached into his pocket, and took out a map that he quickly unfolded. It looked like a very old map of Arcadia, far older than the one that the tournament contestants were using.

"I got word that some major progress has been made on a project that we… Never _officially _cancelled…" he said, pointing to a spot on it.

She looked at the map, and then looked at Crump again.

"_Define _'major progress'," she said.

**0000000000**

**PANIC WAVE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The structure seen in "System Down" shown from a distance, with scintillating lights in the sky.

**Card Description: **Select 1 card you control and destroy it. This turn, the effects of all Continuous Spell Cards, Continuous Trap Cards, and face-up Effect Monsters are negated.

_Note: "Panic Wave" was first used by Yusei in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Get With the Program (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DARK HARLEQUIN (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Level6/2,000ATK/1,500DEF**

"_Saggi the Dark Clown" + "Peten the Dark Clown"_

**Effect: **When there is at least 1 face-up DARK Monster on the field (other than this card) increase the ATK of this card by 700.

_Note: "Dark Harlequin" first appeared in "Dark Messiah". _

**0000000000**

**POWER LIFT (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Gearfried the Swordmaster surrounded by an aura of overpowering light.

**Card Description: **Select 1 face-up Monster you control. Add the selected Monster's DEF to its ATK. At the End Phase of the turn, destroy the selected Monster.

**0000000000**

**ADMIRAL BOBBERY THE BOMBER (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl6/2,200/1,000**

**Card Description: **When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy all Monsters on the field. You cannot Special Summon any Monsters during the turn you use this effect. During your next Standby Phase after using this effect, you may Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. The effect of "Admiral Bobbery the Bomber" can only be used once per duel per player.

**0000000000**

_**If ever there was a time to end a chapter, that was it. Andy has gained his sixth Crystal Card, and there seems to be little left in Twilight Town… So what next?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Stan: I've met my share of strange individuals as a duelist… And it seems that the tournament contestant who has issued a challenge now in a rather… unique way is stranger than most. Judging by the way she's dressed, she takes things a little too seriously…**_

_**Still, her cards are very powerful, and while she may be eccentric, it seems I'm in for quite a fight…**_

"_**Hero Heart" is coming soon. **_


	20. Hero Heart

_**I like comic books as much as the next guy. Strange… I kinda thought the hobby was sort of male-dominated as a whole. Forgive me if you think that's a chauvinistic comment, but I rarely see many girls at comic book stores. It might be because of the way comic books depict female characters, and I trust I don't have to get into that.**_

_**Still, my opponent certainly seems like a fan, so much that she dresses like a character that's easy to recognize. I think it's safe to say that she doesn't work for the Shadow Queen, but still… I have to wonder whether she has all the screws in her head tightened. **_

_**This is going to be quite a duel. **_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY**

**0000000000**

**HERO HEART**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The innkeeper was rather surprised to see that the three teenagers had come back… But he almost panicked when Andy told him of Saggi's threat that Parasite Parasides had been planted in at least two beds.

Quickly, he roused Drake and Sean, the only other two guests, Charlene, and the two chambermaids. They stripped the beds, and didn't find anything… Possibly, the threat was a bluff… But to make sure, he dug up some old copies of Eradicating Aerosol out of a closet, kept for just such an occasion, and had the duelists activate them in the rooms, to make sure that any dangerous Insect Spirits would be done away with.

Andy couldn't help but ask if versions of Exile of the Wicked and Last Day of Witch existed; the innkeeper said that if they did, he had never seen any.

It was three AM by the time anyone went back to sleep, but everyone in Twilight Town slept more soundly after that, not bothered by the horrible tolling of the Creepy Steeple's bell.

At nine o'clock, after a simple breakfast of peaches with oatmeal, Stan, Andy, and Francesca shook hands with Drake and Sean and wished them good luck, and then said goodbye to the assembled folk of Twilight Town, before taking the path that led southeast. They were told that the next town in that direction was the port city of Keelhaul Key, but it was a good six hour's walk.

So it was time to get started.

After about an hour of walking, they were relieved to see the sun peak out through the clouds, and the forests around them turn to regular oak and elm trees. The wildlife around here had reverted to cute and harmless Duel Spirits, including Archfiend Marmots of Nefariousness, Droll Birds, and Laughing Flowers.

Crump followed from behind from a safe distance. The Queen had given his idea a "maybe" and told him not to screw up again – or else.

Stan stopped and looked around.

"Something wrong?" asked Andy.

"I dunno…" said Stan. "Something seems amiss…"

Then he was startled as a lariat – that's right, a lariat – snagged him from behind.

"HEY!" he shouted.

"And another minion of darkness falls to the Lasso of Truth!" shouted a female voice. "Princess Diana is once again triumphant!"

Stan turned and was a little surprised. The young woman was about his age, and wearing a costume that was easy to recognize… A strapless, low-cut, spandex outfit that was red on the top with a golden horizontal design on the top of the bust, the same design on the belt, and the bottoms blue and covered with stars, accented by a pair of red boots and a golden tiara. The girl's long, black hair completed the classic image. She also had a Duel Disk.

Stan looked at her, and then yanked the end of the lariat, knocking her over.

"Okay… Look…" he said. "You are?"

"I told you…" she said, as she got up. "Diana."

Stan gave her a strange look.

"Exactly why are you dressed like Wonder Woman?" asked Stan. "You know, if you wanted to duel someone, there are other ways to go about it than roping him with a lasso!"

He removed the lasso, and Diana looked at him. Her costume may have looked rather absurd, but clearly, she was serious.

"Because Wonder Woman is tough," she said. "She doesn't take any crap from anyone. She knows how to kick some serious ass!"

She held up her Duel Disk.

"And I'm gonna prove it!" she said. "Duel me! And I'll smash right through your dark sorcerers and demons!"

"How long have you been watching me?" asked Stan.

"Long enough," said Diana.

"Ho boy…" said Francesca, crossing her arms.

"You have a problem, Fran?" asked Andy.

"I dunno…" said Francesca, slightly under her breath. "I've never been very comfortable with Wonder Woman… I mean, she's an Amazon princess, right? Is it traditional for the royalty of Themyscira to dress like hookers?"

"Compared to a lot of female characters in comic books," replied Andy, "her costume is pretty tame…"

"Touché," said Francesca.

"All right, fine, I'll duel you…" said Stan.

_After all the doom and gloom I've seen, _he thought, _this might actually be a little fun…_

Simultaneously, two Duel Disks activated…

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Diana: 8,000)**

Diana made her first draw, and chose a card quickly.

"I summon Heroic Challenger Double Lance!" she exclaimed, as she threw the card on her Disk.

The Monster that appeared was not what Stan or his friends had been expecting. It was a Warrior in shining plate armor with a full-face helmet with a Spartan-like crest, holding two long spears. (1,700 ATK)

_Huh… _thought Stan. _Was kinda expecting Elemental Heroes…_

He sighed.

_There I go again! Leopold was slime, but he had a point when he said that you should give your opponent the unexpected._

"I end my turn…" said Diana, with a smile.

"Okay," said Stan, as he drew his first card.

_Not too bad… _he thought.

"I summon Trident Warrior…" he said.

He played the card, and the bearded Warrior with the three-pronged spear strode out onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"And his effect calls Gagaga Kaiser out onto the field…"

In an aura of energy, the tall Warrior in the white military uniform, holding a long staff, appeared alongside Trident Warrior. (1,800 ATK)

"Kaiser can't attack because I don't have another Gagaga Monster," said Stan, as Trident Warrior aimed his weapon, "but this guy sure can!

"Wrath of Poseidon!"

Trident Warrior blasted bolts of lightning from his spear, but to Stan surprise, Double Lance crossed his two spears, and withstood the blast.

"How?" said Stan.

"I discarded a Monster called Heroic Challenger Sword Shield," said Diana. "By doing so, all of my Monsters with the word 'Heroic' in their names can't be destroyed by battle this turn, and I take no damage."

"Heroics?" said Andy. "Francesca, you ever hear of these guys?"

"Not even vaguely…" replied Francesca. "They must be new or… something…"

"I guess it's your move…" said Stan.

Diana drew, and looked at the card.

"I sacrifice Double Lance…" she said.

The Warrior turned into grains of light.

"…to summon Heroic Challenger Warhammer!"

There was a blast of electricity, and anther Warrior appeared. He was also garbed in full plate armor, colored metallic blue, with a horned helmet. True to his name, he held a very big hammer. (2,100 ATK)

"Attack his Trident Warrior!" she shouted. "Punish him! Earthshaking Smash!"

Warhammer struck the ground with his weapon, sending a shockwave that tore across the ground, blowing Trident Warrior to shards.

"Ugh…" said Stan.

Then to his shock, Trident Warrior rose to an Attack Score of 3,900.

"How in the world?" gasped Stan.

"I'll tell you how…" said Diana. "When Warhammer crushes a Monster, he Equips that Monster to himself, and gains Attack Points equal to the Monster's Attack Score. Your Trident Warrior is helping me now!

"And it's your turn…"

**(S: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 8,000)**

_Lovely… _thought Stan, as he drew a card. _Seems Diana is no rookie, even if her taste in clothing is a little strange…_

"I throw two cards face-down," he said, as two set cards appeared behind Gagaga Kaiser, "and then move Kaiser to Defense Mode."

Kaiser knelt and held his staff in his lap. (600 DEF)

Diana smirked as she drew another card.

"I summon a second Heroic Challenger Double Lance!" she exclaimed.

She played the card, and a twin of the first Double Lance appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"When Double Lance is Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon one from my Graveyard in Defense Mode… Hence the term 'double'."

The first Double Lance appeared, kneeling and leaning on his spears. (900 DEF)

"And now, Double Lance will attack your Gagaga Kaiser!"

The Warrior leapt at Kaiser, and hurled a spear, blowing the well-dressed Warrior to shards.

"Attack him directly, Warhammer!" she cried with delight.

Warhammer lifted his weapon for another mighty blow…

"I activate… Mystical Space Typhoon!" shouted Stan, as his Spell Card lifted up. "Because your Monster is using Trident Warrior as an Equip Spell, I can use this to disarm him!"

Trident Warrior's card briefly appeared, and then vanished. (2,100 ATK) Warhammer continued his attack, and Stan braced himself as the shockwave tore through him.

**(S: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 8,000)**

"Now I activate… Shock Draw…" said Stan, as his other Trap Card lifted up. "I get to draw two cards…"

He drew twice.

**0000000000**

_Clever… _thought Crump, who was watching with binoculars (not from a tree this time). _Stan could have used Mystical Space Typhoon during _his _turn to destroy Trident Warrior… But he knew that if he did that, Diana would have attacked Gagaga Kaiser with Warhammer, and he'd be in the same mess all over again. _

_Still… This Diana seems to have potential… Even if she is eccentric… Maybe this could be a chance for me to gain some serious brownie points with the Queen…_

He unscrewed the top of a thermos he was carrying. Crump wasn't an alcoholic, contrary to what some people thought, but one thing he _was _addicted to was coffee.

**0000000000**

_Okay, here goes, _thought Stan, as he made a draw.

"Because you have three Monsters, and I have none," he said, "I can Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

He threw the card on his Disk, and the hulking robotic Warrior materialized. (2,200 ATK)

Diana frowned.

"Then, I'll summon Gagaga Magician!" continued Stan.

With a dramatic pose, the Spellcaster leapt onto the field. (1,500 ATK) Diana's frown turned into a smirk.

"All right…" said Stan. "Attack Warhammer, Megacyber! Mega Punch!"

The huge Warrior hit the armored knight hard, and Warhammer shuddered and dropped his weapon. He burst into an explosion of shards.

"Next, Gagaga Magician will attack the Double Lance that's in Defense Mode…" said Stan.

The chain-wearing sorcerer pointed, and a bolt of black magic blasted the defending Warrior to little bits.

**(S: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,900)**

"I'll throw this card facedown," said Stan, as a set card appeared in front of him, and then it's your go…"

Diana drew a card, and then considered for a minute.

"I activate Monster Reborn…" she said, as she played a card.

The glowing holy symbol appeared again, and Warhammer rose onto the field once again. (2,100 ATK)

"Now, I could attack your Spellcaster and bring his Attack Score up to 3,600," she said. "But I have a better idea…"

She played a Spell Card.

"Resonance Device?" gasped Stan.

"You've heard of it?" asked Diana.

"I have one in my own deck…" said Stan.

"Then you obviously know that I'm using it to make Double Lance's Level the same as Warhammer's," replied Diana.

_And I also know that there's only one reason why she'd do that… _thought Stan.

"And with these two Heroic Challengers," said Diana, as they both turned into a spiraling vortex, "I can form the Overlay Network to summon one who isn't a Challenger, but a _Champion!_

"I Xyz Summon… Heroic Champion Nothung!"

There was a cold chill, like an arctic wind, and a Warrior appeared, clad in furs over armor of Nordic design. He had red hair and a full beard, and his arms had large, knotted muscles. He held a gleaming broadsword covered with runes that shone with magical energy. (2,000 ATK)

"And for each of his Overlay Units, Nothung gains 800 Attack Points," said Diana.

(3,600 ATK)

"Attack Gagaga Magician! Pride of Odin!"

Nothung lifted his sword, and rushed at the Spellcaster.

"I activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Stan, as his face-down card lifted up.

The sword crashed into an invisible shield, and Stan felt a surge of energy flowing through him,

**(S: 9,200) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,900)**

"Huh…" said Diana, nervously.

She set a card in her Disk, and a face-down card appeared behind Nothung.

"I guess… That should do it for one turn…"

Stan made a draw. He looked at the card. Gagaga Girl.

_Nice… _he thought.

He played the card, and she appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,000 ATK)

"All right, Diana," she said. "I use Gagaga Magician's effect, and lower his Level to 3.

"Then, I open the Overlay Network on my own…"

Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl combined into the vortex of energy.

Then, with the sound of a rousing drum solo, Temtempo the Percussion Djinn appeared in front of him. (1,700 ATK)

"Now I use Gagaga Girl's effect," said Stan. "Zero, Zero Call!"

Nothung groaned as his Attack Score plummeted to zero.

"Then, I use Temtempo's effect," he continued. "I ditch one of his Overlay Units…"

He discarded Gagaga Magician.

"…and he strips Nothung of one of _his _Units!"

Warhammer's card was yanked out of Nothung, and it dissolved into little pieces.

"And by doing that, Temtempo gains 500 Attack Points."

(2,200 ATK)

"All right, Temtempo… Attack with Death Solo!"

The Percussion Djinn played another fierce routine on his drums, and a bolt of sonic energy shot towards the Heroic Champion, blowing him to shards. Diana shattered.

"Now a direct attack!" shouted Stan. "Megacyber, go!"

The huge Warrior rushed at Diana, and hit her hard with a powerful karate chop. She groaned and fell on one knee.

**(S: 9,200) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 3,500)**

"Diana…" said Stan. "Are… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" shouted Diana. "I'm fine… I can take a little pain…"

She took some deep breaths and stood up.

"Look at me, Stan…" she said. "Do you think I'd be wearing this costume if I wasn't willing to take pain?

"That's one of the reasons I admire Wonder Woman in the first place… She's tough. Not just superhumanly strong, but an actual warrior.

"She's stood up to some of the toughest folks in the DC Universe… Heavy hitters like Lobo and Etrigan.

"Sure, she shows a little skin, but a heroine never _really _gets respect these days unless she looks good…"

Stan looked at her.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess," he said. "It's your move…"

Diana pulled the top card off of her deck, and then tapped her Duel Disk. Her face-down Call of the Haunted lifted up, and Double Lance leapt out of the ground. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, I'll summon someone new… Heroic Challenger Spartas, arise!"

It was hard to tell whether the Warrior that appeared was supposed to be based on Spartacus or a Spartan; his armor spear, and shield, along with his cape, suggested both a gladiator and the infantry of ancient Greece. (1,600 ATK)

"I see…" said Stan.

"Attack his Fiend Megacyber!" she shouted.

Double Lance hefted a spear like a javelin, as Diana played another card.

"And with Ego Boost, I can make him just strong enough to prevail…"

Double Lance's score rose to 2,600 as he hurled the spear, impaling the cyborg. Sparks flew from The Fiend Megacyber before he exploded into metal slag.

"Ugh…" said Stan.

"I'll throw a card face-down…" said Diana, as another set card appeared, "and that's all, which means the effect of Ego Boost wears off…"

**(S: 8,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 3,500)**

"All right…" said Stan, as he held his chest.

He snapped the top card off his deck.

"Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

Diana tensed as the holy symbol appeared.

Then Gagaga Magician appeared in a flash of light. (1,500 ATK)

He fit a card into his Disk.

"Next, I Equip Gagaga Magician with the Bound Wand," he said, "and then I use his effect to raise his Level to 8…"

(2,300 ATK)

He looked hard at the two Heroics.

_Diana has no set cards left… _he thought. _But she likely still has a nasty surprise waiting for me…_

"Temtempo, attack Heroic Challenger Spartas!" he shouted.

Temtempo started to beat his drums again.

"You activated Spartas' special effect!" shouted Diana. "When Spartas is attacked when I have at least one other Monster with the word 'Heroic' in its name, Spartas gains that Monster's Attack Points!"

(3,300 ATK)

"You see, Spartas is one of a phalanx unit…"

"Huh?" said Stan.

Spartas threw his spear, blowing the Djinn to pixels.

"Phalanx," said Diana. "A type of military formation that concentrates on teamwork and soldiers supporting each other."

"Double Lance was able to protect Spartas," said Stan, "but can Spartas return the favor?"

Gagaga Magician fired a bolt of dark energy from the Bound Wand, and Double Lance was smashed into metal shards again.

"No, I guess he can't," said Andy.

**(S: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)**

Stan took one of his two remaining cards, and threw it into his Disk, causing another set card to appear behind Gagaga Magician. He nodded, and the Spellcaster fell to an Attack Score of 1,900.

Diana drew a card.

"Now, victory will be mine!" she shouted, holding the cards up high.

"I summon Heroic Challenger Extra Sword!"

The Warrior that appeared this time was very different; its armor didn't seem to resemble that of any soldier in Earth's history… It looked more like some character from a Japanese Super Sentai science fiction show, in silver and green armor, holding two long blades. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, once again, I build the Overlay Network!"

Extra Sword and Spartas turned into a glowing vortex of energy…

Then, a powerful armored Warrior leapt out of the vortex. Again, this one had armor with not real historic counterpart. It was fancy maroon and silver body armor with flared shoulders that gave an illusion of wings. It had a helmet with a golden crest shaped like a cross.

Lightning flashed as a huge sword appeared in its right hand.

"Heroic Champion Excalibur!" shouted Diana.

(2,000 ATK)

"I dunno…" said Stan. "Somehow… I kinda expected more than 2,000 Attack Points…"

"Oh, there is more…" said Diana. "First, when Extra Sword is used for an Xyz Summon, the Xyz Monster gains 1,000 Attack Points."

(3,000 ATK)

"Next, I use Excalibur's effect…" said Diana. "It's so powerful, I have to detach _both _its Overlay Units…"

She discarded Spartas and Extra Sword.

"But it's worth it, because until the end of your next turn, Spartas' base Attack Score is doubled!"

(5,000 ATK)

"Five-thousand?" gasped Stan.

"I'm not done!" said Diana, as her smile got wider.

She held up a Spell Card.

"By playing Heroic Chance, I can double his Attack Score again!"

Excalibur lifted his blade, and an aura of white-hot flames surrounded him… (10,000 ATK)

**0000000000**

Crump sputtered. He dropped his binoculars, and spilled his coffee on his shirt. Fortunately, it wasn't as hot as it had been before.

_Ten-thousand Attack Points? _he thought. _This is one dangerous babe…_

_Yes… Once this duel ends, I'm sure I'm going to want to talk to her…_

**0000000000**

"You getting all this, Stan?" asked Diana.

"Hanging onto every word…" said Stan, as sweat poured down his brow.

"Then attack his Spellcaster, Excalibur!" shouted Diana. "Noble Blade of Pendragon!"

Lightning flashed again, and Excalibur swung his mighty sword, sending a powerful blade of energy that cut through Gagaga Magician, blowing him to pieces and sending Stan to his knees…

"Hmm…" said Diana.

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)**

"He's still standing!" shouted Francesca.

"HUH?" said Diana. "You still have Life Points left?"

"I was lucky…" said Stan, as he breathed hard.

He pointed to the Trap Card he had activated.

"Nutrient Z," he gasped. "Your attack was enough to do at least 2,000 points of damage – actually, it did over 8,000 – so I gained 4,000 Life Points right before Excalibur's blow hit.

"And by using the effect of Bound Wand, Gagaga Magician is summoned back to the field."

Gagaga Magician appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

Diana looked at him.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Oh, this is the best duel I've had in years!" she laughed.

She giggled again.

"I end my turn," she said. "That means that the effect of Heroic Chance wears off… However, Excalibur's own effect lasts until the end of _your _next turn."

(5,000 ATK)

Stan made a draw, and looked at Excalibur.

_Diana is clearly a powerful duelist, _she thought, _but kind of reckless… If my Trap Card had been Magic Cylinder, it would have brought the duel to a painful end… For her…_

"So tell me, Diana…" he said. "Are all of your Xyzs named after swords?"

"Swords?" asked Andy.

"Yes…" said Francesca. "You've likely heard of Excalibur, the sword held by King Arthur…

"Nothung was a legendary sword too. In actual Norse mythology, the dragon-slayer Siegfried's sword was called Gram, but in Wagner's opera, it was called Nothung."

"Weapons," replied Diana. "Not necessarily swords."

"I see…" said Stan, as he played a Spell Card.

"I play The Warrior Returning Alive," he said. "I'm guessing your deck likely has one of these cards, so I won't bother explaining what it does…"

He took Gagaga Kaiser from his discard slot.

"That means I can summon Gagaga Kaiser again…"

In a flash of energy, the well-dressed soldier appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I use Kaiser's effect," he continued. "By removing The Fiend Megacyber in my Graveyard from play, I can make the Levels of both Gagaga Monsters the same as that of Megacyber, 6."

He pocketed the card, and the Warrior and the Spellcaster were surrounded by the spiraling vortex of the Overlay Network again.

"Stan's going to summon a Rank 6 Xyz?" asked Francesca.

"I guess so…" replied Andy.

"I Xyz Summon… Sword Breaker!" shouted Stan.

A hulking Warrior rose on Stan's side of the field. He was dressed in bulky plate armor, but what really made him stand out were his weapons, which covered him from head to toe. He had a mace, several swords (including a katana and a saber), several kunai, three grenades, a bandoleer holding shotgun shells, a shuriken, a battle axe, a missile, a trident, a bow, and his shoulder guards had both drill bits and glowing spikes. (2,700 ATK)

"Whoa…" said Andy. "That guy's a regular Swiss Army knife!"

"And if used right, Sword Breaker can defeat any Monster, no matter how powerful it is," said Stan. "See, I get rid of one Overlay Unit…"

He discarded Gagaga Magician.

"Then I name one Type of Monster, like Warriors. Until I choose to use that effect again, whenever Sword Breaker battles that Type, he wins automatically, with no Battle Damage inflicted to either player."

"Uh… oh…" said Diana.

"Attack Excalibur!" shouted Stan. "Flashing Bladestorm!"

The next minute, Sword Breaker erupted into a maelstrom of swords, knives, and daggers. Heroic Champion Excalibur's weapon snapped in half, and gashes appeared all over his armor… And then he was blasted into pieces.

"Nasty…" said Francesca.

"I never said all my Monsters were nice," said Stan, as he set his last card on his Disk.

A face-down card appeared behind Sword Breaker.

"I'll set this, and it's your move…"

Diana drew a card, and looked at it.

"Diana's in big trouble now," said Andy. "I'm willing to bet ALL her Monsters are Warriors."

"And I'd say _we're _in trouble if we ever have to duel Stan," said Francesca with a nervous laugh.

Diana took both of her cards and set them in her Disk. Two set cards appeared, one vertical and one horizontal.

"Your move…" she said, slowly.

Stan drew.

_Mataza the Zapper, _he thought, as he looked at it.

He looked at Diana's set Monster.

_That may be more powerful than this guy… But if I took a chance, I could win the duel right here._

He played the card, and the dark ronin appeared in front of him. (1,300 ATK)

"Attack!" he shouted. "Zapping Blade!"

Mataza rushed forward in a dark blur…

Then Diana's facedown card shot up.

"MIRROR FORCE?" gasped Stan.

It was indeed the infamous Trap Card, and it had taken him completely by shock. The light from the Trap Card covered the whole field, incinerating his two Monsters.

Stan paused… He looked at his own Trap Card…

"I… end my turn…" he said.

"I draw one card…" said Diana, as she made a draw.

She set the card, and it appeared facedown.

Then her face-down Monster flipped up, and the Morphing Jar appeared. (700 ATK)

Stan took a deep breath, and they both drew five times.

"With a new hand, new possibilities open up," said Diana. "Victory will still be mine…"

She quickly played a card. Heroic Challenger Double Lance (obviously the third one in her deck) appeared in front of her. (1,700 ATK)

"As I'm sure you remember," said Diana, "Normal Summoning Double Lance lets me Special Summon another one from my Graveyard…"

A second Double Lance appeared. (900 DEF)

"Now, let's build the Overlay Network once again…" said Diana.

Again, the two Warriors were consumed by the spiraling vortex. The vortex turned into a portal, and the sound of galloping hooves came out of it.

A mounted Warrior rode out of the portal. His decorated armor suggested India more than anything else, and he held a longbow.

"I give you… Heroic Champion Gandiva," said Diana. (2,100 ATK)

"O-kay…" said Stan. "I've never heard of a Gandiva before…"

"It was the bow used by Arjuna," said Diana, "a hero in an epic Hindu myth.

"But enough about that…"

Gandiva aimed an arrow at Stan.

"Attack him directly with Brahman's Fury!"

"From my hand," said Stan, "I activate the effect of Gagaga Gardna! Because you declared a direct attack, I can Special Summon him in Defense Mode!"

He threw the card on his Duel Disk, and Gardna started to appear…

"Oh, really?" said Diana. "Gandiva thinks otherwise…"

She took one of the two Double Lances from beneath Gandiva's card, and discarded it.

"Gandiva's effect lets me negate the Special Summoning of a Level 4 or lower Monster!"

Gardna shattered.

Gandiva aimed at Stan again.

"I'm not dead yet!" he shouted.

His face-down card lifted up.

_Glad I saved this… _he thought.

"Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

With a roar, Sword Breaker leapt back onto the field. (2,700 ATK)

"He doesn't have a Level at all, so Gandiva can't use his effect on him."

"He can only use his effect once per turn anyway…" replied Diana. "But no matter…"

She played a card from her hand.

"I activate Shrink!"

Sword Breaker groaned as a dark aura surrounded him. (1,350 ATK) Gandiva finally fired, and the armed-to-the-teeth Warrior shattered.

Then Morphing Jar's cackling head shot at Stan, striking him in the stomach.

"Ugh…" he said.

**(S: 2,150) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)**

_I gotta end this fast… _thought Stan. _No way do I want to find out what else she has in her Extra Deck…_

He made a draw.

_That's what I'm talking about… _

"You have two Monsters, and I have none," he said. "That means I don't need a sacrifice…"

He played a card, and a column of eldritch energy shot up in front of him.

"…to summon Gagaga Druid!"

The dark, robed, cowled Spellcaster stepped out of the column. (2,200 ATK)

"And he's just strong enough…" he continued, as the Spellcaster pointed his shillelagh, "attack with Gagaga Wrath!"

The Druid fired a burning black fireball, and the archer and his rider were blasted into little pieces.

**(S: 2,150) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,800)**

"This duel isn't over yet, Stan!" shouted Diana.

"Then take your turn," said Stan. "We'll soon see…"

"And I end my turn…"

Diana drew a card.

"You were right, by the way," she said, as she played it. "I did have The Warrior Returning Alive in my deck…"

One of her three Double Lances slipped out of her discard slot, and she quickly threw it on her Disk. Once again, the spear-wielding Warrior appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"I take it you remember how this works…"

Again, a second Double Lance appeared in Defense Mode. (900 ATK)

She fit a card into her Disk, and a set card materialized next to the other one.

She turned a card on her Disk, and Morphing Jar retracted into its vase. (600 DEF)

"I end my turn…" she said, slowly.

She casually glanced at her set Trap Cards.

_I have Staunch Defender set, _she thought, _along with Invincible Hero… The first will draw all his attacks towards the one in Defense Mode, while the other will keep him from being destroyed._

_After that, next turn…_

She looked at the last card in her hand, a Level 4 Warrior called Heroic Challenger Night-Attack Cantera.

_Summoning Kusanagi will be easier done than said._

Stan made a draw. He looked at it hard.

"Diana…" he said. "It's been a good duel…"

He played a card.

"Heavy Storm!"

A fierce wind blew across the field, and Diana's Trap Cards were blown to pieces.

"I summon Marauding Captain!" he shouted.

The Monster Card appeared in front of him, and the famous Captain of Freed's army leapt out of it. (1,200 ATK)

"And by using its effect, I can summon Twin-Sword Marauder to the field."

This time, a far-less friendly Warrior emerged. It was a dark, masked figure in leather armor, with two sharp stiletto blades on his gauntlets. (1,600 ATK)

"Gagaga Druid," said Stan, "attack the Double Lance in Attack Mode!"

The Spellcaster fired his lethal bolt, and Diana grunted as the Warrior was blown to pieces.

"Twin-Sword Marauder, your turn!" said Stan.

The assassin leapt at the Morphing Jar, and sliced it in half. Diana screamed.

"Not only does he inflict piercing damage," said Stan, "but when he attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, he gets to attack a second time."

Twin-Sword Marauder cut the defending Double Lance in half. Diana screamed again.

Finally, Marauding Captain charged at Diana, and hit her with both swords.

**(S: 2,150) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)**

She sighed, and slumped to her knees.

**0000000000**

"Sorry about the whole deal with the lariat back there," said Diana, as she blushed a little.

She handed Stan a Crystal Card.

"Sometimes when I wear this costume… Well, I just get carried away…"

"There's a time in a girl's life when she has to stop playing pretend and start facing reality," said Francesca. "You can look up to Wonder Woman if you want… But you have to remember after all is said and done that she isn't real…"

"I know…" said Diana, with a sigh.

"Well, I'm down to only five Cards, but I'm going to get to eight! I'm going to make it to the Thousand Year Door, just watch me!"

Stan _really _didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if encouraging someone to enter the Queen's palace was a good idea.

"And maybe I can duel one of you again then," she said.

"We'll look forward to it…" said Andy.

"Well, I'm headed to Twilight Town," she said.

"Yeah, we were just there," said Stan. "I guess we'll be going in the opposite direction…"

Diana turned as they walked southward, and she grabbed her duffle as she did. After she walked about a hundred feet, she stopped short.

"Excuse me…" said Crump, who had appeared in front of her.

"Who are you?" said Diana.

She had never seen this man before, but knew right away that she didn't like him.

Crump didn't answer. Instead he held up a Spell Card. Mesmeric Control.

"What are you doing?" asked Diana, looking annoyed.

Then she suddenly felt sleepy.

"What are you…"

Then she blacked out. Crump quickly caught her before she fell to the ground.

He looked at the magical card as it slowly turned to dust. The Queen had never trusted him with any magic items that could be reused…

…so he hoped this worked…

**0000000000**

**INVINCIBLE HERO (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A laughing, muscular superhero on a city street at night (the city is possibly "Skyscraper"), surrounded by unconscious, masked thugs, with shadowy thugs lurking behind him.

**Card Description**: Select one Warrior-Type Monster you control. The selected Monster cannot be destroyed by battle until the End Phase of this turn.

_Note: "Invincible Hero" was first used by Judai in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "A Lying Legend". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (The effect as written is not 100% confirmed, but is an interpretation based on its use.)_

**0000000000**

**HEROIC CHAMPION NOTHUNG (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank6/2,000ATK/2,000DEF**

_2 Level 6 Monsters_

**Effect: **Increase this card's ATK by 800 for each Xyz Material it has. When this card destroys a Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, detach 1 Xyz Material from this card.

**0000000000**

_**Stan now has five Crystal Cards, but sinister things are afoot. What is Crump planning to do with poor Diana?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Stan: Something is VERY wrong here. We've come to a strange deserted town that is NOT on the map that we have, and that was NOT in the video game that Arcadia parallels. Even worse, the spirits of our Companions do NOT recognize it!**_

_**And when Andy is kidnapped, two weird creatures who are clearly NOT Duel Spirits or anything else I recognize force Francesca and me into a brutal duel for survival. **_

_**But is all not as it seems?**_

"_**Double Snare" is coming soon. **_


	21. Double Snare

_**I said this before, and it bears repeating. Leopold was slime, but he said one thing that did make sense:**_

"_**An intelligent duelist knows that, if he wants to win, he must always do two things… Expect the unexpected from his opponent… And always give his opponent the unexpected."**_

_**I take it his mother taught him that… Because she's put something in our path that we didn't expect at all. **_

_**With Andy's life hinging on this duel, I have to rely not only on my own abilities as a duelist, but on Francesca's as well…**_

_**And frankly… This is one time when I'm not as sure of myself as I'd like to be…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-ONE**

**0000000000**

**Double Snare**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The Shadow Queen sighed as she leaned her head on her hand. She looked at a card.

It wasn't a Monster, but a Spell Card. Terraforming.

She picked up a cellphone, and speed-dialed a number.

"Yes, my Queen?" said Crump's voice.

"Crump, are you absolutely sure about this?" she asked.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was _absolutely _sure," replied Crump. "But I'd say that I'm at least very close to sure."

The Shadow Queen sighed again.

"Fine," she said. "I'm only going along with your idea because you managed to do something right.

"Now feed our new acquisition and get her to the Palace of Shadow."

She hung up, and then threw the Spell Card into the enchanted furnace. As the flames burned, she started an incantation in an ancient language.

The curse cast by the Three Heroes rendered her a prisoner of her Palace, but she still had great power over Arcadia… So much that she had some control over its very landscape… Not as much as she used to have, but enough to unearth something that had been hidden for a long time…

Somewhere between Twilight Town and Keelhaul Key, the hillsides started to rumble. The ground cracked…

**0000000000**

Crump hung up. He was at a table in a café in Rogueport. Diana was sitting on the other side of the table, with a blank look on her face.

A waitress came up to the table.

"Uh," said Crump, "you'd best let me order for the lady… She's had a hard day…"

**0000000000**

"Was that a tremor?" asked Francesca.

"I dunno…" said Andy. "Let's keep moving…"

They kept walking, and after a mile, they walked over the crest of a hill… And were surprised to see a town lying in the valley in front of them.

"That can't be Keelhaul Key…" said Stan.

He took the map out of his pocket and looked at it.

"No, Keelhaul Key is a port town… We're nowhere near the ocean…"

"So what is this place?" said Francesca.

"I have no idea!" said Stan. "There's nothing here that indicates any towns between Twilight Town and Keelhaul Key… And we couldn't have bypassed Keelhaul Key entirely and made it all the way to Poshley Heights… It would have taken too long…"

Andy looked at the place.

"Well, maybe there's someone in there who can tell us, eh?" he said.

He paused.

"But… let's be on our guard anyway…"

They slowly walked up to the gated town, to the rusted front gates. Metal bars on the top had been bent into letters to form a word:

**GEARVILLE**

Stan went to open the gate, and it fell over, clearly in need of repair.

They walked in, and looked around. The town looked more like a large machine than a town; the buildings were made up of gears, cogs, and sprockets… But all of them were in bad shape, rusty and covered with dust.

As they walked, they saw conveyor belts and old-fashioned blast furnaces like the type used to make pig iron during the Industrial Revolution. But all of this machinery was rusty from misuse.

Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Vivian, Yoshi, and Bobbery appeared behind them.

"G-guys?" said Koops, nervously. "I don't recognize this place at all!"

"Yeah…" said Vivian. "This place was _not _here a thousand years ago!"

"Maybe it's a recent addition to Arcadia?" asked Andy.

"This place has been abandoned for years," said Flurrie. "Look at all this rust. I think I need a tetanus shot just looking at it."

"It kind of looks like a factory…" said Goombella. "But I don't see what it was supposed to make…"

Then they heard a loud whir, and the sound of motors…

It came out of nowhere… A large, mechanical creature, vaguely humanoid in shape with a square body, no head, and powerful fists. (2,500 ATK)

"WHAT THE?" shouted Andy.

Before he could say anything else, the weird Machine launched explosive rockets at the three teenagers… They screamed…

**0000000000**

"Francesca?" groaned Stan, as he got up. "Andy?"

"I'm here, Stan," said Francesca, as she held her head. "But I have no idea where Andy is…"

Then Goombella, Flurrie, Vivian, and Yoshi appeared again. Koops and Bobbery, however (the two that lived in Andy's deck) were missing.

"I'll tell you where Andy is," said Yoshi. "That overgrown vacuum cleaner made off with him. We tried to stop it, but it was stronger than any of us…"

Francesca looked at Stan with a look of horror.

"Stan, you don't think…" she said.

"Easy, Fran," he replied. "That was clearly an ambush, not a challenge.

"Andy is here somewhere, we just have to…"

Then they heard footsteps.

A small Machine that looked more or less like a gun turret on an oblong torso with two mechanical legs started walking towards them. (500 ATK)

Francesca was about to draw a card, but Stan lifted his hand.

"Don't worry," he said. "That's a DUCKER Mobile Cannon… Hardly a serious threat…"

As the Machine came closer, they noticed that a note was impaled on one of its guns.

It stopped, and Stan took the note. It had two words written on it:

"FOLLOW ME"

Then it turned around, and started walking again.

"This better be good," said Francesca, as they started to follow it, "or we're going to turn you into spare parts."

Either unable to understand the threat or uncaring, the DUCKER led them into the heart of Gearville.

**0000000000**

Eventually, the Machine spirit came to a large building where a door opened up. They followed it inside, and at first, saw only what appeared to be an empty warehouse.

Then a mechanical trapdoor opened in the floor, revealing a stairway going down.

They followed it down the stairs, deep into a dark basement where it was slightly warmer. Gears, pistons, pulleys, and cogs, ranging from small to giant-sized, surrounded the stairway they walked down, which had no railing and gave them the feeling that they were descending into some horrible creature's lair. Francesca shuddered to think what had happened to Andy.

Finally, they reached the bottom… It wasn't the lair of a creature… But the machine in front of them was no less frightening…

It could best be described as a huge cast-iron cross between a forge and an electric generator. It had a gaping maw in the front where flames would be, and four towers on top that might have been used to transmit electricity. Unlike most of the machinery in Gearville, this seemed newer and in relatively good repair; however, there was no fire burning inside it, and the dials on it all registered zero. Clearly it wasn't working.

Then Francesca screamed.

"What?" gasped Stan.

"Andy…" gasped Francesca.

She ran over to the side of the room. It was Andy… She assumed. It looked like he had been turned into a statue of metal. Apparently, he had been crouched on one knee and covering his face with one hand when it had happened.

"What did they do to you?" she gasped.

Then they heard a loud whir.

"Looks like we're about to find out…" said Stan.

A very large hook connected to a chain started to descend from the ceiling, and two creatures were riding it. Francesca watched with anger as they leapt to the floor.

The two creatures looked like harlequins, but were very different from each other. The one on the left was wearing what appeared to be armor, colored gaudy orange and yellow, decorated with stars. He had a white handlebar moustache, wore what appeared to be a top hat, and held a curved sword and a shield.

The other creature was also dressed like a jester, but not armored. His clothing was green and purple (though just as gaudy) and decorated with diamonds. He was thinner and lankier than the other, to the point of being gaunt. He wore a long purple cape, elbow-length purple gloves, and strange, pointed shoes. A purple mask covered most of his face, exposing only the eyes.

"Greetings," said the armored one.

"Salutations," said the second.

"I'm Cloaker," said the armored one.

"I'm Domino," said the gaunt one.

"Never heard of you!" said Stan, angrily.

"And you two could be Abbot and Costello for all I care," snarled Francesca. "What did you do to Andy?"

"I think what you truly want answered, milady," said Cloaker, "is the question, 'is Andy alive?' If that is indeed the case, then the answer is 'yes'. We are merely restraining him with titanium jacketing…"

"And he hasn't lost a duel either," added Cloaker. "We'll gladly release him…"

"If…" said Stan.

"If you duel us," said Cloaker.

"Who duels who?" asked Francesca.

"I'd rather we finish this quickly," said Domino. "So it will be two-on-two, assuming you know the rules for such a contest?"

Stan looked at Francesca.

"Sort of…" she said. "Not something I'm all-that comfortable with…"

"Uh…" said Cloaker. "Tell you what… We'll ante _three _Crystal Cards against our success… One for each of you."

"Francesca…" said Stan, motioning for her to come closer.

She leaned over.

"These two must want to duel pretty badly to make a wager like that…" he whispered.

He looked at the two harlequins.

"And these guys don't look like any Duel Monsters I've ever heard of… Clearly the Queen is trying something new here…"

"What choice do we have?" replied Francesca.

She looked at Andy.

"I have no idea how we can remedy this on our own…"

"Good point…" said Stan.

"Smashing!" said Cloaker.

His sword and shield vanished, and Duel Disks appeared on both of their left arms. Both Duel Disks were made of bronze, and were shaped like gears, the five spots in the Monster Zone each being a tooth in each gear.

"Here's how the order of turns will go," continued Cloaker. "We'll start with me, then Francesca, then Domino, then Stan, and then back to me."

"All right…" said Francesca. "Let's duel…"

**(Stan and Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Cloaker and Domino: 8,000)**

"Here we GO!" shouted Cloaker, as he made his first draw.

"I'll defend with a Monster," he said, as a set Monster appeared in front of him. "And that will be all for my turn…"

Francesca stepped forward, and made her first draw.

She paused, and looked at Andy.

_Hang in there… _she thought.

"I call out Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.

The brilliant Unicorn appeared, and neighed angrily as she looked at the two jesters. (1,800 ATK)

_Whoa… _thought Stan. _She doesn't seem to like Cloaker and Domino at all…_

"Now I use her effect…" said Francesca.

She flipped the top card on her Disk.

"And it's Synchro Boost!" she shouted.

She threw it into her Duel Disk.

"So named because it _boosts _my Monster's Level by 1 and her Attack Score by 500!"

(2,300 ATK)

"Now mow Cloaker's Monster down!"

Sunlight Unicorn charged horn-first. Giant Rat appeared on the card, and shattered.

"Thank you…" said Cloaker. "Using Giant Rat's effect, I summon… Roboyarou!"

In a blast of digital symbols, a cyborg wearing metallic blue body armor covering all but his eyes appeared. His fists glowed with energy. (900 ATK)

_Roboyarou? _thought Francesca. _Only one reason why anyone uses that card…_

_Still… Sunlight Unicorn should be safe for now…_

"I end my turn…" she said.

"Draw!" said Domino, as he stepped into position, and made a draw.

"And I activate the Power Bond Spell Card!"

"Good lord…" said Francesca.

"I know…" said Domino. "Using this card to Fusion Summon a Monster can be dangerous, seeing as I'll take damage at the end of my turn equal to the Monster's base Attack Score…

"But… Given the fact that the Monster I'm summoning has a very _low _Attack Score, it's only a _little _dangerous.

"See, I'm fusing my partner's Roboyarou with Robolady…"

A female version of Roboyarou, wearing metallic purple body armor, appeared next to him. The two cyborgs nodded to each other, and then dissolved into digital symbols.

"Doing so causes them to upgrade into Super Roboyarou!"

There was another blast of ones and zeroes, and another cyborg appeared that could best be described Roboyarou with higher-tech armor. Spikes covered his shoulder pads, and smaller spikes covered his helmet, which now had a glowing visor. He carried a long baton with the handle in the middle, which crackled with electrical energy. (1,200 ATK)

"Because I summoned him with Power Bond, his Attack Score is doubled," continued Domino.

(2,400 ATK)

"And that's not all… Super Roboyarou gains 1,000 Attack Points whenever he attacks a Monster!"

The cyborg dashed at Sunlight Unicorn at high speed, his Attack Score rising to 3,400 right before he clobbered the Beast on the head with his baton, blowing her to pieces.

"Ugh…" said Francesca.

"I set one card face-down, and my turn is over," said Domino, as a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone. "Unfortunately, that means the side effect of Power Bond kicks in…"

He grunted as an aura of red energy tore through him.

"But even so…" he continued. "Super Roboyarou remains at 2,400 Attack Points."

**(S & F: 6,900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

"I believe it's Stan's turn…"

"Finally, said Stan, as he stepped forward.

He drew a card.

"Gagaga Magician, you're up!" he shouted.

He played the card, and the Spellcaster appeared. He sneered at the two clowns. (1,500 ATK)

_Seems my Monsters don't like them any more than Fran's do, _he thought, as he picked another card.

"I play Gagagabolt!" he shouted. "With Gagaga Magician on the field, I can destroy one card…"

He pointed to Super Roboyarou.

"I dare say that's a sticky wicket…" said Domino, as he Trap Card lifted up. "However…"

"A Counter Trap?" gasped Stan.

"That's right…" said Domino. "Dark Bribe… You draw once, but I get to keep my Monster…"

Stan made a draw.

He threw a card in his Disk and it appeared set in his Spell Zone with a flash.

_I think I know what's coming next, _he thought.

"I end my turn," he said.

"And back to me!" laughed Cloaker, as he drew.

"I play the Limiter Removal Spell Card!" he exclaimed.

Super Roboyarou let out a cry of pure bloodlust as pure energy flowed into him.

"As the card suggests, this removes the limits on my Machine-Type Monsters, doubling their Attack Scores…"

(4,800 ATK)

"Now destroy his Gagaga Magician!" he shouted.

Again, Roboyarou rushed at super-speed.

"I activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Stan.

His set card lifted up, and the cyborg crashed into an invisible shield.

"Oh fiddlesticks…" said Cloaker. "Seems I'm in somewhat of a bind… When my turn ends, Limiter Removal will destroy my Monster…

"Unless…"

Super Roboyarou vanished into the same aura of digital symbols.

"By sending him back to my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon his counterpart, Super Robolady!"

A new female cyborg appeared, one who, naturally, looked like an enhanced version of the regular Robolady. She held the same weapon as Super Roboyarou, and had the same glowing visor on her helmet. She had the same spiked armor, although the armor itself had feminine curves, and was metallic purple. (1,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll set a Monster, and this card…" he continued.

A set card appeared next to Super Robolady, then another one appeared behind both.

"And I end my turn…"

**(S & F: 11,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

"My move…" said Francesca.

She drew a card.

_Elephun! _she thought. _Okay, I can do this…_

She played the card, and the small pachyderm Tuner appeared in front of her. (500 ATK)

"Now, I'm using Gagaga Magician's effect to lower his Level from 4 to 3!"

Four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then one vanished.

"Fran!" shouted Stan. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" said Francesca. "I'm summoning Thunder Unicorn!"

"WAIT!" shouted Stan.

Elephun flew towards the ceiling, through the glowing rings…

But then, the rings shattered, and the Tuner fell on its face.

"What…" said Francesca.

"Uh…. Fran…" said Stan. "This may not be the best time to tell you this… But… Gagaga Magician…

"He doesn't do Synchros…"

Francesca looked at Stan. Then she looked on her Duel Disk, where Gagaga Magician's card was next to Elephun's. She read the card text.

Then her face turned red as she covered it with her hand. Cloaker and Domino burst out laughing.

"Oh, excuse me…" said Cloaker. "I'm usually not one to laugh, but…"

"But that was pretty funny…" added Domino.

"I'll show you funny, you demented prick!" shouted Francesca. "Gagaga Magician, attack Super Robolady!"

The Spellcaster flew at the Machine.

"FRAN, WAIT!" screamed Stan.

"Too late!" said Cloaker, as his Trap Card lifted up. "I activate Rare Metalmorph!"

Super Robolady's armor turned silver and even shinier.

"I'll hardwire it to Super Robolady, to increase her Attack Score by 500 points!"

(1,700 ATK)

Super Robolady met Gagaga Magician's attack with a swing of her baton, knocking him over the two duelists' heads before he dissolved into shadowy particles.

Francesca sighed. She set a card in her Disk, and a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone.

She hung her head.

**(S & F: 11,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

"I guess that means it's my turn…" said Domino, as he made a draw.

"I'll flip my Giga Tech Wolf into Attack Mode."

The face-down Monster flipped up, and a fierce-looking mechanical wolf appeared. It snarled. (1,200 ATK)

_Giga Tech Wolf? _thought Stan. _Not exactly the King of Machines… Why would he use that?_

Domino played a card, and Cannon Soldier appeared. (1,400 ATK)

_Oh… That's why… Still, kind of a poor reason…_

"Giga Tech Wolf, attack Elephun!" shouted Domino.

The robot wolf pounced, and crushed the small Tuner flat. Francesca groaned.

"I activate Dust Tornado!" she shouted.

Her Trap Card lifted up, and the whirlwind ripped across the field, blowing Rare Metalmorph to little pieces.

"It won't protect you from Super Robolady's attack," said Domino, as the cyborg rushed at Francesca, "and when she attacks directly, she gains 1,000 Attack Points!"

Super Robolady shot up to 2,200 Attack Points, right before she clubbed Francesca with her baton.

"Now my Cannon Soldier can attack… Open fire!"

The robot blasted a bolt of plasma from its cannon, and Francesca screamed.

"Next, I'll sacrifice Giga Tech Wolf so that Cannon Soldier can use its effect," said Domino. "And deal out another 500 points of damage!"

The robot wolf turned into pure energy, which Cannon Soldier absorbed. It fired again, and Francesca fell to her knees.

**(S & F: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

"I deserved that…" she moaned.

"No you didn't!" shouted Stan. "Now get up!

"Come on, Fran, if I had a dollar for every time I got the effect of a card wrong…"

"Was it ever in a duel where someone's life mattered?" asked Francesca.

Stan sighed.

"No, I guess it wasn't…"

"It's your move…" said Domino.

Stan stepped forward, and made a draw.

_The card I got from Punio… _he thought. _This may buy us some time…_

"I activate the powerful Clock Out!" he shouted.

"Eh?" said Domino. "What's that?"

As Stan played the card, a fancy grandfather clock with one hand and six numbers, the Roman Numerals for one through six, appeared behind him.

"Here's how it works," said Stan. "The Hand of Fate is going to spin, and then, until a number of End Phases equal to the number it lands on have passed, no attacks are allowed.

The two jesters chuckled.

"Smashing…" giggled Cloaker. "If it lands on a one, the only player it will hurt is _you!"_

"Powerful cards are always double-edged swords," said Stan, "so let's see how lucky I am!"

The hand started to spin, around and around, and around.

Then it stopped on the four.

"Confound it…" said Domino. "That means we both can't attack for one of our turns!"

"Calm down…" said Cloaker. "Both of them can't either…"

"I set a Monster and a face-down card," said Stan, as a set Monster and a set card in his Spell Zone appeared. "It's your move, Domino."

The hand on the clock clicked to the three.

"Hmm…" said Domino, as he made his draw.

He looked at his partner. Cloaker twitched his moustache.

"I think I'll set one card face-down," he said, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and that's my turn…"

The clock ticked down to two.

Francesca made a draw, and looked at the five cards in her hand.

_Get ahold of yourself, Francesca, _she thought. _Andy is counting on you!_

She slowly reached for a Spell Card.

_Better not… I can't attack, and I don't know what they're planning…_

"I pass this turn…" she said, as the clock ticked down to one.

"All right then…" said Cloaker, as he made a draw.

"I may not be able to attack," he said, "but there are other ways to strike at an opponent. You might remember this Monster…"

As he played the card, and DUCKER Mobile Cannon appeared in front of him. (500 ATK)

"Attack Mode?" asked Stan. "You do know that thing is a Flip Effect Monster, right?

'Unless…"

"That's right…" said Cloaker. "DUCKER Mobile Cannon is a rather weak Monster, as I believe you noted…"

He threw a Spell Card into his Disk.

"Weak enough to use Machine Duplication, and summon two more."

Two more of the Mobile Cannons appeared. (500 ATK x2)

"Which means I can sacrifice all three to use Cannon Solider!"

The three small Cannons turned into energy; Cannon Soldier absorbed it, and fired three blasts at Francesca.

"Will you stop picking on her?" shouted Stan as Francesca held her stomach. "She feels bad enough as it is!"

"I'm fine, Stan…" muttered Francesca.

**(S & F: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

"My turn is over," said Cloaker, "so I guess that means the effect of your Clock Out expires now…"

The Spell Card disintegrated.

"Yeah, I guess it does…" said Stan as he drew a card and looked at it.

_Sweet Treat… _he thought.

He looked at the other two cards in his hand, Cross Attack and Bound Wand. Then he looked at his two set cards on the field.

_Seeing as I have nothing that can attack anyway…_

"I activate the Sweet Treat Spell Card!" he shouted.

The gingerbread man flew out of the card with its pink die.

"Ye gods, more dice cards!" grunted Cloaker. "This turns my stomach…"

"Well, hope that I roll low…" said Stan.

The cookie tossed the die. It spun and landed on a five.

"Bingo!" said Stan. "Not the best, but that means we gain 2,500 Life Points.

"I have to end my turn, so that's all for now…"

**(S & F: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

Cloaker narrowed his eyes as he made his draw.

"I summon the lethal Nanobreaker…" he said.

There was another aura of digital symbols, and a coldly beautiful raven-haired woman, dressed in metal body armor and holding a sword shaped like a steel flame materialized. (1,600 ATK)

"Destroy his Monster! Nano-blade!"

As Nanobreaker sped towards the set Monster, Sangan appeared crouching on the card. It chittered right before her sword cut it in half.

"You're too kind…" said Stan.

He quickly took a card from his deck.

_Gagaga Girl… _he thought. _Step one is complete… Now for step two…_

"Attack him directly Super Robolady!" ordered Cloaker.

_Here it comes… _thought Stan, as the female cyborg rushed at him, her Attack Score rising to 2,200.

He grunted as she clubbed him with her baton.

"Activate… Damage Gate!" he shouted.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, so long as it's Attack Score is equal to or less than the amount of damage I took…"

Gagaga Magician appeared in a dark aura of shadow. (1,500 ATK)

"Cute…" said Cloaker. "I sacrifice Nanobreaker to use Cannon Soldier's effect!"

Nanobreaker turned into the same aura of energy, and Cannon Soldier blasted its weapon again.

"ERGH!" shouted Stan.

"Now, I play the Continuous Spell Card, Spear of Submission," he said, as he played the card. "This means…"

"I know what it does," sighed Stan. "I remember that from when Leopold used it…"

"Well then, let's see…" said Cloaker. "Synchros or Xyzs… Synchros or Xyzs… Which to choose…

"Well, since it seems like Xyzs are the only serious danger right now…"

He chuckled a little.

"…I'll choose to forbid those."

"Hold me back, Stan…" said Francesca, through her teeth.

"Calm down…" said Stan. "We can't save Andy if we're in the same situation he's in…"

"I set one card," said Cloaker, as a face-down card materialized in front of him, "and then it goes back to Francesca."

**(S & F: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)**

Francesca drew a card, and looked at it.

"Hmm…" she said, with a crafty smirk.

"First, I'll set these…" she said, as two face-down cards appeared in front of her.

"Then I play… Dragged Down into the Grave!"

She played a Spell Card, and it appeared in front of her.

"Eh?" said Cloaker.

"Here's the deal, fellah," said Francesca. "I get to look at your hand, and send one of the cards to the Graveyard. Then, _you _get to see _my _hand, and do the same. Sound fair?"

"Confound it…" growled Cloaker. "I have only _one _card in my hand!"

A large image of Cannon Soldier's card appeared in front of him.

"Then it looks like I have to choose that one," said Francesca, as the card was blown to pieces.

Then Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight appeared in front of her.

"Talk about stupid," chuckled Cloaker. "I choose Lady of Unicorns, of course!"

The card shattered.

"So what now?" he asked. "You can't summon that other Monster unless you have a Tuner on the field!"

"First, the second effect of Dragged Down from the Grave lets us both make one draw…" said Francesca.

They both drew once.

"Now I activate… Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

One of the two cards she had set before playing the Spell Card lifted up, and the holy symbol appeared. Lady of Unicorns appeared in a beam of light. (1,400 ATK)

"WHA?" shouted Cloaker.

"Who's stupid now?" said Francesca. "I Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight!"

In another beam of light, the bestial Warrior appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Cloaker…" growled Domino.

"Minor problem, Domino…" said Cloaker, nervously. "Nothing we can't handle…"

One of his face-down cards lifted up.

"I activate Just Desserts!" he shouted.

"Ho boy…" said Francesca.

Two ghostly arms floated out of the card, and throttled her by the neck. She sweat and strained as they squeezed…

She glared at Cloaker as they let go.

"I hope you enjoyed that…" she said.

She pointed at the two Machines.

"Get em…"

Lady of Unicorns rushed at Super Robolady, and made a swipe with her scimitar. Sparks flew from the cyborg's armor, and she exploded. Then D.D. Unicorn Knight blasted a beam of pure light from his trident, and Cannon Solider was blown into scrap metal.

"I'm not done with you…" said Francesca. "Gagaga Magician, attack him directly!"

Gagaga Magician flew at Cloaker, and punched him squarely in the jaw. The mustachioed jester fell over.

"Ouch…" he groaned.

"I was wrong…" said Francesca. "You two aren't like Abbot and Costello at all. More like Sonny and Cher."

She pointed to Domino.

"Make your move, fellah," she demanded. "And once you make it, you and your partner are both going to be very, very sorry…"

**(S & F: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 4,700)**

Domino stepped forward as he drew a card.

"Don't panic, Cloaker, everything's going smoothly…" he said.

_I… hope… _he thought, as he looked at his two cards.

Then he looked at the Trap Card that Cloaker had set.

"I'm activating my partner's Trap Card," he said, as it lifted up. "Jar of Greed…"

"Now I get one draw…"

He drew a card.

"And I got a good one! Overload Fusion!"

He threw it into his Disk.

"Oh… crap…" said Francesca.

"Don't panic, Fran…" said Stan. "They need a Cyber Dragon to summon Chimeratech Overdragon, and I don't recall one ever being sent to their Graveyard."

"Are you suggesting I played this for no reason?" said Domino. "Poppycock. Does it say on this card, 'Use to Fusion Summon a Chimeratech Overdragon'? No it does not. Fools simply assume that it does because that's the only Monster anyone ever summons with it.

"It can Fusion Summon _any _Dark Machine-Type Monster… Granted, there aren't many…"

Cannon Soldier and Giga Tech Wolf appeared in front of him, and then vanished into ripples of light.

"…but I have one…"

There was a low rumble, and a huge drilling Machine burrowed out of the floor. It was indeed a classic of Duel Monsters, the Labyrinth Tank. (2,400 ATK)

"Yeah, I kinda figured you had that in your deck…" said Stan. "Can't see why… It's rather outdated, as far as Fusion Monsters go…"

"I'll show you why…" continued Domino. "I play Polymerization!

"I'll fuse my Labyrinth Tank, with the Machine King in my hand…"

The Monarch of Machines appeared next to the Tank, and then the two robots were sucked into a void of swirling colors.

"A Fusion within a Fusion?" gasped Francesca.

It sure seemed that way. As they watched, a large robot landed on the floor of the large arena with a crash. It was vaguely humanoid in shape with a square body, no head, and powerful fists. (2,500 ATK)

"That's the thing that attacked us when we came into town!" shouted Francesca.

"And the thing that kidnapped Andy!" shouted Stan.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Cloaker. "The Magnus von Grapple! It was awfully nice of Lord Crump to lend it to us…"

Domino quickly made a hushing motion with his hands.

"Who the Hell is Lord Crump?" asked Francesca.

"I have a pretty good idea…" said Stan.

"Uh, I probably shouldn't have told you that…" said Cloaker.

"Oh, never mind!" said Domino, angrily. "Due to Magnus von Grapple's effect… It gains 200 Attack Points times the combined Levels of all opposing Monsters. And seeing as the Levels of your Monsters add up to 12…"

(4,900 ATK)

"I've got enough firepower here to end this in one blow…" he said, as Magnus von Grapple aimed its fists at Lady of Unicorns. "Attack with Rocket Punch!"

"I activate… Urgent Tuning!" shouted Francesca.

"Huh?" said Domino.

"It lets me Synchro Summon during a Battle Phase," said Francesca, as Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight flew towards the ceiling, "including yours. Bet your _stupid_ partner is sorry he used his Spell Card to seal Xyz Summoning _now!"_

Lady of Unicorns flew through the glowing, shimmering rings, and the two Monsters faded into a cluster of stars.

"_With the rising sun and the warmth of daybreak, a powerful steed appears on hill to the east! Stand proud in the morning light…"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Shining Dawn Unicorn!"_

With a whinny and a burning flare, a unicorn with a red coat and a fiery mane leapt onto the field, her long, bronze horn glowing with radiant light. (3,000 DEF)

"Defense Mode?" asked Domino.

"Due to Lady of Unicorn's effect," continued Francesca, "I can now render Shining Dawn Unicorn impervious to destruction by battle or by card effects… I choose card effects.

"And due to her own effect, Shining Dawn Unicorn is the only Monster you're allowed to attack…"

The two jesters burst out laughing.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever seen!" laughed Domino. "If you had used that Tuner's effect to make it invincible in battle, you would have had an unbeatable defense!"

"No I wouldn't have!" snapped Francesca. "If Shining Dawn Unicorn is attacked while in Defense Mode but not destroyed, she dies during the End Phase."

Domino stopped laughing.

"Okay…" he said. "I guess it wasn't so stupid… Ah, well…"

Magnus von Grapple's two fists shot like rockets at Shining Dawn Unicorn, blowing her to pieces.

"I use her _other _effect!" shouted Francesca. "When she's destroyed by battle while in Defense Mode, I get to recover the Monsters I used to summon her…"

She took Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight from her discard slot.

"And by the way… Now that she's gone… Your Monster loses 1,600 Attack Points…"

(3,300 ATK)

"Fine…" growled Domino. "In that case, it's Stan's turn… And my partner's Spear of Submission is still good for one turn, which is bad news for him…"

_Hope this works… _thought Stan, as he drew a card.

He looked at it.

_I've got to be careful here… If they manage to use Limiter Removal on that thing, it's all over…_

_Cloaker has already used Limiter Removal, and it's a Limited card… But… We're dealing with two duelists and two decks, so Domino likely has one too…_

_But it won't be a threat until Domino can take his turn again… So both Francesca and I have to make our turns count. _

"I summon Gagaga Girl…" he said.

In a flash, the female Spellcaster appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,000 ATK)

"So?" asked Domino. "Thanks to Spear of Submission, she can't do anything but look cute."

Gagaga Girl gave him a dirty look.

"Enough with the Spell Card, I get it!" shouted Stan. "I'm using Gagaga Magician's effect to increase his Level to 5.

"Then I use Gagaga Girl's effect, and her Level also becomes 5."

"Notice something about our Monster?" asked Domino. "By increasing the Levels of your Monsters, you increase its Attack Score."

(4,400 ATK)

"I know that…" said Stan, "but it's not what Gagaga Girl is going to be aiming for…

"I'm Equipping her with Bound Wand…"

He played the card, and Gagaga Girl's Attack Score rose to 1,500.

"And now that her Attack Score is the same as that of Gagaga Magician's," he said, as he played another card, "I can play Cross Attack!"

"Huh…" said Domino, as Gagaga Girl rose into the air.

"Direct attack!" shouted Stan.

"ARGH!" screamed the jester, as the burning bolt of energy hit him.

"Humph!" said Gagaga Girl, turning her head in disgust.

"I set this face-down," said Stan, as he set his last card, "and that will be all."

Gagaga Girl's Attack Score fell to 1,300 while Magnus von Grapple's fell to 3,900.

**(S & F: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 3,200)**

"Cloaker…" growled Domino. "Kill the bitch…"

"Right…" said Cloaker, as he drew a card.

"Magnus von Grapple, attack Gagaga Girl!"

The robot fired its rocket fists at the Spellcaster, and they exploded on impact, blowing her to particles…

"Ergh…" grunted Stan.

**(S & F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 3,200)**

"I use the other effect of Bound Wand!" he shouted.

Gagaga Girl appeared again, kneeling and crossing her arms over her chest. (800 DEF)

Cloaker gulped.

"I… end my turn…" he said.

"And that means your Spear of Submission is out of power," said Stan.

The Spell Card turned to dust.

"Kill the bitch, you said," growled Cloaker. "Great idea, stupid! Do you realize what he can do with those two on his turn?"

"Don't worry…" said Domino. "Francesca doesn't have any Xyzs, and my turn is before Stan's next turn…

"Besides… They have only 900 Life Points left… How hard can it be?"

Stan looked at Francesca as she made her draw.

_I did all I could… _he said. _The rest is up to you…_

Francesca looked at the cards in her hand. She carefully looked at Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl…

"I activate… Magical Stone Excavation…" she said, as she played the card she had drawn.

She discarded Unicorn Princess and D.D. Unicorn Knight, and then took Monster Reborn from her discard slot.

"Next, Pot of Avarice…" she continued.

She took Shining Dawn Unicorn, Sunlight Unicorn, Elephun, Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight from her discard slot, reshuffled her deck, and made two draws.

She looked at Gagaga Girl again…

"I summon Uni-Horned Familiar…" she said.

The small, horned imp appeared in front of her. (0 ATK)

"Then," she said, getting more excited, "I use Gagaga Magician's effect to raise his Level to 5… And then use Gagaga Girl's effect to raise her Level to 5 too…"

"Not a very fast learner are you?" asked Cloaker. "You seem to have forgotten that Gagaga Magician can't be used to make Synchro Summons."

"True!" replied Francesca. "But Gagaga Girl, on the other hand, has no such handicap!

"That's why Stan went through such lengths to protect Gagaga Girl… He was trying to make sure I figured that out…"

Uni-Horned Familiar flew into the air, and Gagaga Girl followed.

"And because Gagaga Girl happens to be a Dark-Attribute Monster… I've got just the thing to take your mean Machine down…"

The Tuner flew through the energy rings, and both Monsters faded into a cluster of stars…

"_As the sun sets, a lone figure stands on the western hill, standing against the lengthening shadows. Hold your head proud, as you rule the night!"_

**(*2 + *5 = *7)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Dusk Unicorn!"_

The unicorn that galloped onto the field this time had a glossy, black coat and a pure white mane. She had a white horn and glowing silver eyes. (2,300 ATK)

"That doesn't even come close to being able to beat Magnus von Grapple," said Cloaker.

"Think again," said Francesca. "Dusk Unicorn negates the effects of all Light-Attribute Monsters on the field… Like Magnus von Grapple. That means its Attack Score is reduced to its original value."

The large robot was enveloped in an aura of shadow as its Attack Score fell to 2,500.

"Maybe so," said Cloaker, "but that's still 200 more than that thing!"

Francesca took the Monster Reborn card, and played it. In a flash, Gagaga Girl reappeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Now…" said Francesca, as she played her last card, "the Spell Card, Synchro Rider!"

Gagaga Girl leapt onto Dusk Unicorn's back, and the steed bucked up on its hind legs with a loud whinny.

"What's going on?" shouted Cloaker. "is this some sort of trick?"

"Synchro Rider lets Gagaga Girl lend her Attack Points to my Beast-Type Synchro Monster," said Francesca, "so long as she doesn't attack herself this turn."

Gagaga Girl urged the steed, and they both charged at Magnus von Grapple…

"In other words… It lets them attack as a team!"

(3,300 ATK)

"Got any more ideas, Cloaker?" asked Domino.

'_You're _the wizard here!" shouted Cloaker. "I thought wizards were supposed to be smart!"

Gagaga Girl formed a ball of magical energy in her hand, and hurled it. It shot right through the Magnus von Grapple, smashing through its armored hull…

Then the whole thing collapsed, and the explosion shook the whole room.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall…" said Francesca, as Gagaga Magician formed a similar bolt of energy in his hands. "And I'm not done with you…

"Gagaga Magician… Attack Cloaker directly!"

Cloaker grunted as the blast from the male Spellcaster hit him.

"Ugh…" said the armored jester.

"And I'll end my turn there," said Francesca. "Seems the score is tied…"

**(S & F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 900)**

Domino drew one card.

"Indeed…" he said.

"I play Monster Reborn! I can't summon Magnus von Grapple with this… So I'll summon the next best thing…"

The holy symbol appeared, and Labyrinth Tank appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"Attack Gagaga Girl!" he shouted.

_No! _thought Francesca _If…_

_Wait… _

She looked at the Trap Card that Stan had set.

"I'm using my partner's Trap Card!" she shouted. "Staunch Defender!"

The face-down card lifted up. Labyrinth Tank's laser's glowed.

"Now your Machine has no choice but to attack Dusk Unicorn!"

The lasers blasted, and the Beast Synchro was atomized. Francesca sighed.

Domino paused for a minute…

"I end my turn…" he said, with an ominous tone.

**(S & F: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 900)**

_I don't like the way he said that… _thought Stan, as he made a draw. _I can win this duel right now… _

_And somehow, these two don't seem the least bit worried…_

_Why? No set cards… Nothing I know of in their Graveyards that they could use… Labyrinth Tank has no special effects that I know of…_

He looked at the card he had drawn.

"I summon Vivian the Shadow Siren!" he shouted.

There was a small pool of darkness, and Vivian rose out of it. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, I use Gagaga Girl's effect to make her Level the same as Gagaga Magician's.

"Then, by using my three Spellcasters…"

The three Monsters were enveloped by the spiraling vortex.

"I build the Overlay Network!"

In a blast of raw magical energy, Alchemic Magician appeared in front of Stan. (1,500 ATK)

"Alchemic Magician gains 200 Attack Points for each Spell Card in my Graveyard," he said, "which is quite a useful ability to have in a two-on-two duel where you and your partner share the same Graveyard."

Then, ten Spell Cards appeared one by one, and were absorbed by the sorceress: Synchro Boost, Gagaga Bolt, Clock Out, Sweet Treat, Monster Reborn, Dragged Down into the Grave, Cross Attack, Bound Wand, Magical Stone Excavation, and Synchro Rider. Alchemic Magician flexed her muscles… (3,500 ATK)

The two jesters frowned, as Alchemic Magician lifted her hand…

Lightning crashed down, and Labyrinth Tank exploded in a blast that knocked Cloaker and Domino off their feet…

**(S & F: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 0)**

"You lose!" screamed Francesca. "Now let Andy go NOW!"

Domino slowly stood up. He dusted himself off.

"As you wish…" he said, snidely.

He waved his hand, and the metal melted off of Andy. Francesca rushed up to him as he collapsed.

"Andy!" she shouted. "Talk to me…"

Then Andy let out a scream.

"It's all right now…" she said, as she hugged him.

"No it isn't!" yelled Andy. "Oh, if only I could have said something…"

"What?" said Stan. "What do you mean?"

Andy took some deep breaths.

"I wanted to warn you two, but I couldn't…" he said. "This was all a setup…

"Look…"

He pointed to the huge, ominous machine that Stan and Francesca had completely forgotten about. Its dials were moving now, and the generator towers were crackling with electricity.

Outside, the gears of Gearville slowly started to move. The rusty machinery started working again. Cogs and pistons turned, while furnaces lit…

"What's happening?" shouted Stan.

"These two jokers left out a big part of the story," said Andy, ominously. "They wanted me to duel them when they dragged me here… But they told me why…"

"Yeah, and that's what we get for being honest…" grumbled Cloaker. "He refused, so we had to resort to plan-B… Blackmailing you two."

"Why?" asked Francesca. "What's happening?"

"These guys don't technically work for the Shadow Queen at all," said Andy. "See, this tournament we're in is _not _her first serious attempt to escape.

"Five-hundred years ago, she contacted some interdimensional warlord… Sort of a master machine-smith. They combined their magic to transport this factory and a portion of the warlord's army here.

"The Queen wanted to form an alliance. But the Queen had enemies back then too, it seems. In the midst of negotiations, someone invaded this place, and shut it down.

"Most of the warlord's men, and the warlord himself, were mechanical creatures, so when this factory lost its power source, they were all rendered inert. These two guys were two of the few exceptions… I think they're demons of some type. They weren't harmed by the factory shutting down, and have spent five centuries trying to find a way to start it again."

"And we just recently managed to build this device behind us," said Domino, proudly. "It wasn't easy, let me tell you… We weren't exactly the best mechanics in the boss's army. Hell, when we drew up the blueprints, half the parts hadn't been invented yet on this world. And going back to ours was impossible without the boss's help. But we managed.

"It's quite a marvelous device… It serves two purposes. The generator acts as a… Jumper cable, if you will, to get the place started again. We had no idea how to actually start the device itself, until someone suggested using the dark energy from a Shadow Duel."

"And it seems that suggestion was a good one…" added Cloaker. "Gearville's engines have started again… Which is what we needed to power the second part of the device…"

As he said that, the forge in the huge machine erupted in hellish flames, filling the room with heat.

"I take it _that's _the second part?" asked Andy.

"Indeed…" said Domino. "The boss himself needed something far more potent to get _his_ engine started again… Namely, the special flames that the forge generates."

"So he's _in _there?" gasped Francesca.

"Indeed…" said Domino. "He should be functioning perfectly any minute now…

"I should warn you three… He tends to be rather cranky when he wakes up…"

The three duelists watched in horror as two evil, glowing eyes appeared in the flames…

**0000000000**

**CLOCK OUT (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Clock Tower Prison being struck by lightning.

**Card Description: **Roll 1 die. This card remains on the field until a number of End Phases has passed equal to the result (counting both yours and your opponent's turns). While this card remains on the field, neither player may declare an attack.

**0000000000**

**SHINING DAWN UNICORN (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Light/Synchro/Effect/Lvl8/2,100ATK/3,000DEF**

_Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more LIGHT non-Tuner Monsters_

**Effect: **If this card isattacked while in Defense Position but not destroyed, destroy it during the End Phase of the turn. When this card is destroyed by battle while in Defense Position: If the Synchro Material Monsters used for the Synchro Summon of this card are in your Graveyard, add them to your hand.

**0000000000**

**DUSK UNICORN (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Lvl7/2,300ATK/1,200DEF**

_Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more DARK non-Tuner Monsters_

**Effect: **Negate the effects of all face-up LIGHT Monsters on the field. If this card is destroyed by battle by a LIGHT Monster and sent to the Graveyard_, _draw 2 cards.

**0000000000**

**SYNCHRO RIDER (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **D.D. Warrior Lady charging into battle riding a fierce Thunder Unicorn.

**Card Description: **Select 1 face-up Beast-Type Synchro Monster and 1 face-up non-Synchro Monster you control that is in Attack Position. The selected non-Synchro Monster cannot attack this turn, and the selected Beast-Type Synchro Monster gains Attack Points equal to the selected non-Synchro Monster's base ATK until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNUS VON GRAPPLE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Fusion/Effect/Level 8/2,500ATK/2,100DEF**

_Machine King + Labyrinth Tank_

**Effect: **This card cannot be Summoned except by Fusion Summon, and only by using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. Increase this card's ATK by 200 times the combined Levels of all face-up Monsters your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

_**Lovely, a cliffhanger! So now what? Who in the world could be in that fiery furnace? I doubt it's friendly…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Andy: This is not good…**_

_**We're facing a creature whose might may well equal the Shadow Queen's if he ever regains all of his power… Common sense says we should run for our lives…**_

_**But if we do that, the video game that we're trapped in could quickly turn from "Paper Mario" to "Deadly Alliance"!**_

_**I have to stop this before it starts… The only problem is… I have no idea how…**_

"_**Factory of 100 Machines" is coming soon. **_


	22. Factory of 100 Machines

_**Francesca and Stan may have defeated Cloaker and Domino… But they were merely an extension of a much greater threat…**_

_**I'm now standing in front of the true lord of Gearville, a mechanical nightmare of incredible power. In fact, if he regains all of his power – and at this point, he's only regained a fraction of it – his might may well equal the Shadow Queen's.**_

_**And I have a feeling this is one robot that does NOT obey Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics…**_

_**What do we do? We can't possibly fight this monster on his terms and hope to win… But letting him reestablish his alliance with the Shadow Queen would be even worse…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-TWO**

**0000000000**

**Factory of 100 Machines**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The three duelists shivered in fear as a huge, hulking creature walked out of the flames, each step causing the floor to tremble.

Standing eight feet tall and about four feet wide, the huge robot's head resembled that of a scowling man with sharp teeth, with flowing, metal hair and a beard, giving him the appearance of a demonic, robotic Santa Claus. He wore a golden crown on the top of his head, and his torso was gunmetal grey with thick, powerful limbs. He held a huge hammer in his right hand.

He yawned, and stretched his arms, and then shook his right leg, as if to get the stiffness out of it.

Then a dark portal appeared in the air. He and the two jesters turned to it, as the Shadow Queen's projected image appeared in it.

"Ah, your majesty…" said the demonic robot, in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Welcome back, Smithy," said the Queen.

"Good to be back," he replied.

"The offer I made before that unfortunate incident happened still stands," replied the Queen. "I assure you, the meddler who shut Gearville down the last time is dead, and there won't be any such problems again."

"Just let me tidy the place up a bit," said Smithy, with a slight chuckle, "and then we can pick up where we left off."

He turned, and saw Andy, Stan, and Francesca.

"So what do you want me to do with _these _guys?" he said with a frown.

"Well…" said the Shadow Queen. "I kinda need them alive… But… I wouldn't mind if you taught them a lesson first…"

"Not a bad idea…" said Smithy, with a grin.

The Shadow Queen vanished as he looked at them.

He lifted his hammer, and slammed it to the ground. The shockwave shook the whole room, and the three duelists screamed as it threw them backwards.

"If there's one thing I hate more than humans in general," said Smithy, as his eyes glowed red, "it's human teenagers!"

"Jolly good!" laughed Cloaker. "You haven't lost your touch, boss!"

"Yeah, well, I'm still a little rusty," replied Smithy. "So let's heat things up!"

He stepped on a small button on the floor, and the forge behind him roared with flames. Then the flames shot out like the breath of a colossal dragon, and Smithy laughed as he bathed in them, glowing with powerful energy.

As Stan, Andy, and Francesca groaned and tried to get up, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Vivian, Yoshi, and Bobbery appeared beside them.

"People, I propose running in terror," said Koops.

"I second the motion!" said Vivian. "We'd need a battleship to stop that guy!"

"Well I oppose it!" said Bobbery, sternly.

"What?" said Andy.

"I think I see what Bobbery is getting at," said Goombella. "First of all, I'm not sure if Smithy intends to _let _us leave. Second, this factory is working again, and if we flee, Smithy will be able to revive his army, and maybe even enlarge it."

"Right…" said Andy. "And the Shadow Queen will be quick to restart her unholy alliance with him, giving us even more troubles to deal with than before."

"Which means we can't leave here without taking out Smithy…" said Francesca.

She sighed.

"Of course, I have no idea how we're gonna _do _that… The guy is eight feet tall and made of steel!"

"Take heart, lass," said Bobbery. "Smithy _must _have a weakness… Whoever shut him down five-hundred years ago was able to find it…"

"Point taken, Bobbery," replied Flurrie, "but if what the Shadow Queen said is true, that guy is in no position to help us now…"

"We have to do _something_," said Andy. "He's strong enough now, and he's getting stronger by the minute!"

"Hold on…" said Stan. "I'm got an idea…"

"I hope this is a good idea…" said Francesca.

"Actually, it's a _stupid _idea," replied Stan. "But it's all I can think of…"

He stepped forward, towards the machine lord.

"HEY, Smithy!" he shouted.

Smithy took his foot off the button, and the flames stopped.

"Now what?" he demanded, as he tapped his left hand with his hammer.

Stan gulped.

"You might be interested in knowing…" he said, trying to sound as brave as he could, "that your two henchmen over there made a wager, lost, and have yet to honor their side of the bargain…"

Smithy paused. He looked at Cloaker and Domino.

"That's a lie!" shouted Domino. "We released Andy just like we promised."

"You also promised us _three _Crystal Cards, remember?" said Stan.

All of a sudden, the two jesters looked very nervous.

"Well?" demanded Smithy.

"Cloaker was the one who said that, not me," said Domino, quickly. "He's the one you want to talk to…"

Then he hid behind Cloaker and cowered in fright.

"Is this true Cloaker?" shouted Smithy, as flames started to dance around his shoulders.

"Well, that's kind of a prickly pear, boss…" said Cloaker, who was clearly frightened. "Lord Crump didn't give us any Crystal Cards… Something about us not being authorized to distribute them because we didn't work for The Shadow Queen… And you see…"

Then Smithy roared, and the two jesters screamed as they were thrown against the opposite wall.

"You lame-brains wagered something you didn't have?" he boomed.

"How were you sure that would work?" asked Francesca.

"I _wasn't _sure…" replied Stan. "But… I thought that because Smithy is a machine, he might, just might, respect logic above all else, and know that a bargain should be honored.

"Seems I was right…"

Smithy let out a low growl, and turned to the three duelists.

"This is why I prefer dealing with machines…" he snarled. "Well, blast it… Seeing as those two fools made a promise that they can't keep, I guess I can't smash you three…

"Still… Simply letting you go after all you've seen wouldn't be the brightest idea…"

"Well… How about a duel?" asked Stan. "We can settle this the way everyone on Arcadia does."

Smithy chuckled evilly.

_Uh oh… _thought Stan. _Evil laughter is never a good sign…_

"A duel, huh?" he said. "Sure, why not? If nothing else, something easy will let me recharge my batteries all the quicker!"

Stan was about to activate his Disk, but then Andy held up his hand.

"Hold on, Stan…" he said. "After what those two idiots did to me… This one is mine…"

Stan backed away, and Andy stood up to face the mechanical tyrant. He quickly donned his sunglasses, though he doubted that a mere pair of shades would be enough to give him the courage he would need against _this _opponent.

"Uh, Stan?" said Francesca. "Even if Andy wins this duel… What do we do then?"

"I really don't know…" replied Stan. "Hopefully, this can buy us some time until we can think of something else…"

Smithy hit his hammer against the ground, not as fiercely this time, and the holograms of five cards appeared in front of him, backsides forward. Andy activated his Disk.

"You're either very brave or very foolhardy, human," said Smithy. "Doesn't matter to me… No skin off my nose…

"Hell, I don't even _have _any skin on my nose!"

_I wish I could make a clever retort… _thought Andy. _But I don't have one… This is one guy I'm not joking around with._

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Smithy: 8,000)**

"Here goes!" shouted Andy, as he made his first draw.

He looked over his six cards.

_Not bad for a start… _he thought.

"I'm calling out Mirage Dragon!" he shouted.

With a loud cry, the oriental Dragon sculpted out of light appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"I'll set a face-down card, and my turn is over…"

He threw a card into his Disk, and it materialized behind Mirage Dragon.

_All right… _he thought. _If he attacks Mirage Dragon, my set Ego Boost can raise its Attack Score to 2,600._

_I've gotta keep telling myself this is just another duel… I can do this…_

Smithy struck the ground with his hammer, and a sixth card materialized with the other five.

"I summon Aye-Iron," he said, as one of his cards spun around.

The Monster took Andy _completely _by surprise. It was a toy wind-up kangaroo with a big smile on its face, holding two brass cymbals. It clapped them together and then did a backflip. (1,600 ATK)

Andy lifted an eyebrow.

_I kind of expected him to use Machines, _he thought. _But cute ones?_

"I know what you're thinking," said Smithy. "Aye-Iron may be a toy, but looks can deceive, especially once I Equip it with Spring Punch."

Another of his cards revealed itself, and Aye-Iron's cymbals were replaced by red boxing gloves.

"Next I use Aye-Iron's effect. By forfeiting its attack this turn, I can raise its Attack Score by 400 points…"

(2,000 ATK)

"This activates the effect of Spring Punch, letting Aye-Iron dish out damage equal to half its Attack Score!"

Then Aye-Iron's right fist shot at Andy, connected to its arm by a long spring, and punched him in the stomach, knocking him on his behind.

"Andy!" shouted Francesca.

"I'm fine…" groaned Andy.

_No I'm not… _he thought. _That hurt even worse than when I dueled Tyson…_

"You really don't think I'm going to be as easy to defeat as my men, do you?" asked Smithy.

Two of the cards in front of him vanished, and then reappeared as facedown cards.

"Make your move…"

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)**

Andy drew another card. He looked at Aye-Iron.

_He was right… _he thought. _Looks CAN deceive. Still, I should be able to handle it…_

"I summon Ancient Dragon to the field…" he said.

In a beam of light, the beautiful, golden Dragon appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Now… I attack with Mirage Dragon!"

The Dragon's roared.

"And Ego Boost increases his Attack Score to 2,600!" he shouted as his face-down card lifted up. "Spectrum Blast!

The Dragon's Attack Score rose to 2,600 as its beam of pure light shot at Aye-Iron. The demented toy shattered into little bits.

"I just sent your Aye-Iron to the scrap heap," said Andy.

"Big deal," laughed Smithy. "There's far more where it came from.

"That's one of the biggest advantages machines have over humans… If a machine is broken, you can repair it… If a machine is _destroyed, _you can _replace _it!

"Even better, repairing or replacing a machine gives you the opportunity to improve the design and make it better. It takes millions of years for most creatures to evolve into higher states… Machines can do it in a matter of months."

"But you can't give a machine a soul," replied Andy.

"I see no problem with that," replied Smithy. "Souls are overrated. They only get in the way."

Andy frowned in disgust.

"True," said Domino. "You only _really _need one if you want to play jazz."

"_I'll _be the one making the clever remarks here, Domino!" snapped Smithy, angrily.

"Sorry boss!" stammered the jester. "Won't happen again!"

"Ancient Dragon, attack him directly!" shouted Andy. "Burning Inferno!"

Ancient Dragon blasted a fiery stream of flame at Smithy, but the machine-smith barely even moved when it hit him.

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,000)**

"How do like that, big guy?" asked Andy.

"I absolutely love it!" laughed Smithy. "In case it didn't sink in before, fire is what keeps my engine running…

"I'm no ordinary robot, human… _I'm a living forge!"_

Flames danced around his head and shoulders to punctuate the remark.

"Wonderful…" said Andy.

Then one of Smithy's face-down cards lifted up.

"And your attack lets me activate Damage Condenser!" shouted the creature, as the huge generator behind him started to hum and spark. "I'll ditch one card from my hand…"

One of his two cards turned around (it was Rivalry of Warlords) and vanished.

"…and then Special Summon Geargiarmor from my deck!"

The forge burned fiercely, and a broad, squat robot with two gears on each side of its head, holding two huge shields with gear-like symbols printed on them, emerged from it. (1,100 ATK)

"Then, I use Book of Moon!" continued Smithy, as his other face-down card lifted up. "It moves Geargiarmor to a face-down Defense Mode."

Geargiarmor vanished, and a reversed Monster appeared in its place.

"Yeah?" said Andy, "well, I get to activate Ancient Dragon's effect… Because it made a direct attack, it gains 500 Attack Points, and its Level goes up by 1."

(1,900 ATK)

"I end my turn…" he said.

Smithy hit his hammer against the floor, and a new card appeared.

"I flip Geargiarmor into Attack Mode…" he said.

The card flipped up, and the shield-holding robot appeared again.

"By flipping it face-up, I'm allowed to take any Geargia Monster from my deck I desire, except for another Geargiarmor…"

Another card appeared beside the other two.

"Geargia Monsters?" said Francesca. "You ever hear of these things?"

"Not a clue…" said Stan.

"Next, I use Geargiarmor's other effect," continued Smithy, "allowing it to move into set Defense Mode."

Again, Geargiarmor vanished, and a reversed Monster appeared in its place.

Then one of the cards in front of Smithy turned around, revealing a Spell Card.

"Then, I use Book of Taiyou," he continued.

Geargiarmor sprang up into Attack Mode again. (1,100 ATK)

"Meaning you can use its effect a second time…" said Smithy.

"Exactly!" said the titan, as another card appeared in front of him and the generator started to hum again.

Then he revealed another Spell Card.

"I next play the Double Summon Spell Card, which allows me two Normal Summons this turn…"

His remaining two cards vanished, and the forge started to burn again.

"Thus, I summon two Geargiarsenals!"

There was the sound of motors, and two more robots rolled out of the forge. They had heads that looked like Geargiarmor's but the similarity ended there. They had wide mechanical bodies that used tank treads for locomotion, claw-like grippers for arms, and four long cannons on their backs. (1,500 ATK x2)

"Each of my Geargiarsenals gains 200 Attack Points for each Geargia Monster I have…" continued Smithy.

"Ho boy…" said Andy.

(2,100 x2)

"Let's see your two Dragon's deal with this!" shouted Smithy. "Open fire!"

The four cannons on each Geargiarsenal blasted flaming hot plasma, and Mirage Dragon and Ancient Dragon were blown into particles of light.

"You're next!" said Smithy. "Geargiarmor, attack directly with Shield Smash!"

The bulky robot launched itself towards Andy with its stumpy legs, and then hit him hard with the left shield, knocking him down.

_Ugh… _said Andy. _I'm gonna have bruises after this…_

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,000)**

"You're going down, human," said Smithy. "My turn is over…"

_He's got a point… _thought Andy. _He's only had two turns so far, and already his deck has proven to be deadlier than Cloaker and Domino's…_

He looked at the cards in his hand: Red Eyes Black Dragon, Morphing Jar, Koops the Bashful, and Call of the Haunted.

**0000000000**

While this was going on, the Shadow Queen was watching, while Crump and Grodus watched from the side.

"I hate to say this Crump," she said, "but it seems you actually had a good idea…"

"Why, thank you," replied Crump. "You know, I have a few other ideas that I could…"

The Queen thrust her scepter under his nose.

"Don't push your luck," she said.

Then she turned back to her crystal ball, and waved her hand. The scene switched to another building in Gearville, where she saw a gaunt man wearing spectacles and a white lab coat sneak into it.

_That's it… _she thought. _Get in, do the job, and get out…_

**0000000000**

Oblivious to the new intruder in Gearville, Andy drew a new card.

_Hey… _he thought.

He played Koops' card, and the shy Koopa appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Oh… I don't like this at all, Andy…" he said.

"Just leave it to me," said Andy. "Do you trust me here?"

Koops sighed, and slowly nodded in approval.

"Good…" said Andy. "Now smash that Geargiarmor! Shell Slammer!"

Koops retracted his head and limbs into his shell, and shot like a rocket at the bulky robot, blowing it into scrap metal. The Attack Scores of the two Geargiarsenals sank to 1,900.

"Now, I use the Quickplay Spell Card, Shrink," said Andy, as he played a card, "which cuts the base Attack Score of one of your Monsters in half."

The Attack Score of one of the two Machines fell to 1,150.

"Meaning that Koops can use his effect to attack all the Monsters on your side of the field!"

Koops slammed into the weakened Geargiarsenal, blowing it to pieces and reducing the score of the last one to 1,700. Finally, he plowed into the last one, and Smithy covered himself with his free hand as an explosion reduced it to pieces.

Koops skidded back to Andy's side of the field as a gear spun around and then fell to the floor with a clatter.

Andy threw a card into his Disk, and a set card materialized in his Spell Zone.

"Okay you oversized Mr. Coffee, it's your move…" he said.

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,550)**

"Andy must be out of his gourd talking to Smithy like that…" whispered Stan.

"Either that or he feels that we don't have much to lose with him…" said Francesca.

Smithy frowned. Then he hit the floor with his hammer, and a new card appeared.

"I admit that you're tougher than you look…" he said. "No matter…"

He stepped on the button again, and the forge belched flames again. Smithy chuckled as he bathed in them.

"Guys…" said Francesca. "He's nuts!"

"There…" said Smithy, as the fires subsided. "Better…"

"I summon Geargiano."

Another robot emerged from the furnace. It looked like a mass of small red and green gears sandwiched between two large white gears with eyes on the front, and two arms on either side. (500 ATK)

"I may not look like much," said Smithy, "but by sacrificing it…"

Geargiano disappeared.

"…I can Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my Graveyard…"

Aye-Iron appeared, and crossed its arms in a defensive position. (1,800 DEF)

"Like I said, Machines can be repaired," continued Smithy. "However, since this was a rush job, Aye-Iron can't use its effect. So it's your move…"

Andy drew a card, and sighed.

_Lovely… _he thought. _I can't attack this turn because I used Koop's effect last turn… So I'm gonna have to improvise…_

He quickly set two of his cards. A reversed Monster appeared next to Koops, while a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, next to the other one.

"Your move, big guy…" he said.

Smithy slammed his hammer down, drawing a new card.

"Hmm…" he said.

The card quickly vanished, and reappeared next to Aye-Iron as a defensive Monster.

"That should do it…" he said.

Andy drew, and looked at the card. Cave Dragon.

"I flip Morphing Jar into Attack Mode!" he shouted, as his set Monster flipped up. (700 ATK)

He discarded Cave Dragon and Red Eyes, and then drew five cards. Smithy pounded his hammer fiercely, and five more cards appeared in front of him.

_Yes! _thought Andy.

"I sacrifice both my Monsters…" he said.

Koops looked sternly at Smithy before he and Morphing Jar turned into particles of light.

"…to summon Tyrant Dragon!"

There was a bellow, and the huge Dragon appeared in front of Andy. (2,900 ATK)

"More fire?" laughed Smithy. "Bring it on!"

"Oh, I will!" replied Andy. "Attack Aye-Iron with Imperial Inferno!"

The Dragon blasted its super-hot flames, and the toy kangaroo was melted into slag.

Then Tyrant Dragon shot its fire a second time, aiming for the set Monster. Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive appeared briefly, right before it exploded.

"Thank you…" said Smithy.

He struck the ground with his hammer again, and a sixth card appeared with his others.

"…you're too kind…"

"I guess I end my turn…" said Andy with a sigh.

Smithy struck the ground with his hammer, and a seventh card appeared.

He lifted his eyebrow. The Monster he had drawn… It was a card that bore the image of one of his most powerful and most unstable creations…

Long ago, when this creature wasn't a card, it had caused almost as much damage to his army as it had to the opposing one…

_Maybe it would be best to wait on this one… _thought the machine lord.

"All right human," he said, "I'm summoning Geargiarmor again…"

The furnace burned intensely again, and a second Geargiarmor emerged from it. (1,100 ATK)

"Next, because I have a Geargia Monster, I can Special Summon Geargiaccelerator from my hand in Defense Mode."

There was the sound of another loud engine, and what looked like a Formula One racecar with Geargiano as the driver sped out of the forge. (800 DEF)

"Now, I use the Spell Card, Iron Call!"

Another of his cards revealed itself, and two loud sirens started blaring. Aye-Iron appeared again. (1,600 ATK)

"Yeah, I remember that card…" muttered Andy, remembering the duel with Poison.

"Well now it's time to bring out the big guns!" exclaimed Smithy. "I use Aye-Iron and Geargiaccelerator…"

The two Machines turned into fiery energy, and flew into the forge. Then a fiery vortex appeared in front of Smithy.

"…and build the Overlay Network!"

Then a Machine stepped out of the fire that was second in size only to Smithy himself. It was far more humanoid that any of the Geargias, heavily armored, with gears on its wrists, waist, and a very large gear on its back. It had a visor over its eyes that nonetheless seemed to stare at Andy.

"I give you…" said Smithy, "Gear Gigant X."

(2,300 ATK)

"Heh…" said Andy, nervously. "You had me worried there for a minute… That guy can't beat Tyrant Dragon."

"It will be able to in a minute," replied Smithy.

Another of his cards vanished, and a Continuous Spell appeared on his side of the field.

"Due to Solidarity, because I only have Machines in my Graveyard, the ones on the field all gain 800 Attack Points…"

Geargiarmor rose to an Attack Score of 1,900, while Gear Gigant X rose to 3,100.

"Super…" said Andy.

"And that isn't the only benefit there is to having only Machines in my Graveyard," continued Smithy. "From my hand, I Special Summon Gearspring Spirit!"

Another of his cards vanished, and there was a loud, spooky moan. A strange Machine that looked like a metal scarecrow with a ghostly sheet over it, with two turnkeys on its shoulders appeared next to the other two Machines. (100 ATK) –) (900 ATK)

"Gearspring Spirit?" said Stan.

"Maybe some Machines have souls after all…" said Francesca.

"This Monster may be physically weak," said Smithy, as Gearspring Spirit's eyes glowed, "but once per turn, it can render another Monster powerless!"

Tyrant Dragon roared as the Spirit locked its gaze with it. The Dragon's Attack Score plummeted to zero.

"Good lord…" said Andy.

"And to think," chuckled Cloaker, nervously, as he nudged Domino with his elbow, "you said Gearspring Spirit was a dumb card…"

"Look, Cloaker," said Domino, sounding annoyed, "I said _you _were dumb, not the card!"

"Shut up you chowderheads, you're _both _dumb!" boomed Smithy, making the two jesters cover their heads in fright.

_Well, it's clear now that Smithy leads his army mostly through fear, _thought Andy. _Cloaker and Domino probably only worked so hard to revive him because they didn't have anyone else they could work for. _

Smithy turned back to Andy.

"So hard to find good help these days…" he said. "Now it's time for my Gear Gigant X to show you what it's made of!"

The Machine Xyz's visor lifted up, revealing glowing eyes. Two powerful blasts of energy shot from them, blowing Tyrant Dragon to atoms.

"ARGH!" shouted Andy.

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,550)**

"Now to finish you off!" shouted Smithy. "Geargiarmor, attack him directly!"

The squat robot launched itself at Andy again.

"Go, Trap Cards!" shouted Andy, as his face-down cards lifted up.

"First, Call of the Haunted!"

In a flash, Cave Dragon materialized in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Then, Miracle's Wake! I sacrifice Cave Dragon…"

The elderly Dragon vanished.

"…to summon Tyrant Dragon back to the field…"

Tyrant Dragon appeared again. It looked angrily at Smithy and his three Machines. (2,900 ATK)

"In that case…" said Smithy, as Geargiarmor backed off. "I use Gear Gigant X's effect."

He slammed his hammer to the ground again. Geargiaccelerator's card appeared, and then shattered into pieces.

"By getting rid of one of its Overlay Units, I get to take any Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster I want from my deck or my Graveyard."

A third card appeared next to his other two.

One of those three cards vanished and appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"I'll end my turn with that…"

Andy made a draw. He looked at his five cards: Dragon's Mirror, Des Volstgalph, Emergency Provisions, Doppelganger Dragon, and Mystical Space Typhoon.

He reached for Mystical Space Typhoon.

"I play…" he said.

Then he stopped.

"Yes?" said Smithy.

Andy looked at the field carefully. He was going to use the card to destroy Solidarity…

But…

_What if that's exactly what Smithy expects me to do? _he thought. _Smithy claims that he doesn't need a soul…_

_But a soul and a brain are two different things… I don't think this guy is dumb…_

He looked at Smithy's face-down card.

_He probably knows that Tyrant Dragon is immune to most Trap Cards… So that card may be something that could get around such an immunity… Maybe Covering Fire…_

"I activate… Mystical Space Typhoon!" he shouted. "And my target is…

"…that!"

He pointed to the set card, and the whirlwind blew across the field, briefly revealing it to be, indeed, Covering Fire, before it shattered.

"All right!" said Andy, "looks like I'm still in this!

"I summon Doppelganger Dragon!"

The small blob of plasma appeared in front of him, and slowly morphed into the shape of a Dragon. (1,000 ATK)

"Next," he said, as Black Skull Dragon's card appeared behind him, "I pay 1,000 Life Points, so that this guy can assume the form and name of Summoned Skull."

Doppelganger shifted forms, and slowly took the shape of the skull demon.

"Then I play… Dragon's Mirror! And I chain-activate… Emergency Provisions!"

The first Spell Card appeared. Then the second appeared, and both Dragon's Mirror and Call of the Haunted dissolved into grains of light.

Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared, and both it and Doppelganger Dragon dissolved into nothing.

Then, Black Skull Dragon appeared with a low growl. Saliva dripped down its huge maw… (3,200 ATK)

Smithy growled…

"Tyrant Dragon, destroy Geargiarmor!" shouted Andy.

The Dragon launched it burning flames, and the armored robot exploded.

"Ergh…" grunted Smith.

"AND Gearspring Spirit!" shouted Andy.

Tyrant Dragon blasted its fire a second time, and Smithy howled as the ghostly Machine went up in flames.

"Black Skull Dragon, the last one!" ordered Andy. "Molten Fireball Blast!"

The huge Dragon/Fiend cross let loose its volley of flames, and Smithy braced himself as the Xyz was smashed into a pile of rubble.

"I use Gear Gigant's other effect!" shouted Smithy. "When it gets totaled, I get to Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Geargia from my Graveyard!"

Geargiano appeared, crossing its arms. (1,000 DEF)

_Super… _thought Andy. _These Geargia things just keep summoning more of each other!_

"Got anything else?" shouted Smithy.

"That's all, I'm afraid…" sighed Andy.

**(A: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,350)**

Smithy slammed his hammer to the ground, and another card appeared.

"Not bad…" he said. "I'll use Pot of Avarice…"

The card appeared, and then Gearspring Spirit, Gear Gigant X, Aye-Iron, and both Geargiarsenals appeared over his head. They vanished, and Smithy hit the floor with his hammer twice. Two more cards appeared.

"You're trying my patience, human…" he said. "So I'm going to treat you to something that no-one can ever claim to have fought…

"Mostly because everyone who's fought it didn't live to tell about it!"

One of his cards vanished.

"I summon Geargiano MK-11!"

The forge burned again, and another Machine flew out of it. It looked very much like the regular Geargiano, but the colors were different. The gears on the inside were deep red and purple, while the ones on the outside were yellow. (1,000 ATK)

"Its effect lets me Special Summon another Geargia Monster from my hand or Graveyard in Defense Mode."

In an aura of energy, Geargiaccelerator appeared, and skidded to a stop. (800 ATK)

"And now that I have three Machines…" said Smithy, "I sacrifice them…"

The three Geargias vanished into orbs of eerie blackness…

The lights in the huge room dimmed, and the fires in the forge turned black. A huge creature, bigger than even Smithy, started to rise behind him…

"I summon… _Count Down!" _boomed Smithy.

Looming over Andy and his two Dragons was a huge, evil, crazy-looking clock. In general outline, it resembled a huge alarm clock, with two bells on top, long arms with oversized, clawed hands, and two big, ugly feet to support it.

What was really intimidating was the face. The face had three hands – a minute hand, an hour hand, and one whose purpose was hard to decipher – six symbols where the numbers would be that didn't resemble any numerals that the three humans recognized (or anything else) and two evil-looking eyes.

(3,500 ATK)

Now even Cloaker and Domino looked frightened.

"B-b-boss…" stammered Cloaker. "Are you sure about this?"

"Y-yeah…" sputtered Domino. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you used that thing?"

"Will you two knuckleheads clam up?" shouted Smithy. "That was eight-hundred years ago, and I know what I'm doing this time!"

He turned to Andy.

"Okay!" he shouted. "First of all, because this is a Machine, Solidarity grants it 800 more Attack Points…"

(4,300 ATK)

"Now let me explain how Count Down works… I'm only gonna say this once…

"Count Down can't attack directly, but when it smashes a Monster, it gains a Cog Counter. Once it gains three, it goes boom… And it takes 3,000 of your Life Points with it!"

"Wait, hold on…" said Andy.

"Attack Tyrant Dragon!" shouted Smithy. "Nightmare Toll!"

Andy didn't think it was possible for a bell to make a sound that was even worse than the Creepy Steeple's bell, but the one that came from Count Down at that moment clearly was. The hideous toll made him feel like his heart and liver were being pulled apart. Tyrant Dragon screamed in agony right before it exploded into pixels.

**(A: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,350)**

"I hate to resort to such crude humor…" said Smithy, "but two more, and your time has run out…

"Make your move…"

Andy made a draw.

The card was Immortal Dragon. The other card in his hand was Des Volstgalph.

_Lovely… _he thought. _I have nothing right now that can even come close to beating Count Down…_

He turned a card on his Disk, and Black Skull Dragon moved into Defense Mode. (2,500 DEF) Then he threw Immortal Dragon into his Disk, and it materialized in his Spell Zone.

_Not sure if I'm can use it… _he thought. _Summoning another Monster will just let that thing get three Counters quicker._

"Your move…" he said nervously.

Smithy struck the ground with his hammer, and a third card appeared next to his other two.

Then it revealed itself.

"I activate Card Destruction," he said.

His two cards disappeared, and he struck the ground again, causing two new ones to appear. Andy discarded Des Volstgalph, and drew one.

_The Sweet Feast card! _he thought.

"Count Down, destroy Black Skull Dragon!" shouted Smithy.

"NOT AGAIN!" screamed Andy, as the evil clock sounded its horrible toll, blowing Black Skull Dragon to pieces.

One of Smithy's two cards revealed itself.

"I use the Fruit of the Dead Quickplay Spell Card!" he exclaimed. "Now I gain Life Points equal to Black Skull Dragon's Attack Score!"

**(A: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,550)**

His last card vanished, and appeared facedown behind Count Down.

"I'll set that, and then it's your turn."

Goombella, Vivian, Yoshi, and Flurrie appeared behind Stan and Francesca.

"This is serious people!" said Flurrie, holding her face with her hand. "One more attack, and kaboom! Andy loses!"

"Only if he summons a Monster," added Yoshi. "And if that thing can't attack directly…"

"IT can't…" said Vivian, "but any other Monster that Smithy summons certainly CAN."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if Smithy's set card is something that would force Andy to summon," said Goombella. "Maybe Foolish Revival.

"Long story short, Andy is in big trouble, and time really _is _going to run out if he can't stop that clock!"

And drew a card.

_Lord of Dragons… _he thought.

"Okay, Smithy…" he said. "I'm playing the Sweet Feast Spell Card!"

He played the Spell.

"It works as follows… I get to draw cards until I have five in my hand…

"BUT… Any of them that are STILL in my hand when I end my turn, I have to discard, and I lose 400 Life Points per discard."

Smithy let out an evil chuckle.

"Doesn't seem like a very 'sweet' feast if you asked me…" he said. "More like the type that would give you indigestion!"

Andy made four draws.

Then he looked at Smithy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and Black Skull Dragon appeared with a loud roar. (3,200 ATK)

"Big deal!" shouted Smithy. "I'll just smash it again!"

"No you won't…" said Andy, "because I'm activating Power Lift!"

He played the card, and Black Skull Dragon roared even louder than before. (4,700 ATK)

For the first time, Smithy looked a little frightened.

"Inconceivable…" said the machine-smith.

"Next, I activate the Polymerization Spell Card!" shouted Andy.

Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared on the field.

"I'll fuse these two Monsters together…" he said, as they were drawn into a vortex.

King Dragun appeared, in all his glory. (2,400 ATK)

"You know what to do, Black Skull Dragon!" said Andy, pointing at the demonic timepiece. "Destroy Count Down!"

The Dragon Fusion blasted its balls of flame, and then smashed right _through _the front of the huge Machine and out the back…

"Illogical!" shouted Smithy.

Then a giant explosion erupted on the mechanical titan's side of the field, knocking him backwards and onto his rump, causing the floor to shake.

**(A: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,150)**

"Seems Count Down had a big drawback…" said Stan.

"Yeah…" said Francesca. "If it's totaled, _you _take damage…"

"King Dragun…" said Andy, as he lifted his hand.

"Attack Smithy directly with Twilight Burn!"

As Smithy pulled himself to his feet, King Dragun blasted flames from his scepter…

"IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Smithy.

**(A: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)**

Steam started to pour from Smithy's ears as his eyes glowed red and flames appeared on his shoulders. He started hitting the floor with his hammer with such intensity that the whole building started to shake. Andy rushed back to Stan and Francesca.

"He's blown a gasket!" he shouted.

Clearly, Smithy was almost insane with rage. He howled in anger as he continued to pound his sledge against the floor. Cloaker and Domino looked up with worry as the support beams in the room started to strain and groan.

"Hey, Smithy!" shouted a voice.

Smithy stopped.

He slowly turned to the forge, where someone was standing.

It was Merlow. No-one had seen him come in, but he gotten in nonetheless…

Smithy looked at the wizard strangely as Merlow turned a dial on the large machine. The furnace started to burn with more ferocity than ever before.

"You l-l-like this stuff?" asked Merlow.

He pulled a lever, very hard, and then stepped back as the flames belched out at Smithy again.

"HERE! T-t-take all that you want!"

Merlow ran from the forge as Smithy laughed manically. He lifted his arms to the ceiling as the infernal flames caressed his body.

"Merlow, are you crazy?" screamed Andy. "Fire just makes this guy stronger!"

"Then I'll j-j-just give it to him until he chokes on it…" replied Merlow.

Smithy was laughing manically as the bonfire of flames surrounded him.

"Boss, NO!" screamed Cloaker. "This guy's doing the same thing that the last guy did!"

He and Domino rushed towards the forge.

"Shut it off!" screamed Cloaker.

"I can't!" shouted Domino. "That guy jammed the lever!

"Boss, STOP!"

But Smithy couldn't hear him… He was clearly too drunk with the energy flowing through him from the flames… He was red hot now, and seemed ready to burst…

…and then, he seemingly did. An explosion that filled the whole room with heat knocked the three teenagers down.

They looked, and saw Smithy, his metal carapace now scorched black, his crown melted, and smoke rising from his shoulders…

Then, the mad machine-smith simply fell over with a clang. The furnace sputtered, and died down, the flames finally going out.

"You h-h-have to water a house plant to keep it alive…" sighed Merlow. "But give it too m-m-much water and you risk over-watering it, which causes it to die. The same can be s-s-said with Smithy and the stuff that fueled him…

"He got too much of a b-b-bad thing…"

They looked and saw Cloaker and Domino fleeing up the stairs…

"Those two…" said Andy.

"Let the cowards run," said Merlow. "You three are hardly in the r-r-right shape to face them again…

"I'm just glad I got here in t-t-time… I _never _expected the Shadow Queen to try to revive Smithy. You can't count on her for _anything_.

"This whole f-f-factory had been buried under a mountain for centuries, accessible only from c-c-caves. I didn't even know she _could _bring it to the surface."

"How did you… Know that would work?" asked Francesca.

"It was the same way he was defeated five-hundred years ago…" sighed Merlow. "Some folks n-n-never learn…

"I'll tell you the whole story someday… But for now… Let's leave this forsaken place…"

**0000000000**

Cloaker and Domino, meanwhile, had fled to the only place they thought they had allies. However, they didn't get a very warm reception from the Shadow Queen.

In the Shadow Queen's throne room, Cloaker and Domino were kneeling before her, and she was looking at them coldly. Grodus was standing nearby.

"Please!" begged Cloaker. "We have nothing left now!"

"It wasn't our fault this all went sour!" pleaded Domino.

The Shadow Queen sighed. She looked over her shoulder.

"Magical Scientist…" she said.

A bent, scrawny man wearing a lab coat and spectacles shuffled into the room. It was indeed the Duel Spirit, Magical Scientist.

Clearly, _he _had been the gaunt, bespectacled man who had been sneaking around Gearville while Andy's duel with Smithy had been going on.

"Did you get it?" she asked.

"Yes my Queen!" he said, excitedly.

He held up a diskette.

"I was able to scan all of the blueprints in Smithy's files before the place shut down again, and they're right here… The ones for Count Down weren't there, unfortunately, but many other good ones were. We may yet be able to use them…"

"HEY!" shouted Cloaker.

"We were double crossed!" yelled Domino.

"No you weren't," said the Queen. "I was merely thinking ahead, in case the same thing happened this time as last time. And it was a good thing too, seeing as it did…

"Clearly, Smithy is the type who _doesn't _learn.

"And because we were able to salvage something from this… You two lucked out… Big time...

"Magical Scientist… Get started. Grodus… Find Tweedledee and Tweedledum here a job to do. Maybe clean the bathrooms or something."

"You heard her," said Grodus, grabbing the two jesters by the collars.

After everyone had left and the Queen was alone, she sighed and looked into her crystal ball.

_Smithy may not learn, but I sure do… _she thought. _I learned how to stop this crystal ball from shorting out, and now I know why it was doing so._

_Crump's idea didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped,_ _but I did find out something important because of it…_

She watched the three teenagers speaking to Merlow. Her eyes fixed on the old man.

_Something VERY important… That one of the most resilient pests I've ever had to deal with is still around… _

**0000000000**

**FRUIT OF THE DEAD (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A skeleton wearing a robe and cowl, holding a shriveled fruit above its mouth, about to eat it.

**Card Description: **Activate when a Monster you control destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard. Gain Life Points equal to the base ATK of the destroyed Monster.

_Note: "Fruit of the Dead" was first used by Sect in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" manga, Ride 021. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**SPRING PUNCH (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **A boxing glove on a mechanical spring.

**Card Description: **Equip only to a Machine-Type Monster. When the Equipped Monster gains Attack Points due to a Monster effect, you may inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the ATK of the Equipped Monster. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during a turn in which you use this effect.

_Note: "Spring Punch" was first used by Tetsuo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "The Root of the Problem". (Some liberties are taken.) Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**COUNT DOWN (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Effect/Level 10/3,500ATK/2,600DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except from your hand by Tributing 3 Machine-Type Monsters you control. This card cannot attack directly. When this card destroys an opponent's Monster as a result of battle, place 1 "Cog Counter" on this card. If this card has 3 "Cog Counters" on it, destroy it and inflict 3,000 points of damage to your opponent. If this card is destroyed by battle, you take 1,000 points of damage for each "Cog Counter" it had.

**0000000000**

**SWEET FEAST (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A cornucopia overflowing with gourmet delicacies.

**Card Description: **Draw cards until your hand consists of 5 cards. During the End Phase of the turn, discard any of the drawn cards that you did not Summon, set, or activate this turn, and take 400 points of damage per discard.

**0000000000**

_**Smithy and his two henchmen have been defeated, but at what cost? Merlow's cover is now blown, and the Shadow Queen now has plans she can use to create… Who knows what?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Andy: Where did Duel Monsters come from? The simple answer is, it was created by American game designer Maximillion Pegasus. But some say that there's a deeper answer that few know about.**_

_**According to rumor, the game was based on ancient battles between sorcerers in ancient Egypt, where demons were summoned from stone tablets and magical spells were real. These Shadow Duels, as they were called, were played with whole kingdoms as antes.**_

_**I never put too much stock on these old legends, but I've learned in the last week that Shadow Duels are clearly real… So is it any wonder that there are cards in this game that reflect its true origins?**_

"_**Protector of the Sanctuary" is coming soon.**_


	23. Protector of the Sanctuary

_**We survived the battle with Smithy… So why am I not happy?**_

_**Maybe it's because it was our closest call yet. I won the duel, but Smithy may well have smashed us flatter than pancakes unless Merlow had shown up. Arcadia is getting more dangerous by the hour.**_

_**What nightmare is going to strike next? What dark demons are going to crawl out of their lairs next to challenge us?**_

_**We can't keep this up forever…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-THREE**

**0000000000**

**Protector of the Sanctuary**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The three duelists were slowly plodding along a road through a lightly forested area, with Merlow behind them, a worried look on his face. They were not happy at all.

The encounter with Smithy was one that they were not likely to forget anytime soon, and the bruises they had would make certain of it.

"Take h-h-heart children…" said Merlow.

They looked at him.

"I know you all were k-k-kind of dragged into this…" he said.

"Kind of?" asked Stan.

"Well…" said Merlow. "M-m-maybe once it's all over… You can write a book about all this, and it w-w-will be a best-seller!"

"Assuming we survive…" muttered Francesca.

"May I present a different possibility?" asked Andy.

He threw his duffel bag to the ground.

"Ten years from now, assuming we survive this, I'm going to be telling this to a psychiatrist after having a nervous breakdown. He's going to think I'm crazy, and do you know what I'm going to say?

"I'm going to say, 'You know what, doc? I think you're right!'"

"Andy, calm down!" shouted Stan.

Then they all froze.

There was music coming from over the hill. A sound sort of like a low flute…

It was strangely calming…

Slowly they followed the music, towards the source of the sound, and found the flautist at what looked like the edge of the forest. He was a young boy about their age, with leather clothing that suggested Native America. It was strange, seeing as he was clearly not of that ethnic group at all – he was Caucasian. He had black hair, muscular arms, and a very good tan.

He was sitting cross-legged on his side, and the instrument he was playing was a wooden flute that seemed to be hand-carved, an end-blown flute made out of cedar. A Duel Disk was lying by his side.

The melody he was playing was beautiful, but not at all fanciful. He was concentrating on low notes, closing his eyes as the music came from the instrument…

Stan, Andy, and Francesca closed their eyes too… For a brief moment, it seemed like pure energy flowed through their veins, as the pain and stress was lifted out of them… In their minds' eyes they saw beautiful things… The sun setting over the colored mountains of the American Southwest… They saw deer and elk leaping through the forests of Yosemite, and herds of bison running across the plains of South Dakota…

Then the music stopped, and they slowly opened their eyes. The musician had opened his eyes too, and was looking around.

"You're good…" said Francesca.

He didn't respond to the compliment right away. He slowly stood up. He tucked the flute into his belt and looked around.

"Something is clearly wrong here…" he said. "The spirits of the land convey to me nothing but anger, despair, and above all, fear…

"There's an evil presence here…"

He turned and looked towards the mountain, which, as always, could be easily seen, just as it could from anywhere in Arcadia.

"…and I'd wager my last dollar that it lurks in there…"

They didn't know what to say to him. He was right, of course…

The strange youth picked up his Duel Disk and put it on.

"There's only one way for me to get there…" he said, "so which of you is going to duel me?"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" said Andy. "I like an enthusiastic opponent, but this is a little much… Do you have a name?"

"Chico," he replied.

"Eh?" said Stan. "Isn't that a Spanish term for a small boy?"

"I don't care to use my real name," he said. "The scum who gave me _that _one can rot for all I care."

"What happened to your parents?" asked Andy.

"I couldn't care less," replied Chico. "Now can we get on with this?"

"Okay… Chico…" said Andy. "If you insist…"

He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

He held up his left arm, and his Duel Disk activated.

_After the duel with Smithy, _he thought, _this may actually be relaxing…_

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Chico: 8,000)**

"All right…" said Andy.

He drew his sixth card, and looked over the cards.

_Polymerization, good… _he thought. _Spirit Ryu, good… Just Doppelganger Dragon and I'll be able to bring out Ryu Senshi… _

"I summon Vanguard of the Dragon," he said.

With a low growl, a humanoid Dragon-man appeared in front of him. It was similar to Axe Dragonute, but with a grey hide and a _very _long, scaly tail, and a face that, while bestial, was more humanoid. It carried a spear and a shield. (1,700 ATK)

"Okay, Chico, let's see what you've got…"

Chico drew a card, and carefully looked over his hand.

He chose one, and set it on his Disk, and a reversed Monster materialized in front of him.

He nodded.

"Don't talk much, I take it," said Andy. "Well, okay…"

He drew a card.

"I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" he shouted.

There was a flash of light as the gemstone Dragon loomed over the field. (2,000 ATK)

"Vanguard, get it!" he shouted.

The Dragon-man hurled his spear…

However, the Monster that appeared on the card was a stocky, bald man with a stern face, dressed in a loose, brown robe and holding a long spear. (1,900 DEF)

"Gravekeeper's Guard?" gasped Andy.

"Uh huh," said Chico. "He has 1,900 Defense Points, and his Flip Effect sends Alexandrite Dragon back to your hand…"

The gemstone Dragon vanished.

"Should have attacked with that guy first…" muttered Andy.

"Should've, would've, could've…" replied Chico. "Didn't…"

Andy looked at him.

"I think I'll set this and end my turn…" he said, sounding a little annoyed, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

**(A: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)**

Chico drew and, then played another card.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Descendent," he said, as he played another card.

There was a dark aura, and a young man with blonde hair and a boyish face, wearing a black vest, jacket, and trousers, accented with Egyptian design, appeared. He held a golden scepter with a snake-like design on the end. (1,500 ATK)

"To use Descendant's effect, I have to sacrifice another Gravekeeper," said Chico, "so Guard, get lost…"

Gravekeeper's Guard vanished.

"…and now I can destroy one of _your _Monsters."

The Descendent pointed his scepter at Vanguard, and a beam of energy shot from it, vaporizing the Dragon.

Then the Gravekeeper aimed the scepter again, this time at Andy.

"Activate… Call of the Haunted!" said Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and Vanguard appeared again.

Descendent lowered the weapon.

"I end my turn," said Chico.

And drew.

It was Doppelganger Dragon…

_But… _thought Andy. _I'd have to give up my Normal Summon to use this… And seeing as he has no Trap or Spell Cards set, I think I can wait on Ryu…_

He quickly played Alexandrite Dragon's card again. (2,000 ATK)

"He's back…" said Andy.

"Like I care," said Chico.

"Boy, this guy sure has a bad attitude," said Francesca. "For a minute I thought this was a guy we might be able to confide in… After what he said…"

"Many people chose to fight evil," said Merlow, "but some have different reasons for doing so…"

"Attack Gravekeeper's Descendant!" shouted Andy.

"From my hand, I discard Charm of Shabti," said Chico.

He discarded the card, and as Alexandrite Dragon blasted its beam of light, it was deflected by an aura of energy.

"By doing so, Descendant cannot be destroyed this turn…"

"But you still take damage…" said Andy.

Vanguard threw its spear, but it was deflected again.

**(A: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,300)**

"I'm done…" said Andy.

Chico made a draw, and looked at the card.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Recruiter," he said.

He played the card and a muscular, bald man, but with a more medium build than the Guard, wearing a black vest with a midriff, a jacket similar to Descendant's, and a kilt-like skirt, all of them accented by Egyptian-style jewelry, appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Is that supposed to be Rishid Ishtar?" asked Stan, raising an eyebrow.

"Now that you mention it, Descendant does look sort of like Marik…" said Francesca, "before he went nuts… But why would I2 make cards that looked like them?"

"Don't know," said Chico, "don't particularly care… What I do care about is what they can do.

"As you recall, Descendant's effect lets me sacrifice a Gravekeeper to destroy one Monster…"

Recruiter vanished, and Alexandrite Dragon disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"This, in turn, activates Recruiter's effect," he continued, as he took his deck from the holder. "As his name suggests, when he goes to the Graveyard, I get to 'recruit' a Gravekeeper with 1,500 or less Attack Points from my deck.

"In other words, most of the Gravekeepers in my Main Deck."

_Most of the Gravekeepers in his Main Deck? _thought Andy. _Is there a Gravekeeper that you don't keep in your Main Deck?_

Chico took a card from his deck.

"We'll get to that later…" he said. "for now, I'm using Gravekeeper's Commandant."

_Lovely… _thought Andy. _THAT one I know about…_

"I'll send him to the Graveyard…" said Chico, as he discarded to the card. "And take a special card from my deck…"

He held up the card.

"…and then play it…"

As he played the card, tall, ominous canyons started to rise around the two duelists. The foreboding burial ground of Necrovalley had appeared.

"Terrific…" said Andy, as Descendant rose to an Attack Score of 2,000.

"Destroy his Vanguard!" shouted Chico. "Ancestral Power!"

The Descendant lifted his staff, and thunder rolled. Then lightning crashed from the heavens, blowing Vanguard of the Dragon to particles.

"It's your move…" said Chico.

**(A: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,300)**

_Okay, things just things just took a turn for the worse… _thought Andy. _Necrovalley means I have no access to my Graveyard, and seeing as it's clear that he's using Gravekeepers, his Monsters will all benefit…_

He drew.

_Now's the time… _he thought.

He played the card, and the small blob of protoplasm appeared in front of him. It slowly formed into Doppelganger Dragon. (1,000 ATK)

"So, I'll give up 1,000 Life Points so that it can take the form of the non-Dragon component for one of my Fusion Monsters," said Andy, as it shifted again, and took the shape of Warrior Dai Grepher.

"Then, with Polymerization, I'll fuse it with Spirit Ryu…"

The Spell Card appeared, and both Dragons were drawn into the spiraling portal.

Ryu Senshi leapt onto the field, holding his mighty sword aloft in one hand. (2,000 ATK)

"Interesting…" said Chico. "If that guy attacks my Monster, we'll be back where we started."

"Oh?" asked Andy. "Ryu, attack with Draconic Blade Slash!"

The Warrior leapt, and the spiritual form of a roaring dragon briefly appeared behind him… Andy played a card, and Ego Boost appeared in front of him, increasing Ryu Senshi's score to 3,000.

Gravekeeper's Descendant grunted, and then shattered into dark pieces of shadow.

**(A: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,300)**

"That's all for now…" said Andy.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen was standing outside a door in a hallway, impatiently tapping her foot.

Then the door opened, and Magical Scientist came out, grinning from ear to ear.

"As the great scholar Archimedes once said," exclaimed the Duel Spirit, "Eureka!"

"You're hardly Archimedes," she replied. "From your attitude, I take it you managed to do something with those blueprints?"

"See for yourself," said the Duel Spirit, as he handed her a deck of cards. "This is just an appetizer that I was able to cook up using the simplest of Smithy's plans… Once I manage to decipher the more complex stuff, the main course will be even more exquisite!

"In fact, these particular cards were ones that I was able to actually improve upon, given my own… _unique _talents…"

The Queen looked through them.

"Yes…" she said. "They do have promise…

"Just be careful, fellah. You're using someone else's blueprints here, meaning that you didn't envision the things you're trying to build.

"And in the world of scientific research, there's a fine line between a genius and an idiot."

"I don't follow…" said the Scientist.

"Let me put it this way…" said the Queen. "If a scientist accidentally combines two chemicals together and discovers a vaccine for some terrible disease, people call him a genius.

"BUT… If he accidentally combines two chemicals together and blows up his laboratory, people call him an idiot!"

"Right, gotcha," said the Duel Spirit. "I'll be careful…"

He went back inside as the Queen looked at the deck again.

_Still, these aren't bad, _she thought, _and I know just who I'm going to test them out on…_

**0000000000**

"I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant!" shouted Chico.

He played the card, and a mysterious woman wearing a dark cloak, hood, and cowl emerged from the shadows. She was holding two long knives. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Oh, crud…" said Stan. "With Necrovalley in play, she can move Ryu Senshi to Defense Mode…"

"You wish…" said Chico. "I use the Equip Spell, Wonder Wand!"

As he played the card, Assailant's knives vanished, and a long wand topped with a green orb appeared in her right hand. (2,500 ATK)

"So her effect isn't necessary, and it also has a benefit that I can use later, if the need arises…

"Now wipe out his Warrior!"

Assailant pointed the wand, and lightning bolts flashed from, it, reducing the Fusion Monster to dust.

Chico looked Andy in the eye, and then nodded.

"Guess you want me to move…" said Andy with a sigh.

**(A: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,300)**

_This guy has to be the most annoying person I've met since the tournament started who doesn't work for the Queen, _he thought, as he made his draw.

"I'll set these cards," he said, as a reversed Monster and a reversed card appeared behind it, "and that will be my turn…"

Chico closed his eyes as he drew a card.

He set two cards in his Disk, and two reversed cards appeared behind Assailant. Then he played another.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Priestess," he said.

Another female Gravekeeper appeared, this one not as grim as the Assailant. She was dressed in a white Egyptian-style ceremonial gown, a headdress over long, black hair that had the Eye of Wdjat in the front, and a blindfold over her eyes. She carried the same scepter that the Descendant had. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,500 ATK)

"Okay…" said Stan. "If Descendant was Marik and Recruiter was Rishid, then _that's _definitely Ishizu."

"Who knows?" said Francesca. "Crazier things have happened at big corporations like I2…"

"Isn't life mysterious?" said Chico, sarcastically. "Anyway… In addition to gaining 500 points to her Scores from the Field Spell, Priestess' own effect raises the Scores of all Gravekeepers by an additional 200 points."

(Assailant: 2,700 ATK; Priestess: 1,700 ATK)

"And because Golem Dragon is the only Dragon I know worth using that has a decent Defense Score and there are NO Dragons that are Flip Effect Monsters…"

Priestess pointed her staff at the reversed Monster.

"…I think I'm safe doing this…"

Priestess fired a blast at the card, only for Morphing Jar to appear on it and cackle before it was blown to pieces.

"You were saying?" asked Andy.

"Eh, big deal…" replied Chico.

He discarded the one card in his hand, A Cat of Ill Omen, while Andy discarded Ancient Dragon. Then they both made five draws.

"Punish him, Assailant!" shouted Chico. "Direct attack!"

Assailant cast a powerful spell with her Wonder Wand, and Andy screamed in pain.

**(A: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,300)**

_Okay… _thought Andy. _This ISN'T very relaxing…_

"You know, Chico, you don't have to be so mean about it!" he shouted. "I thought you might be the kind of guy we could get to like… With you being so concerned about the land and being able to see spirits…"

"I can't _see _them," replied Chico. "I'm not trained enough to do _that… _But my father taught me enough to _sense _them."

"Didn't you say you hated your father?" asked Andy.

"Only my _real _father," replied Chico. "My adoptive father is a different story."

"Why?" said Stan. "What did your parents do to you?"

Chico glared at them.

"Oh, nothing much…" he said with a sigh. "Nothing except abandon me in the middle of the New Mexico desert when I five years old, leaving me to die…"

The three teenagers looked at him.

"We're sorry…" said Francesca.

"You know how men write mushy love poems?" asked Chico, "telling a woman that their love will last 'until the sands of the desert grow cold', thinking it means forever? That's hogwash. The desert can become _incredibly _cold at night.

"But I got lucky… An old Navajo man who was passing through found me that night, when I was starving, freezing, and half-dead. He took me in and fed me… I owe him my life…

"It's not like no-one's ever tried to find my parents… But investigations by child care services, the police, and even the FBI have so far been unable to find them… Or even find out why… Why they left me to starve…"

He clenched his fist.

_Thrown away by parents who didn't want him… _thought Andy. _No wonder he has a bad outlook on life…_

Francesca was about to say something, but Chico went on.

"That old man never married and never had any children, and eventually they let him adopt me. He told me later that he had to cut through a mountain of red tape to do it. Anyway, I'm sure you know how most Native American reservations make money these days…"

"Running casinos?" asked Stan.

"Yeah…" replied Chico. "And that was true for the one that he belonged to, but he was actually part of a faction that lived apart from the others, because they had another job… Maintaining a place used by their tribe as a cemetery.

"He told me once that there might have been more of a need for people like him hundreds of years ago when defilers were a serious problem, but he was bound by tradition…"

Suddenly, Andy had an insight.

"Is this the reason for the Gravekeepers?" he asked.

"Uh-huh…" said Chico. "Protectors of sacred burial grounds, just like my adoptive family. When I learned Duel Monsters, they kind of came naturally…"

He let out a long sigh.

"Look, I don't want pity," he said. "I never accepted pity from anyone, not even my adoptive father. All I know at this point is, Arcadia has _definitely _been defiled by dark magic, and I've sworn an oath to remedy such problems. If you can see it too, fine… But that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to do it myself.

"Now we were in the middle of a duel, remember? I think it's your turn…"

Andy made a draw, and then he smirked a bit…

His facedown Spell Card lifted up.

"Polymerization!" he shouted.

Red Eyes Black Dragon and Goddess with the Third Eye appeared in front of him, and the Fairy quickly faded away, replaced by a phantom image of Meteor Dragon. The two Monsters were drawn through a vortex of energy…

Meteor Black Dragon emerged, with a roar that caused the cliffside of Necrovalley to shake. (3,500 ATK)

"Next, I summon Axe Dragonute," he said, as the humanoid axe-wielding Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"And he's about to go postal on your Priestess!"

Axe Dragonute slammed his axe downwards, creating a blade of energy that hit Priestess, causing her to dissolve into mist. Assailant fell to an Attack Score of 2,500.

Axe Dragonute knelt in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

"And I'm just getting started!" shouted Andy. "Meteor Death Stream!"

The huge Dragon blasted its barrage of blazing fireballs, and Chico grunted as the other Gravekeeper was blown to pieces in the explosion.

"Ergh…" he said.

**(A: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,000)**

Andy took a card from his hand, and set it in his Disk. It appeared face-down behind his two Dragons.

"It's your move…"

Chico frowned as he drew.

He quickly set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared.

"That will do it…" he said.

_Okay… _thought Andy, as he drew a card.

It was Monster Reborn.

_Lovely… _he thought. _Just the card I _didn't _need…_

He looked at the set Monster.

_A set Monster in a Gravekeeper Deck usually means one of two things… The Guard or the Spy. _

_Since my most powerful Monster is a Fusion Monster, another Guard would be pretty bad, but if I attacked with Meteor Black Dragon first, he _might _not use its effect on him…_

"I summon Koops the Bashful!" he shouted.

Koops appeared on the field, and Chico looked at the timid Koopa strangely… (1,800 ATK)

Axe Dragonute stood back up into Attack Position. (2,000 ATK)

The Fusion Dragon opened fire again, but it was clearly not Gravekeeper's Guard that appeared. It was another female Gravekeeper, dressed in a long, black robe.

"The Spy…" muttered Andy. "Should have prepared for that…"

"Then I suppose you know that her Flip Effect lets me Special Summon a Gravekeeper from my deck with 1,500 or less Attack Points…

"But Defense Points are another story…"

A second Gravekeeper's Spy appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,500 DEF)

"I end my turn…" said Andy.

"All right, fellah…" said Chico, as he drew a card. "Since you're clearly no lightweight… I'm more than willing to unleash as much force as necessary!

"I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier…"

He played the card, and a stern-faced man in a black robed armed with – what else? – a spear appeared next to the Spy. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Next, I activate this," he said, as one of his face-down cards lifted up. "The infamous Trap-Monster, Embodiment of Apophis!"

A creepy Monster leapt onto the field. It was indeed the notorious creature that Rishid Ishtar had used in the finals of Battle City, a dark-skinned man with the lower body of a serpent and two heads, one human, and one snake-like. It held a khopesh sword and a shield. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, with these three Level 4 Monsters," he said, as the two Spellcasters and the Reptile turned into a vortex of energy, "I build the Overlay Network!"

"Do you know what he's summoning?" asked Francesca, turning to Stan.

"No idea…" replied Stan.

"I admit, I'm in the d-d-dark myself," said Merlow.

His sudden decision to talk came as a surprise to them. He had been so quiet, they had almost forgotten he was there.

"I Xyz Summon…" shouted Chico, _"Gravekeeper's Sphinx!"_

There was an explosion of dirt, rocks, and pebbles, and a very large, bestial creature now stood in front of Chico. If the Great Sphinx of Gaza had ever used a living creature as a model, this might have it. It was a lion-like Beast, with a human-like head, with fangs and glowing eyes. It had the same headdress that the famous statue had, and interestingly enough, the ceremonial pharaonic beard that the Sphinx was thought to have once had. (2,200 ATK)

"This creature is neither Dark nor a Spellcaster," said Chico, "but it's still a Gravekeeper, so the bonus from Necrovalley still applies…"

(2,700 ATK)

"_However… _So long as it has at least one Overlay Unit, my Graveyard is unaffected by Necrovalley.

"But I'll detach one of its Units…"

He discarded Spear Soldier.

"So that it can use its effect, and cut the Attack Score of one of your Monsters in half!"

Meteor Black Dragon held its throat, as if something was choking it… (1,750 ATK)

"Here's a bit of useless trivia…" said Chico. "The word 'sphinx' originally comes from an Old English word that means 'to strangle'.

"And I'm not done…"

His other facedown card lifted up.

"I use Rite of Spirit… With this, I can Special Summon a Gravekeeper from my Graveyard…"

Gravekeeper's Guard appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,500 ATK)

"Yeah, I know…" he continued. "You're likely thinking, of all the ones he could have summoned, why _that _one?"

"I'm guessing you're going to sacrifice him…" said Andy

"Exactly," said Chico, as the Guard turned into an orb of shadow. "This guy is Level 8, but one sacrifice is all I need, so long as that one is a Gravekeeper…

"I give you… Gravekeeper's Visionary!"

A tall, powerful-looking man stepped forward. He was dressed in the robes of a high priest, and a helmet shaped like a jackal, much like that worn by Gravekeeper's Commandant. He had a neatly trimmed grey beard, and had the same scepter that the Descendant and Priestess had. (2,000 ATK)

"For a Level 8, he doesn't start out very strong…" said Chico, "but in addition to the 500-point boost from Necromancy, he draws power from the spirits of fallen comrades…

"In fact, 200 for each one in my Graveyard!"

Visionary lifted his staff, and phantom images of Commandant, Descendant, Recruiter, Guard, Priestess, Spy, Assailant, and Spear Soldier appeared behind him… (4,100 ATK)

_This is gonna hurt… _thought Andy.

"Gravekeeper's Sphinx, attack with Roar of the Ancients!" shouted Chico.

At first, Gravekeeper's Sphinx did nothing… Dark clouds covered the sun…

Then it let out a roar so loud and so fierce, that cracks formed in the canyon walls of Necrovalley. Meteor Black Dragon burst into embers of flame as Andy screamed.

"Visionary, attack that turtle!" yelled Chico. "Divine Retribution!"

The high priest lifted his staff, and lightning flashed. Andy screamed again and was knocked over as it struck, blasting Koops to vapor.

**(A: 50) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,000)**

"He only has 50 Life Points left!" screamed Francesca.

"Calm down!" shouted Andy, as he tried to get up. "I've come back from worse situations than this…"

He sighed.

_Man, I hate telling lies… _he thought.

"To end my turn…" said Chico, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Gravekeeper's Stele…"

As he played the card, a large, rectangular, stone monolith appeared behind him.

"It lets me take not one, but _two _Gravekeepers from my Graveyard…"

He took Descendant and Spear Soldier from his Graveyard.

"I know what you're thinking…" said Chico. "By doing that, Visionary loses a few points…"

(3,700 ATK)

"However, Visionary has another effect… If he would be destroyed – by anything – I can discard a Gravekeeper to prevent it."

"So now you have two uses of that effect," said Andy, panting for breath.

"At least…" said Chico with a smirk.

Truthfully, he had _three. _His hand contained another copy of Assailant that he had yet to use. But he wasn't going to tell Andy that.

"I end my turn…" he said.

Then Andy's face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Shock Draw!" he shouted.

He quickly made three draws.

_An improvement… _he thought, looking at them, _but not by much…_

"Now for my turn…" he said.

He drew a card. It was Bobbery's card.

_Oh, terrific… _he thought. _I could sacrifice Axe Dragonute to summon Bobbery, but not only would Visionary survive his __Bob-ombast, he'd get stronger!_

_If only I could use that Monster Reborn…_

_Wait… Wait one second…_

_Maybe I can…_

He took the card, and played it. The Monster Reborn card appeared on his side of the field.

"You can't use that…" said Chico. "Necrovalley…"

"I know…" said Andy. "It makes my Graveyard inaccessible… _But… _If that Sphinx of yours is anything like Gravekeeper's Chief, then _yours _is still an option right now."

Chico gasped as his discard slot started to glow. Then Gravekeeper's Assailant appeared on Andy's side of the field. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Now, I'll sacrifice MY Axe Dragonute and YOUR Assailant…" said Andy.

The two Monsters turned into two wisps of energy… Then Tyrant Dragon appeared on Andy's side of the field, smoke pouring from either side of its mouth. (2,900 ATK)

"Eh…" said Chico, with a frown.

"Attack with Imperial Inferno!" shouted Andy.

There was a surge of fire, and Gravekeeper's Sphinx was burned to a crisp.

**(A: 50) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 4,800)**

"Not a bad strategy…" said Chico. "But it has one flaw… While you may have defeated Sphinx, doing so sent two more Gravekeepers to my Graveyard, the Sphinx itself and the one that was acting as an Overlay Unit. Which means Visionary is just as strong as he was before."

(4,100 ATK)

"Yeah, well…" said Andy.

He threw two cards into his Disk, and two face-down cards appeared in two flashes of light.

"Deal with these… It's your move…"

Chico drew a card, and smirked at Andy again.

"Oh, I'm not falling for that…" he replied.

"I play Night Beam!"

A set of crosshairs appeared, and "locked on" to the set card on the right.

"Not only can this destroy a set Spell or Trap Card, it can prevent you from using it when I do!"

A laser beam fired from the card, blowing the Trap Card to shards…

But Chico was a little nervous when he saw what it was.

_Dragon's Rage? _he thought.

He nervously looked at the _other _set card.

_I think I might have aimed for the wrong one…_

He looked at his hand nervously.

_I could summon Descendant and sacrifice Visionary to destroy Tyrant Dragon… But Descendant has no effect that can save himself if that card is something lethal, and I'd be much worse off than before…_

He looked at the card he had drawn this turn.

Then he took Descendant's card, and played it. The Marik lookalike appeared on the field. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Visionary, attack his Dragon!"

Visionary pointed his staff at the Dragon. Tyrant Dragon growled a little…

"I activate Nitwit Outwit!" shouted Andy, as his other Trap Card lifted up.

He quickly discarded Bobbery's card, and the Admiral appeared between the two Monsters with his fuse lit. There was an explosion, and Visionary grunted.

"Because Bobbery has 2,200 Attack Points, Visionary loses just as many…" said Andy.

(1,900 ATK)

"And that means Tyrant Dragon is stronger!"

The Dragon blasted its fire at the aged Gravekeeper. Chico quickly discarded the Spear Soldier and Visionary withstood it, but both he and Chico staggered under the blast.

**(A: 50) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 3,800)**

"All right…" said Chico. "I hoped I wouldn't have to do this…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I use Chant of the Gravekeepers… The cost for this powerful Spell is twofold… First I have to have either a high-Level Gravekeeper or one that's an Xyz on the field. Then I have to sacrifice one…"

Descendant vanished, and Visionary rose to 2,300 Attack Points.

"In return for that… I get to take any Gravekeeper from my deck…"

He took a card from his deck.

"…then reshuffle…"

He did so.

"…and place the card I chose on top…"

He slid the card on top of his deck.

"You'll find out what it is next turn… It's your move…"

_I already know what it is… _thought Andy. _Gravekeeper's Curse… Chico can use it to deal out 800 points of damage by doing nothing more than summoning it…_

The only card he had right now was Dragon's Mirror, which he couldn't use due to Necrovalley…

He closed his eyes and drew a card.

He opened his eyes and looked at it.

Then he threw it into his Duel Disk.

"Stamping Destruction!" he shouted.

The name of the card was truly fitting this time. Tyrant Dragon stomped its foot down, and the result was a virtual earthquake, causing the cliffs and canyons of Necrovalley to crumble into an avalanche. Chico covered his head as the whole place collapsed into a pile of dust.

"Because I just smashed your Field Spell," said Andy, "Visionary loses an additional 500 points…"

(1,800 ATK)

"I and I can play… _this!"_

Dragon's Mirror appeared, and then both Red Eyes and Goddess With the Third Eye appeared, turning into a shadowy vortex…

With a loud roar, Black Skull Dragon appeared. (3,200 ATK)

"Tyrant Dragon, attack Gravekeeper's Visionary!" ordered Andy. "Imperial Inferno!"

The wave of flames blasted towards the high priest again…

"I discard Gravekeeper's Assailant from my hand!" shouted Chico, as he discarded a card. "So he survives! Ugh!"

Visionary kept standing and his Attack Score rose to 2,000.

**(A: 50) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 2,200)**

"I was hoping you'd do that…" said Andy.

"Eh?" said Chico.

"Because now Tyrant Dragon can really strut his stuff," said Andy. "Since you still have a Monster after he attacked, he can do it again…"

Flames appeared in Tyrant Dragon's mouth.

"So… Unless that one card in your hand is another Gravekeeper, I don't think he'll be able to withstand it this time…"

Tyrant Dragon launched its blaze again, and the card clearly did _not _qualify, because Visionary vanished in a plume of fiery smoke.

"Black Skull Dragon… Finish the job!"

The Archfiend blasted its burning hellfire at Chico, and the young duelist let out a scream…

**(A: 50) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 0)**

Andy was breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down his face.

The next thing he knew, Francesca was hugging him.

"Francesca!" he gasped.

Francesca blushed a little, and then let go of him.

Andy sighed, and took his sunglasses off.

**0000000000**

Andy looked at the Crystal Card Chico had given him.

He had seven now… He was truly a contender for…

…for whatever contest you faced once you got eight. Meyers had said something about how eight Cards gave you the right to challenge a "special duelist" for something that was needed to actually enter the Thousand Year Door…

It made sense on the surface… After all, there could only be eight finalists in a tournament, and likely more than that would gain eight of the cards… But he wondered if that was secretly one of the Queen's tricks… Exactly what could she do a contestant who challenged one of these "special duelists" and lost?

"Look…" said Chico. "I guess we kinda got off on the wrong foot…"

"You almost won…" said Francesca.

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and nuclear attacks," said Chico. "Still, this is only a minor setback for me… I'm still going to make it to the Thousand Year Door and do my best to take care of this problem…

"I don't know why you three want to do the same thing but… Good luck…

"You know… I don't think I got your name, fellah…"

"Andy…" replied Andy.

"Well, Andy…" said Chico.

He hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder.

"If you three are looking for Keelhaul Key, just head over that hill and go about half a mile. You can't miss it…

"Maybe we'll see each other again…"

He turned and started to leave, in the direction the three of them had come.

"If you see a place called Gearville," shouted Andy, after him, "stay the Hell away from it! That place is dangerous!"

"Thanks for the tip," Chico called back, before he disappeared into the forest.

"Think we'll see him again?" asked Stan.

"I dunno," replied Francesca. "What do you think, Merlow?

"Merlow?"

They looked around. The wizard was nowhere in sight.

Andy let out an annoyed sigh.

"Seems that his best trick is making himself disappear," he muttered. "Come on, people…"

Actually, Merlow hadn't quite disappeared. He was watching them from the edge of the forest.

With a sad, deep breath, he turned into the woods… He wanted to go with them into town… But he knew he couldn't.

He hated ditching the three teenagers like that, but he felt an evil presence in Keelhaul Key, and he recognized it… Maria was preparing to strike.

He hated even more having to leave them to face the Shadow Spawn by themselves. He knew how cruel they were. But if one of them saw him, so would the Shadow Queen. She saw everything her children saw.

And it wasn't self-preservation that made him stay out of her sight now… If she saw him, it put innocents at risk. She was bound by the rules of fair play when dealing with the heirs of the Three Heroes, but nothing ever said she had to be so cordial when dealing with him…

If she knew he was in Keelhaul Key, she might have been willing to destroy the whole town and kill everyone in it simply to make sure he was among the dead. He wouldn't put it past her.

He had no idea right now that his hiding had come to an end. The Shadow Queen actually knew exactly where he was, and was watching him right now…

She wasn't very happy.

**0000000000**

**GRAVEKEEPER'S SPHINX (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/2,200ATK/1,900DEF**

_3 Level 4 Monsters_

**Effect: **Your Graveyard is not affected by the effect of "Necrovalley" so long as this card has at least 1 Xyz Material. Once per turn, during your turn, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to reduce the ATK of 1 face up Monster your opponent controls by half.

**0000000000**

**CHANT OF THE GRAVEKEEPERS (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Gravekeeper's Visionary casting an incantation on an altar decorated with an Egyptian motif, as Gravekeeper's Priestess and Gravekeeper's Descendent pray in a kneeling position to either side of him.

**Card Description: **Activate only while you control a face-up "Necrovalley" and a "Gravekeeper's" Monster that is either Level 5 or higher or is an Xyz Monster. Tribute 1 "Gravekeeper's" Monster you control. Select 1 "Gravekeeper's" Monster from your deck. Then, shuffle your deck, and place the selected Monster on the top of your deck.

**0000000000**

_**After a grueling battle, Andy has seven Crystal Cards, and needs only one more. Keelhaul Key waits for our three protagonists, but the Shadow Queen's attention has been drawn away from them at the moment…**_

_**Next:**_

"_**Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage." **_

_**I had already been confined to this accursed place for well over eight centuries when Richard Lovelace spoke those immortal words, but I agreed with him wholeheartedly. I may be physically trapped here, and my ability to influence the world beyond the walls of the Palace of Shadow is limited… But I still can…**_

_**I knew someone was likely helping those kids… I didn't expect it to be him… I thought he was dead, but no matter… It isn't the first time I was wrong about such a thing…**_

_**And this is something that's too important to entrust to a servant. Time to stop being a spectator…**_

"_**Combination Attack" is coming soon. **_


	24. Combination Attack

_**I never expected the Shadow Queen to try to revive Smithy… Every time I think I have her figured out, she does something unexpected.**_

_**And because she did, I was forced to intervene. My friends would have been smashed flat by that beast if I hadn't…**_

_**And now, it seems that my actions have had dire consequences. The Queen now realizes that I'm alive… And now she wants to correct that…**_

_**Well, let her try… I'm no spring chicken, but I'm no pushover either… And if I must fight, then I simply must…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-FOUR**

**0000000000**

**Combination Attack**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As his three allies entered Keelhaul Key, Merlow was still wandering through the forests north of it. He didn't want to truly vanish from sight just yet…

Maria would strike, and he'd need to be there after the duel ended. If the intended target won, he'd need to congratulate him or her…

…and if he or she lost, a possibility he was dreading, he'd have to console the other two.

As he walked through the forest, uneasiness began to set in. He slowly got the feeling that he wasn't quite alone…

He stopped. A chilling wind blew through the forest.

Then he tensed. Clearly something was wrong.

Slowly, the trees started to move, their branches forming a wall in front of him. Then behind him… Then to each side. Leering, fiendish faces appeared on their trunks…

_As the great Bard once said… _he thought. _"Something wicked this way comes"…_

Then, to his shock, two ugly humanoid creatures that looked like thorny briar bushes with arms and legs sprang out of the ground, and grabbed him by the arms.

Merlow watched as a shadowy aura of darkness appeared in the air in front of him. Slowly, the Shadow Queen's projected image appeared, her arms crossed and an angry look on her face.

"So, Adrian," she said. "Or Merlow, or whatever you call yourself now… You're alive…"

Merlow didn't answer.

"Did you really think you would get away with it forever?" she asked. "Jamming my crystal ball to keep me from seeing you with those three, thinking I'd never become the least bit suspicious?"

"Truthfully," replied Merlow, "I'm k-k-kind of surprised I l-l-lasted even _this _long."

"All these years, and you still haven't gotten help for that unfortunate speech impediment…" she said with a sigh.

"I've been too b-b-busy concentrating on other th-th-things…" said Merlow.

Then he blurted out a hasty incantation, and four razor sharp, glowing rotary saws appeared, cutting through the two briar monsters and reducing them to splinters of wood.

"Take my skills in s-s-sorcery, for instance."

The Queen scowled. She pointed, and a bolt of lightning shot at Merlow, but he merely held out his hand and caught it.

"Face it, your h-h-highness," he said, saying the last part sarcastically. "You could certainly defeat me in a battle of spells if we met face-to-face… B-b-but you're limited this way.

"I'd be more than willing to face you in a Shadow Duel… But you're in there…"

He pointed to the mountain.

"…and I'm out here… And the m-m-magic you can channel through that hologram is n-n-nothing compared to what I can do in person.

"If you w-w-want to try to prove me wrong… I h-h-have nowhere to go…"

The Queen frowned. She put her hand on her hip.

"You're willing to duel me, are you?" asked the Shadow Queen. "Very well, I accept."

"Assuming you can find a w-w-way to do that," replied Merlow.

A portal appeared in front of Merlow, and a weird creature stepped out of it. It looked like a big, green, slightly oblong sphere covered with eyes, with arms and legs, wearing a cape and a pointy hat. It wore a Duel Disk on its left arm.

"A Thousand-Eyes Idol?" asked Merlow. "I said I'd d-d-duel _you, _not one of your goons."

"You _will _be dueling me," said the Queen. "I can't duel you physically, because I can't leave the Palace of Shadow, and I'm certainly not letting you inside it.

"But this solves the problem. This Duel Spirit is practically mindless. In the dimensions where Duel Spirits come from, Thousand-Eyes Idols are little more than moving statues, able to obey commands from their Spellcaster and Fiend creators, but little else.

"I've never actually heard of a Thousand-Eyes Restrict Duel Spirit… Or even Relinquished, for that matter. Those were 'man-made' Monsters, designed by Pegasus for his own use.

"It will duel you, but only physically… I will be the one directing all of its actions."

"And even if you lose, you'll be p-p-perfectly safe…" said Merlow, with a frown. "You never did like to play fair."

"Take it or leave it," replied the Queen.

"F-f-fine," said Merlow. "But if I win, we consider everything b-b-between the two of us _over."_

"I'm fine with that," said the Queen, as the Idol activated its Duel Disk.

Merlow lifted his left arm, and his Duel Disk activated.

The last time he had confronted this woman, Duel Monsters hadn't been invented yet… Whether this would give him an edge or not… He had no idea…

**(Merlow: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Shadow Queen: 8,000)**

"All right," said the Queen. "Draw the card, my pawn."

The Idol obeyed, drawing the top card from its deck.

"I will summon Magnet Jammer to the field," she said.

She played the card, and Merlow looked at the Monster strangely. I looked like a mechanical pedestal topped with a large, red orb, perched on spindly robotic legs. (1,200 ATK)

"And I end my turn…"

Merlow made his first draw, and looked over his hand.

"I call out Warrior Dai Grepher," he said.

He played the card, and the famous soldier known as Warrior of the Lady's greatest rival, who later sold his soul for the power of the Archfiends, appeared, still in his benign human form. (1,700 ATK)

"Warrior Dai Grepher?" asked the Queen. "I expected more from you, Adrian."

"I have my reasons for using him…" replied Merlow. "And by the way…"

Grepher lifted his sword.

"…call me 'Adrian' one more time, and the next time I see those three kids, I'll tell them _your _real name."

The Shadow Queen scowled angrily as Grepher made a rush towards Magnet Jammer. As he swung his sword at it, both he and Magnet Jammer vanished.

"You even _think _about it, you wrinkled old worm, and I'm make sure that the rest of your _very _short life is more miserable than anyone I've ever punished!" cursed the Queen.

"And in case you're wondering what happened to your Monster… When Magnet Jammer battles a Monster, I can use its effect to send that Monster back to the owner's hand and Magnet Jammer back to mine."

Merlow looked at his hand, which again consisted of six cards. Sure enough, Grepher was there.

He took two cards from his hand, and fit them into his Disk. Two facedown cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then I end my turn…" said Merlow. "Make your move…"

_Not that I don't know what you're gonna do… _he thought.

The Idol drew a card again. Then it quickly played Magnet Jammer's card, and it appeared again. (1,200 ATK)

"Attack him directly!" she shouted.

The creature shot bolts of red energy at Merlow, and he grunted in pain.

**(M: 6,800) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 8,000)**

"Sore joints, Merlow?" laughed the Shadow Queen. "You know, the guy who gave me eternal life was able to include eternal youth in the deal… You should always try to remember that part when asking someone to make you immortal.

"But I guess it's too late now, huh?"

"There's always someone to remind you of the foolish mistakes you made when you were young," grumbled Merlow.

"I think I'll set two face-down cards too," said the Queen.

The Idol played two cards, and two set cards appeared in two flashes of light.

"And I end my turn…"

Merlow made a draw.

"I'll summon Grepher again…" he said, as Grepher appeared a second time. (1,700 ATK)

"But I'm not making the same mistake again… I'm going to end my turn there…"

The Shadow Queen smirked when her pawn made a draw.

"Magnet Jammer can also use its effect when _it _attacks a Monster," she said. "So attack his Warrior!"

Magnet Jammer crackled with energy.

"I activate… Justi-Break!" shouted Merlow. "Because you declared an attack against a Normal Monster, all Monsters except Normal ones in Attack Mode are destroyed!"

Lightning flashed, and struck Magnet Jammer, blowing it to pieces.

"I was hoping you'd do that…" said the Queen.

One of her two face-down cards lifted up.

"I activate Omega Samsara," she said. "Because you destroyed a Monster with the word 'Magnet' in its name with a card effect, I can pay 800 Life Points to summon one with a different name from my deck, so long as it isn't a higher Level.

"So, I Special Summon Magnet Saucer."

The Monster that appeared was indeed a flying saucer, made of silvery metal with two small nodes on the bottom, and one on the top. (1,400 ATK)

"Then," said the Queen, as her other facedown card lifted up, "I use Inferno Reckless Summon to summon two more Saucers."

The Idol quickly played the cards, and two more of the flying saucers appeared. (1,400 ATK x2)

"You forget," said Merlow, as he took his deck from its holder, "I also get to use that card's effect…"

Two more copies of Grepher appeared next to the first. (1,700 x2)

"You not only use that outdated Monster, you use three copies?" asked the Queen. "Unbelievable…

"It's still my Battle Phase, and now one of my Magnet Saucers will attack your first Grepher!"

The weird contraption's upper node glowed, and it fired a beam of energy.

"Fight it off, Grepher!" shouted Merlow.

The Warrior swatted the blast away with his sword, causing it to fall back upon the Magnet Saucer, blowing it to pieces.

"You're probably wondering why I just purposely destroyed my own Monster," said the Shadow Queen.

The Attack Scores of the other two Saucers increased to 1,800.

"Well, there's your answer. A Magnet Saucer gains 400 Attack Points for the rest of the turn if another Monster with the word 'Magnet' in it is destroyed."

The other two Saucers fired their lasers, atomizing two of Merlow's Warriors.

**(M: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 7,300)**

"I throw two more cards face-down," said the Queen, as the Idol played two more cards, causing two set cards to appear, "and then I end my turn, which means that the Attack Scores of my two Magnet Saucers return to normal… It's your move…"

Merlow made a draw, and then activated his other set card.

"I activate Birthright," he said. "It lets me Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, so long as it isn't an Effect Monster…"

There was an aura of light, and one of the two destroyed Grephers reappeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Next, I summon Beautiful Headhuntress," he continued.

A young woman with a stern face wearing a kimono and a fancy hairstyle, holding a nasty-looking executioner's cleaver walked onto the field. (1,600 ATK)

"That Saucer may not even _have _a head…" said Merlow, "but I'm sure she can do the job…"

Showing incredible dexterity for a woman wearing a kimono (not exactly a garment made to fight in) Beautiful Headhuntress made a leap at one of the two Saucers, cutting it cleanly in half. The two pieces sparked before exploding.

'Maybe you forgot…" said the Shadow Queen. "By destroying one, the other gains 400 Attack Points."

(1,800 ATK)

"I realize that," said Merlow, as he played a Quickplay Spell, "but by using Shrink, I can undo that increase and then some."

The Saucer was reduced to half its size. (1,100 ATK)

"And now Grepher will attack with Steel Sword Slash!"

Grepher made slashed with his blade, and the third Saucer crashed.

"And now my other Grepher attacks directly!"

Grepher's twin slammed his sword against the Thousand-Eyes Idol; it didn't seem to care in the least.

**(M: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 4,800)**

"Didn't hurt…" said the Shadow Queen.

One of her Trap Cards lifted up.

"Not as much as _this _going to hurt _you, _anyway_. _The Trap Card, Damage Condenser. My pawn will discard one card…"

The Idol threw one of its two cards into its Disk's discard slot.

"…and I can Special Summon Magnet Kong Epsilon from my deck."

A new mechanical Monster appeared, this one a hulking construct that looked vaguely like a big robotic gorilla. It grunted and beat its chest. (1,700 ATK)

"Where did you get these things, anyway?" asked Merlow.

"My secrets are my own," replied the Shadow Queen. "Next, I activate Call of the Haunted…"

Her other Trap Card lifted up.

"Which I'll use to Special Summon the Monster I discarded… Magnet Eagle Delta."

With a loud screech, a mechanical bird of prey flew out of the Trap Card. (1,200 ATK)

Merlow sighed.

"I'll set this," he said, as a new face-down card appeared in front of him, "and then you go…"

The Idol made another draw. The Shadow Queen smirked.

"I summon Magnet Crocodile Zeta!" she shouted, as the Idol played a card.

As it did, a large metal crocodile with pistons on its legs materialized next to the other two Magnet Monsters. (1,600 ATK)

_Three Magnet Monsters… _thought Merlow. _If these things are anything like other Monsters associated with magnets, she's planning something big…_

"Magnet Eagle Delta, attack Beautiful Headhuntress!" shouted the Shadow Queen.

The robot bird swooped on the young woman. She slashed with her blade, cutting it in two.

"In case it hasn't sunk in yet…" said the Queen, "both my Kong and my Crocodile have the same effect as my Saucers…"

Magnet Kong Epsilon rose to an Attack Score of 2,100, while Magnet Crocodile Zeta rose to 2,000.

"Attack Warrior Dai Grepher with Super Slugger!" shouted the Queen.

Magnet Kong Epsilon lurched at one of the Grephers, and socked him hard, propelling him backwards before he shattered into pixels.

"Zeta, attack Beautiful Headhuntress with Crocodile Shock Rock!"

The mechanical crocodile grunted, and then blasted a stream of water mixed with an electrical current. The executioner grunted and was knocked over, and she dissolved into particles.

"Crocodile Shock Rock?" said Merlow with a slight smirk. "Never took you for a fan of Elton John…"

The Queen said nothing. She simply pointed to her servant, and it set a card into its Duel Disk, causing a new face-down card to appear.

Then Merlow tapped his Duel Disk, and his face-down card activated.

"Miracle's Wake?" sighed the Queen, as Grepher appeared again. (1,700 ATK) "This just goes on and on…

"I end my turn… So my two Magnet Monsters' Attack Scores return to their original values…"

**(M: 5,800) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 4,800)**

Merlow made a draw, and played it and another Spell Card right away.

"I use Silent Doom, and The A. Forces!" he exclaimed. "The first one summons Beautiful Headhuntress in Defense Mode…"

The female Warrior appeared, kneeling and holding her cleaver in her lap. (800 DEF)

"While the second increases the Attack Score of all my Warriors by 200 Attack Points for each Warrior present!"

The Attack Scores of both Grephers increased to 2,300 apiece.

"Attack Magnet Kong Epsilon!" he shouted.

The first Grepher rushed at the mechanical primate…

"I activate… Repulsion Ray!" shouted the Shadow Queen. "This Trap Card moves both my Magnet Monsters into Defense Mode and makes them indestructible this turn!"

Magnet Kong Epsilon knelt and crossed its arms. (500 DEF) Magnet Crocodile Zeta curled up into a ball. (1,200 DEF) Grepher struck the creature with his sword, but the blade glanced off its metal hide.

"In exchange for that," continued the Queen, "they have to stay in Defense Mode from now on…"

_Okay… _thought Merlow. _She's up to something…_

"I end my turn…" he said.

The Idol made a draw. The Shadow Queen smiled evilly…

"My pawn will now play Magnet Reborn," she said, wickedly, as the Duel Spirit played a Spell Card. "By paying only 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon Magnet Eagle Delta from my Graveyard…"

There was a flash of light, and the mechanical bird appeared again. (1,200 ATK)

"And now…" she said, as the Spirit played its last card, "I use the powerful Magnet Fusion!

"I sacrifice Magnet Eagle Delta, Magnet Kong Epsilon, and Magnet Crocodile Zeta…"

The three Monsters turned into crackling orbs of energy, which flew into the sky and combined into one much bigger orb…

"…behold one of Smithy's creations… The powerful Super Electromagnetic Dragon – Magnedragon!"

A huge, intimidating beast appeared, hovering in the air in front of Merlow and his two Monsters. Whether it was a Dragon, a Machine, or even a Rock like Valkyrion, was hard to determine. It looked like a huge mechanical dragon with black armor, with large, golden wings that had a ribbed pattern.

It let out a loud bellow that shook the forest. (3,500 ATK)

"I figured as much…" said Merlow.

"Attack the Warrior Dai Grepher on the left with Magnet Inferno!" shouted the Shadow Queen.

The huge creature unleashed a breath weapon that was more like a flamethrower, one that shot brilliant violet flames. Merlow was thrown backwards and landed on his back as his Warrior was eradicated.

**(M: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 4,300)**

"Huh?" he said.

"I see you've noticed my Dragon's effect…" said the Shadow Queen. "When it crushes a Monster, you take damage equal to the Attack Points it had. So you lose an additional 2,300 Life Points.

"It's your move, Merlow, but face-it, those antiquated Warriors are no match the more modern stuff…"

Merlow glared at her as he got up.

He drew a card.

"Then I'll just have to try something more modern myself…" he said.

"I summon Noble Knight Artorigus!"

He played the card, and a courageous-looking knight in shining armor and a cape, holding a glowing sword resembling the Legendary Sword, only much fancier, appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)

The Queen looked ready to throw a fit. She howled in anger at the sight of the Warrior.

"I see you remember him," growled Merlow. "Well, he may not be strong enough to defeat your Magnet Monster…

"But because all three of my Monsters are Normal Monsters, and all three are Level 4, I can use them to build the Overlay Network…"

Beautiful Headhuntress, Warrior Dai Grepher, and Noble Knight Artorigus were surrounded by a brilliant aura of holy energy…

Then they vanished, and a far more powerful-looking Warrior stepped forward. He looked like Artorigus, only older, with a neatly trimmed beard and fancier armor. He held the same sword, along with a shield with the image of a green dragon imprinted on it.

"I give you… King of the Noble Knights…" said Merlow.

(1,800 ATK)

"That's weak," mocked the Queen.

"His _base _Attack Score isn't too good," replied Merlow, "but he gains 600 Attack Points for every Overlay Unit he has. Plus there's the 200-point boost from The A. Forces…"

(3,800 ATK)

"Beginning to see _now _why I'm using Normal Monsters?" he said, as King of the Noble Knights lifted his sword.

"Slay her Dragon! Celestial Sword Smite!"

The mighty Knight leapt at the huge creature, and it roared…

Then he thrust his blade downward, and sparks flew from the deep cut that he made down the middle. In a mighty blast that shook the whole forest, Super Electromagnetic Dragon – Magnedragon was vanquished.

**(M: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (SQ: 4,000)**

"Because he inflicted Battle Damage, I have to get rid of one of his Overlay Units," said Merlow, as he discarded Beautiful Headhuntress, causing King of the Noble Knights to fall to an Attack Score of 3,200. "It's your move…"

"Oh, I'll move all right…" said the Queen. "I'm going to make you very, very sorry…"

The Thousand-Eyes Idol drew a card.

Then, the Queen stopped. She looked over her shoulder.

"What is it, Grodus?" she said, thought her teeth. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Eh?" said Merlow.

"What?" said the Queen.

_Seems someone's trying to talk to her on her end… _thought Merlow.

"WHAT?" shouted the Queen, in anger.

She turned back to Merlow, and waved her hand. The Thousand-Eyes Idol fell to the ground, and turned to sand, while King of the Noble Knights vanished.

"We're going to have to finish this some other time, Merlow," she said, bitterly.

"Hold on!" said Merlow. "You can't…"

"Listen, Merlow!" snapped the Queen. "As much as you don't like it, I'm still the sovereign of Arcadia.

"And an emergency has come up that requires my authority to handle. It's more important than dealing with _you._

"You got _very _lucky…"

She vanished, and the evil aura in the clearing Merlow faded away. The evil trees around him turned back into normal ones.

_She would NEVER retreat from a fight unless she was in danger of dying… _thought Merlow. _What could be so important that…_

Then, suddenly, he realized what could possibly be more important…

He started running as fast as could towards Keelhaul Key, praying that Stan, Andy, and Francesca were still all right…

**0000000000**

Five minutes later, someone else walked into the clearing. A man who had been hidden in the shadows, watching the encounter from a distance, somehow masking his presence from both Merlow _and _the Shadow Queen.

He looked at the remains of the Thousand-Eyes Idol. Then he looked at its Duel Disk, which the Queen had neglected to recover.

He picked it up, and then took the cards and leafed through them.

_Hmm… _he thought. _Nothing I can use… But I might know someone else who'd be interested…_

He placed the deck inside his jacket. Then he turned around, and vanished into the shadows again.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET SAUCER (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Wind/Effect/Lvl3/1,400ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **When a face-up "Magnet" Monster is destroyed, this card gains 400 Attack Points until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET JAMMER (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/600DEF**

**Effect: **At the start of the Damage Step when this card battles another Monster, you can return this card and the attack target to their owners' hands, without applying damage calculation.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET CROCODILE ZETA (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,600ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **When a face-up "Magnet" Monster is destroyed, this card gains 400 Attack Points until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET KONG EPSILON (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,700ATK/500DEF**

**Effect: **When a face-up "Magnet" Monster is destroyed, this card gains 400 Attack Points until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET EAGLE DELTA (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/600DEF**

**Effect: **When a face-up "Magnet" Monster is destroyed, this card gains 400 Attack Points until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET REBORN (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Magnet Warrior Sigma Minus being hauled out of a junk pile (which includes Drillago and Alpha the Magnet Warrior) with a magnetic crane.

**Card Description: **Pay 500 Life Points. Select 1 "Magnet" Monster in your Graveyard and Special Summon it.

**0000000000**

**MAGNET FUSION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Similar to "Polymerization", but with Magnet Kong Epsilon, Magnet Eagle Delta, and Magnet Crocodile Zeta in place of the two dragons.

**Card Description: **Tribute 1 "Magnet Kong Epsilon", 1 "Magnet Eagle Delta", and 1 "Magnet Crocodile Zeta" you control. Special Summon 1 "Super Electromagnetic Dragon – Magnedragon" from your Extra Deck. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)

**0000000000**

**SUPER ELECTROMAGNETIC DRAGON – MAGNEDRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Earth/Fusion/Effect/Lvl8/3,500ATK/1,500DEF**

"_Magnet Kong Epsilon" + "Magnet Eagle Delta" + "Magnet Crocodile Zeta"_

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon, and only via the effect of "Magnet Fusion". When this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed Monster's ATK.

_Note: The proceeding eight cards were first used by the Fallguys in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 051 and 052. Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes. _

**0000000000**

**OMEGA SAMSARA (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Alpha the Magnet Warrior lying on the ground dented and broken as Beta the Magnet Warrior forms a fighting stance behind it.

**Card Description: **Activate when a "Magnet" Monster you control is destroyed by a card effect. Pay 800 Life Points. Special Summon a "Magnet" Monster from your deck with a different name than the destroyed Monster that is the same Level or lower. You may only activate 1 "Omega Samsara" per turn.

**0000000000**

**REPULSION RAY (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **The three original Magnet Warriors standing beside a Cyber Summon Blaster that is about to fire.

**Card Description: **Shift all "Magnet" Monsters you control into face-up Defense Position. This turn, those Monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. Those Monsters cannot change their Battle Positions, except via a card effect.

**0000000000**

**KING OF THE NOBLE KNIGHTS (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Xyz/Effect/Rank 4/1,800ATK/1,800DEF**

_3 Level 4 Normal Monsters_

**Effect: **Increase this card's ATK by 600 for each Xyz Material it has. Each time this card battles and inflicts Battle Damage, detach 1 Xyz Material from this card.

_Note: Credit goes to fanfic author Lux-Nero for creating this card._

**0000000000**

_**Why did the Shadow Queen abandon the fight? For the answer, we need to pick up where we left off, when Merlow's allies were about to enter Keelhaul Key.**_

_**And who was that guy who took the deck? Just what we need, another mystery…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Merlow: I would call the Shadow Queen a despot and a tyrant, but I would NEVER call her a coward. She clearly had a very good reason for not finishing that duel… And I doubt it bodes well…**_

_**I knew that Maria was planning to strike, and clearly she did while I was dueling her mother. What has happened? **_

"_**Water Hazard" is coming soon. **_

_**Oh, and the last of the Companions might show up too.**_


	25. Water Hazard

_**Pirates tend to be glamorized by the media these days. You have your anti-heroes like Captain Jack Sparrow, and villains with comical natures like Captain Hook. **_

_**As Raven could attest, these depictions rarely reflect the brutal and lawless killers that real pirates usually were. They were outlaws who answered to no authority except their own.**_

_**And a lot of the myths surrounding pirates tend to be untrue. The media often depicts pirates with eye patches; in truth, that stereotype started with one well-known personality, the Arab pirate **__**Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah.**_

_**I'm now facing Maria, the Shadow Spawn of Water, someone who fancies herself a pirate… Female pirates were practically unheard of in history, so she's likely only doing it to make herself intimidating…**_

_**But I'd be a fool to think she isn't capable of being just as ruthless as the next one…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-FIVE**

**0000000000**

**Water Hazard**

**0000000000**

**00000**

We now must backtrack to shortly before the duel between Merlow and the Shadow Queen started.

Stan, Andy, and Francesca walked up the crest of a hill to the smell of sea spray, and saw the sparkling ocean behind the town in front of them. Clearly, they had reached the port town of Keelhaul Key.

As they walked into town, they noticed a difference between this place and Rogueport. The ships docked in the harbor seemed to consist more of fishing boats than merchant vessels, and indeed, many fishermen and lobstermen were hauling their catches in from a day of work.

As they walked into the town square, they took notice of a statue placed in the center. It was stone, and depicted a stern-faced man in very old-fashioned clothing with a beard.

They found themselves looking at it with curiosity.

"I see you kids are interested in Cortez," said a voice.

They turned their heads and saw a man who looked about fifty, with a neatly-trimmed beard, wool pants, and a plaid, flannel shirt. He was whittling a piece of wood into what looked like a carving of a mermaid.

"And you are?" asked Stan.

"I'm Hank," said the man. "Anyway… That's Cortez you're looking at… Kind of a local legend around here…"

"He was a pirate, right?" asked Stan.

"That's right," replied Hank. "And he used to be one of the best…

"Cortez was born in in this town and he became a pirate's cabin boy when he was only ten years old. He worked his way up, becoming one of the greatest and most feared pirates in the region, one-thousand years ago…

"His career lasted three decades, during which he seemed to become incredibly rich… He sometimes told people that he was planning a big trip to find the Northwest Passage that sailors at the time dreamed of, which would have made him wealthy and famous beyond imagining…

"Hell, if he had gone through with it, he may have done what Columbus did five-hundred years later, and you Americans may well be celebrating _his _birthday today as a holiday! It's not much of a stretch… A lot of folks say that Columbus was also motivated by little more than greed…

"But before Cortez could accomplish this lofty goal, he was caught… And it was very strange how it happened. You see, when the soldiers found his ship, his crew was in no condition to fight. Half of them were dead from scurvy, and everyone else except Cortez himself was dying from it."

"Scurvy?" said Francesca. "I've heard of that…"

"It's a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency," replied Stan. "It used to be a big problem for sailors before modern refrigeration was invented, because they had no way to keep fruits and vegetables from going bad on long voyages. They subsisted mostly on hardtack and cured and salted meat.

"Still, it would be awfully odd for a whole crew to get it…"

"Yes, odd indeed," said the old man. "But odder still… When he was caught, those soldiers didn't even find one coin of all the riches that Cortez had stolen over his thirty-year career.

"And he didn't give any clue as to where it was until they led him to the gallows. Right before he was hanged, he turned to the crowd and said:

"'My wealth is well-hidden, and if you find it, you'll be rich for the rest of your lives… But be warned… If you come looking for it, be prepared to fight for it…'

"Still… After ten centuries, no-one's ever found it, or figured out what he meant by 'fight for it'."

"You know, that is an interesting story," said Andy. "But… It might be more believable if it didn't sound so much like the legend of Gold Roger…"

"Eh?" said Stan.

"Ever see _One Piece?" _replied Andy. "The anime? The legend of Gold Roger's treasure was sort of a MacGuffin for the series. Every major character in the series was a pirate, and they all dreamed of finding it, sort of an El Dorado."

"Believe it or don't," sighed the old man. "I'm not even sure if I believe it these days… But it's an amusing story, and if anything, it gives us something to tell folks who come here…"

"Well…" said Stan. "Can you recommend a place to eat around here?"

"Depends," replied Hank. "Any of you allergic to shellfish?"

**0000000000**

Fortunately, the answer for all three of them was "no", and they had to admit, the clam chowder at the restaurant that Hank directed them too was pretty good.

"So what next?" asked Andy.

"Dunno…" said Francesca. "You have seven Crystal Cards… Stan has five, I have six…

"Maybe Stan should get the next duelist, so he can catch up…"

"It would have been awfully nice if Cloaker and Domino had been able to keep their promise, the rotten liars…" muttered Stan.

"Please, Stan," said Francesca, "we're lucky we got out of that place in one piece."

Then they were startled as an explosion shook the restaurant, causing the glasses above the bar to rattle and the customers to hit the floor.

"What was THAT?" shouted Francesca.

"Cannon fire…" stammered the waitress, trembling.

"Cannon fire?" gasped Andy.

"From _The Sea Witch…" _replied the waitress. "Maria's ship…"

The three duelists looked at each other, and then rushed out the door.

Sure enough, an old-fashioned frigate flying the Jolly Roger was approaching, and the townsfolk were hiding behind anything they could hide behind.

"Maria?" shouted Andy. "The Shadow Spawn of Water?"

"No fair!" screamed Francesca. "We didn't even get a Yata-Garasu as a warning this time!"

Two cannons from the ship blasted, and two metal spheres covered with spikes flew at them. (750 ATK x2)

Stan drew a card from his deck, and threw it on his Disk.

"Gagaga Gardna, hold them off!" he shouted.

The Warrior appeared crouching and holding his shield in front of him. (2,000 DEF) The two Mega Thunderballs dissolved before they reached him.

"I don't know if he can do it himself…" said Andy.

Then, in two flashes of light, Big Shield Gardna (2,600 DEF) and Mid Shield Gardna (1,800 DEF) appeared beside Gagaga Gardna, just as another volley of Mega Thunderballs was fired from the ship.

They turned, and saw Hank, now holding a Duel Disk.

"You're helping us?" asked Stan.

"Won't that get you in trouble?" asked Andy.

"Kids," said Hank, "after all those brats have done, you're looking at a fellow who has _nothing _left to lose…"

The help had come just in time, apparently, and the defense held.

"Kids, those Thunderballs were just warning shots," said Hank, as the pirate ship drew closer. "Maria's tougher servants will be here next…

"And here they come!"

Indeed, it sure looked that way, as a squad of five Deepsea Warriors leapt out of the surf. (1,600 ATK x5)

Simultaneously, five Monsters appeared, Trident Warrior, Sunlight Unicorn, Alexandrite Dragon, and Gearfried the Iron Knight (the last one from Hank's deck). The two forces charged at each other, and the five aquatic Warriors were quickly decimated.

"ENOUGH!" shouted a female voice.

With a snarl, an Amphibian Beast lunged out of the surf. (2,400 ATK) It first swiped with its claw, blowing Gearfried to shards, and then grabbed Hank.

"Let go of me you overgrown toad!" he shouted, as the thing restrained him.

"Let him go!" shouted Francesca.

"I will make the demands from this point, Francesca…" said the same female voice, somewhat quieter this time.

They turned towards the surf again, and saw a young woman, older than they were (about eighteen) literally _walking _on the water.

She was decked out in full pirate regalia, with tacky clothes, a bandana on her head, a patch over her left eye, and the gaudiest jewelry they had ever seen. It was as if some creature had eaten the inventory of a jewelry store and then thrown up.

"Hello, Hank," she said, looking at the old fisherman. "How long has it been?"

"Not long enough…" growled Hank.

"Maria, I assume?" asked Francesca.

"You folks think you're hot stuff," replied the Shadow Spawn of Water, as she stepped onto the beach. "Well this little insurrection of yours is ending here and now…"

She looked at Hank again.

"I suppose you want a duel?" asked Francesca.

"You'd better believe it," replied Maria. "Or I may just make your friend here walk the plank…"

"Don't listen to her," shouted Hank. "She's bluffing."

"You think I'm bluffing?" said Maria, with an evil smile.

She drew a cutlass from her hip, and held it to Hank's throat.

"_You think I'm bluffing?" _she shouted.

"No, I do NOT think you're bluffing!" shouted Francesca.

Maria lowered the sword.

"I'll duel you…" said Francesca. "Now put that thing away before you poke your _other _eye out…"

Maria chuckled a little, and the sword vanished. Then a Duel Disk appeared on her left arm that was just as gaudy as the rest of what she was wearing, made of gold and covered with gemstones.

"I've only known this babe five minutes," said Andy, "and already I hate her…"

"I'll deal with you later," said Maria. "Right now, Francesca and I want to have a little 'girl talk'…"

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Maria: 8,000)**

"I'll be starting this off…" said Maria.

She drew her sixth card, and then paused for a minute.

"I'll set a Monster, and then two face-down cards…" she said.

The three reversed cards appeared in front of her, two behind the first.

"Then, I play the Continuous Spell Card, Evolution Energy," she said, as a face-up card appeared, "and I end my turn…"

"Evolution Energy?" said Stan. "What do you think that does?"

"I'd say it has something to do with Leveled Monsters…" replied Andy. "But… I can't think of any of those that are the Water Attribute…"

"My move!" shouted Francesca.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" she shouted, as she played the card. "Say goodbye to _that _card!"

The furious wind hit the Trap Card. Francesca's two friends and Hank were relieved to see what it was.

"All right!" shouted Stan. "She destroyed Maria's Torrential Tribute!"

Strangely, Maria didn't seem upset at all. She simply smirked a little.

"I summon Beast Striker!" shouted Francesca.

With a low growl, the tusked Beast holding its huge hammer leapt onto the field. (1,850 ATK)

"Smash her Monster with Primal Rage!" she shouted.

"Hold it right there!" said Maria, as her other Trap Card lifted up. "I activate Dance of the Guardian!"

"Dance of the what?" asked Francesca.

"Dance of the Guardian," replied Melissa. "It's not a common card, but it works as follows: I choose a card in your hand, and if the chosen card is a Monster Card, your attack is negated.

"I choose the card on the far right."

Francesca gasped. That card was Lady of Unicorns.

Quickly, Exxod, Master of the Guard appeared, and held up its hand, blocking Beast Striker's advance.

"Since I was right, the second effect of my Trap Card activates," said Maria, "sending the card I chose to the Graveyard and letting me draw once."

Francesca grit her teeth as Lady of Unicorn vanished and Maria made her draw.

"Lucky…" growled Francesca.

_Now was it? _thought Maria. _How little you know, Francesca…_

She closed her right eye, and through her left – the one covered by the patch – she saw what Francesca saw through _her _eyes, including the three remaining cards she had.

_You think it was a big deal because you destroyed Torrential Tribute? _thought the Shadow Spawn. _I only set it because I knew you had Mystical Space Typhoon._

"Make your move…" said Francesca.

Maria drew a card. Then she held a card forward.

"I'm sending Warrior of Atlantis from my hand to the Graveyard," she said. "I trust you know what that means…"

"Do I ever…" said Francesca, nervously.

Maria took a Spell Card from her deck, and as she played it, a huge tidal wave appeared behind her. Maria didn't even move as it swamped the beach, but it was all that Francesca and her friends could do to keep from being knocked over.

Francesca sputtered and looked up. Her foe was soaking wet, but didn't seem to care. They were knee deep in water, and the undersea palace of A Legendary Ocean was behind her.

"As I'm sure you know," continued Maria, "this Field Spell lowers the Levels of all Water Monsters by 1, and grants them 200 points to both Scores.

"Now, onto business… We seem to have attracted quite a crowd…"

They had indeed. Many of the townsfolk were watching from a safe distance.

"…so let's make this a little more interesting… As you know, all cards have a story behind them… Some more complete than others. I'm going to tell one now as I finish you off.

"I flip my Monster into Attack Mode."

The Monster that appeared was hardly what Francesca had been expecting. It was a cute-looking baby lizard-man with a big smile. (350 ATK) –) (550 ATK)

"Gigobyte?" said Francesca.

"That's right…" said Maria. "This creature is only a child now… He's at a point in his life where he is young, carefree… innocent… Hardly knowing that fate will deal him a bad hand…

"I activate the Spell Card, Dark Evolution."

She played the card, and a shimmering triangle of energy appeared around Gigobyte. He turned into golden energy, and started to grow, eventually turning into an adult version of himself. (1,850 ATK) –) (2,050 ATK)

"My Spell Card has turned Gigobyte into Gagagigo, his second form," continued Maria. "He is now an adult, and attempts to fight the forces of evil at every opportunity… But as he does so, temptation whispers in his ears, telling him that power can be his for little cost…

"But more on that later… Dark Evolution also lets me take a second copy of itself from my deck…"

She took her deck from the holder, and looked through it until she found what she wanted.

"The catch is, I can't use more than one copy per turn… But no matter… Gagagigo, attack Beast Striker with Justice Claw!"

Gagagigo leapt at the Beast and swiped across its chest with its claw. Beast Striker grunted and fell backwards before shattering.

"All right…" said Maria. "I move to my End Phase, which is where the effect of Evolution Energy comes into play. Because I used Dark Evolution and made no Normal Summons, I get to make one draw."

She drew another card.

"And it's your move."

**(F: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)**

"Finally…" said Francesca.

Maria closed her right eye again as Francesca drew a card.

Francesca set a card on her Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of her, floating on the water.

"End," she said.

Maria made a draw, and then smirked.

_I know what you're planning Francesca,_ she thought. _That Monster is a Hyena... When I attack it, you'll use its effect summon two more of them, and then summon that Al-Mi'Raj Tuner Monster of yours to make a Level 8 Synchro Summon..._

_Well... Far be it from me to disappoint you..._

"Once again, I activate Dark Evolution!" she shouted, as she played the second copy of the card.

As she played it, Gagagigo turned into fiery, red energy, and started to glow again, growing bigger and more hulking…

When the energy subsided, he was now a more muscular, nastier-looking version of himself, covered with armored plating. (2,450 ATK) –) (2,650 ATK)

"At this stage of his life," said Maria, "Gagagigo has given into the temptation. To fight evil more efficiently, he has used genetic engineering developed by Kozaky to become stronger.

"Unbeknownst to him, Kozaky is allied with the forces of Dark World, and the evil power that Gagagigo has been granted is slowly eroding his sanity… And turning his heart black.

"Now, once again, I'm able to take another Dark Evolution from my deck…"

She took the card from her deck.

"But like before, I'm not allowed to use it this turn. _This _turn however…

"Giga Gagagigo, attack Francesca's Monster with Power Claw!"

Giga Gagagigo's right claw glowed with red energy, and he rushed at the card. A small canine creature appeared on the card, and was torn to shreds.

"You just killed my Hyena…" said Francesca. "That means I get to Special Summon two more Hyenas from my deck…"

Two more of the small canines appeared, sitting in Defense Mode. (300 DEF x2)

"I'll throw two cards facedown and end my turn," said Maria, as two set cards materialized behind Giga Gagagigo. "I end my turn, and once again, because I used Dark Evolution and didn't Normal Summon, I get to draw once due to Evolution Energy."

She drew a card.

Francesca made a draw, and then quickly played a card.

"I summon Al-Mi'Raj!" she shouted.

She played the card, and a small Monster hopped onto the field. It looked like a white hare with a unicorn horn sprouting from its forehead. (600 ATK)

"Now I Tune Al-Mi'Raj with my two Hyenas…" she said, as the three Beasts flew into the sky.

**(*2 + *3 + *3 = *8)**

With a loud trumpet, Garnecia Earthshaker appeared in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"That big lug is out of his element," said Maria.

"Is that so?" said Francesca. "Well, due to Al-Mi'Raj's effect, because it was used to Synchro Summon a Beast-Type Monster, I get to draw one card."

She drew once.

_Moja? _thought Maria, trying hard not to laugh. _Oh, I'm in trouble now…_

"Giga Gagagigo may have 2,650 Attack Points," said Francesca, "but it only has 1,700 Defense Points, and when Garnecia Earthshaker attacks it, it can use its effect to change its Battle Position.

"Attack Giga Gagagigo!"

Garnecia Earthshaker trumpeted again, and rushed at the Reptile.

"I activate… Riptide!" laughed Maria, as one of her face-down cards lifted up.

"Riptide?" gasped Francesca, as another huge wave started to form behind Maria.

"A useful Trap Card when you use A Legendary Ocean and your opponent uses Rituals, Synchros, or Fusions," replied Maria. "Since you declared an attack with one, it not only destroys that Monster, but deals 200 points of damage times the Monster's Level!"

Francesca's two supporters gasped as the wave struck, crashing into both Francesca and her Monster. Garnecia Earthshaker didn't surface, and when Francesca did, she was gasping for breath.

"You really should have read the warning signs," laughed Maria. "No lifeguard on duty!"

Francesca growled. She slowly got up.

"I set these two cards, and I end my turn…" she said through her teeth.

She fit two cards into her Disk, and two reversed cards appeared in her Spell Zone.

**(F: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)**

"We're nearing the end of our story…" said Maria, as she drew a card. "Sadly… It's going to mark the end of _your _story too, Francesca…

"Let's play Dark Evolution one more time…"

This time, as she played the Spell Card, the aura that Giga Gagagigo was consumed by was one of pure darkness. Again he started to grow, and then, with a powerful roar, he stood fully revealed.

He was now almost twenty feet tall, with burnt umber scales and claws like daggers. As Francesca looked into his eyes, she saw no sign of intelligence in them now… (2,950 ATK) –) (3,150 ATK)

"Gagagigo has evolved into his fourth and most terrible form," said Maria, "Gogiga Gagagigo… The lust for power has driven him completely mad, and he now is only a shell of his former self, a creature that exists for no reason other to destroy…

"He began his quest to defeat the forces of evil, only to become one himself…

"Are you getting this?"

"Hanging onto every word…" said Francesca, with sweat pouring down her face.

"Naturally, I can't use the effect to take another copy of Dark Evolution from my deck," continued Maria, "since that was my last copy. So let's cut to the chase…

"Attack Francesca directly with Cursed Claws!"

Lightning flashed again, and the titan made a swipe at Francesca. She screamed as she knocked backwards ten feet…

**(F: 3,050) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)**

Francesca panted for breath.

"I activate… Damage Gate…" she said, as one of her face-down cards lifted up.

Al-Mi'Raj appeared again in Defense Mode. (200 DEF)

"Suit yourself…" said Maria. "I play Dust Barrier…"

She played a Spell Card.

"For the next two turns, my Normal Monsters are unaffected by your Spell Cards.

"I end my turn, and draw once due to Evolution Energy…"

She made a draw.

"But, since I used it three times, it's now destroyed…"

Evolution Energy shattered into pieces.

"Why not give up?" she said. "Can't you see that it's over?"

Everyone watching bowed their heads sadly.

"_Now THAT is the mother of all understatements!" _said a very angry voice.

Then the sky turned black as midnight, and every card on the field vanished.

"What's going on?" asked Stan.

"I'll be damned if I know…" said Andy.

A portal of black fire appeared in the air between the two duelists…

The townsfolk all cowered and hid their faces as the Shadow Queen's projected image appeared. She was clearly _very _angry.

"This duel is over right now, Maria…" she said to her daughter.

"But mother…" said Maria. 'I haven't finished her off yet…"

"_Francesca _is the winner!" snapped the Shadow Queen, pointing to the Shadow Spawn of Water. "_You _are disqualified!"

"WHAT?" said Francesca, as she got up. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but… Why?"

The Queen turned to Francesca with a frown.

"Cheating…" she replied. "Maria's left eye works just as well as her right one.

"The eye patch has a spell of clairvoyance on it that lets her see through your eyes. She's been able to see your hand since the duel started."

Everyone looked at Maria.

"Gee, Maria, that's low," said Stan.

The Shadow Queen turned to her now trembling daughter.

"The intent of this contest is to prove that I and my minions are superior to the heirs of the ones who imprisoned me," said the Queen. "Using foul play proves nothing of the sort…

"It proves the opposite, in fact… That you are nothing more than an insecure coward who can't win using her own abilities!

"And to think you dress in that pirate costume… A pirate who's a coward… Cortez would have called that an oxymoron."

"Mother, please!" begged Maria, falling to her knees.

"Uhm, your majesty?" said Francesca. "Can I get a word in here?"

The Shadow Queen sighed, and looked at Francesca.

"If you must…" she said.

"I might regret this…" said Francesca. "But… I really hate the thought of winning by forfeit…

"If Maria agrees to lose the eye patch, I'm willing to overlook this… Flagrant violation of the rules… And finish the duel."

The Queen looked at her in disbelief.

"You're serious?" she said. "I'm offering you a chance to walk away from this unscathed and you're turning it down? Are you crazy, Francesca?

"Who knows?" said Francesca, giving the Shadow Queen a dirty look, "you've certainly been doing enough to _drive _us crazy.

"The thing is… I'm not saying that Maria doesn't deserve to lose… She and her siblings are pretty rotten and despicable people… But it seems to me that she was cheating because she wanted to please you, and frankly, from what I've heard… You're a _very _hard person to please!

"And besides… It may not entirely be the Shadow Spawn's fault that they turned out the way they did. Because nine times out of ten, when a kid turns out rotten, it's because he or she has rotten parents!"

Everyone gasped. The Shadow Queen closed her eyes and chuckled.

"Well then…" said the dark sorceress. "In that case… This duel will continue… I hope you realize what you've accepted…"

She gestured, and the Solid Vision images reappeared as the eye patch was torn from Maria's face. Then she gave a stern look at Francesca, and vanished.

"She's gone," said Hank. "You all can look now…"

Slowly, everyone started to look up.

"I don't know if you're very brave or just out of your gourd…" said Maria. "If anything, that was the first time I've seen _anyone _with the nerve to talk back to her like that."

"I just felt that winning by forfeit wouldn't be a thorough enough way to defeat you," replied Francesca, as she made a draw. "Especially now that I know what you'll stoop to.

"I mean, this farce of a justice system you have is bad enough… But I wonder now…

"How many poor citizens have you and your siblings found guilty for losing a _rigged _duel?"

"You think I can't play fair?" shouted Maria. "I'll show you…"

She pointed to the three cards in Francesca's hand.

"I still know what two of those cards are," she said. "Moja and Chain Dog… And to show you I don't need to cheat, I'm going to fix it right now…

"Trap Card activate…"

Her facedown card lifted up.

"Multiple Destruction," she said. "We both have three cards in our hands, so we now have to ditch them all and draw five."

Francesca looked at her strangely. She discarded her three cards, the two Maria had mentioned and Ribbon of Rebirth, while Maria discarded Big Wave Small Wave, a second Gigobyte, and a Level 1 Monster that Francesca didn't recognize. Then they each drew five times.

"I take 100 points of damage for each card I tossed," said Maria, "but the important part is, I don't know what _any _cards in your hand are now. Satisfied?

"Use them if you think they'll help you… Because one more attack from Gogiga Gagagigo, and you're dead…"

"I will…" said Francesca. "I play Art Attack!"

She fit the card in her Disk, and the Continuous Spell appeared in front of her.

"The card she won from Mad Jack!" exclaimed Andy. "Could come in handy…"

"All right…" said Francesca. "Because Al-Mi'Raj is a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight in Defense Mode."

The bestial, horned Warrior appeared and knelt, holding its trident in its lap. (900 DEF)

"I set this face-down," she said, as a set card appeared behind her Monsters, "and I end my turn…"

_If I can just hold out three turns, I might stand a chance! _she thought.

**(F: 3,050) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,700)**

Maria made a draw, and then smirked.

"Due to the downgrading effect of A Legendary Ocean," she said, "I can Normal Summon Terrorking Salmon as a Level 4 Monster.

"In other words, without a sacrifice."

There was a large blast of water, and a huge salmon with razor sharp teeth the size of a shark broke surface. (2,400 ATK) –) (2,600 ATK)

"Sure you don't want to change your mind?" asked Maria, with an evil smirk. "Get 'em."

Terrorking Salmon flew at the small Tuner, and swallowed it with one gulp. Then Gogiga Gagagigo slashed with its mighty claw, ripping D.D. Unicorn Knight in two.

_May, maybe I AM crazy! _thought Francesca. _What was I thinking? The Queen practically handed my victory on a platter…_

_Was taking such a risk worth it?_

Then her deck started to glow.

"_Of course it was, you big piece of provolone!" _said a squeaky, feminine voice. _"You can't get anywhere without taking risks!"_

**0000000000**

In the next minute, it had happened again. Francesca was on the beach alone. Maria was gone, and so were her friends and the spectators.

In front of her was a mouse. A _big _mouse, standing on two legs, wearing red boots, with a red domino mask over her eyes. Her tail was curled in the shape of a heart.

"I know you," said Francesca. "You're Ms. Mowz, aren't you?"

"That's right, you pretty piece of parmesan!" replied the creature. "I thought I had to step in before you started to regret what you did…"

"Do you always compare people to cheese?" asked Francesca, looking at the Duel Spirit strangely.

Ms. Mowz giggled.

"That got on the Three Heroes' nerves too," she replied. "But seriously, I may have never joined them if they hadn't been willing to take a risk, and believe me, I was an important member of their team.

"I was a thief back then, and I was one of the best thieves in Arcadia. The Shadow Queen didn't even know that I was the one stealing from her henchmen.

"Anyway, I met the Three Heroes several times when they were going about their quest. The first time was in Hooktail Castle. I figured they would fail, but hoped that Hooktail would be weakened enough from the fight for me to grab some of her treasure.

"But when they slew Hooktail, I was impressed. I started stalking them, watching them overcome every challenge that the Queen put in their path… At the Great Tree, and then in Glitzville…"

"Glitzville was still around back then?" asked Francesca in shock.

"Do you actually think that some high tech motors keep it in the air?" giggled Ms. Mowz. "Magic is what keeps it in the sky. It was there a thousand years ago, and even then, it was the entertainment center of Arcadia. Just not as modern.

"Anyway, after Bobbery joined them, they received an unsigned note, saying that the Shadow Queen's sorcerers were at Hooktail Castle performing an unholy ritual that would transform Hooktail into a foul undead being called a dracolich.

"Most of the Companions objected to investigating. Goombella warned the Three Heroes that Hooktail could well be a dracolich by the time they got there, and she would be about ten times stronger than she ever could hope to be as a living dragon. Vivian pointed to the fact that the letter was unsigned, saying that it was likely a trap set by the Shadow Queen to lure them there.

"But despite their objections the Three Heroes went anyway, knowing that the threat of a dracolich was something they could not ignore.

"When they got there, they found no unholy ritual in progress or any trap… All they found was Hooktail's moldering corpse… And yours truly. I had sent them the letter. I wanted to test them, to see if they were brave enough to come, to actually take such a risk.

"I _like _that in a person!"

"And that's when you joined their team?" asked Francesca.

"They won me over," said Ms. Mowz. "You can't get anywhere in this crazy maze of a world unless you take risks. Think of all the people in your country's history who are considered heroes, people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. Would they have accomplished all that they did if they had only taken the safe routes?"

"No, I suppose not…" replied Francesca.

"Now stand up to her and show her that your decision was the right one," said Ms. Mowz.

"I trust you…"

**0000000000**

Francesca opened her eyes.

"My move!" she shouted.

She drew a card.

"All right!" she shouted. "I activate Call of the Haunted!"

Her Trap Card lifted up, and Garnecia Elefantis appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

"You can't defeat Gogiga Gagagigo with that thing," said Maria. "With the boost from the Field Spell, its Defense Score is 3,000.

"But Terrorking Salmon is a different story!" replied Francesca. "Attack! Filet that Fish with Stampeding Bull Rush!"

Garnecia dashed across the surf, and the large Fish curled up in a defensive position. (1,200 DEF) Maria grunted in pain as it was smashed flat.

**(F: 3,050) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,700)**

"That's all for my turn…"

"All right…" growled Maria, "I draw…"

She drew a card.

"Unfortunately, because it's been two of my Standby Phases since I played Dust Barrier, its power is now expended…"

The Spell Card dissolved into granules of light.

"Now, I'll throw this face-down," she said, as a card appeared behind her Monster.

"And then I'll attack with Gogiga Gagagigo! Cursed Claw!"

Again, the behemoth lunged, and Garnecia clutched its ample stomach before shattering.

_Got to hang on… _thought Francesca.

**(F: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,700)**

"All right… Draw!" shouted Francesca.

She whipped the top card of her deck.

"Good!" she said.

"First I set a Monster," she said, as a reversed Monster appeared in front of her. "Then I use my Trap Card…"

Her face-down card, the other one she had set when she had set Damage Gate, lifted up.

"Limit Reverse! I'll use it to Special Summon Al-Mi'Raj from my Graveyard…"

The horned hare appeared in a flash of light. (600 ATK)

"And because it's a Beast," she continued, as she played another card, "I can use the mighty Earth Tremor!

"Of course, given the Field Spell, it may be more like a sea tremor, but still, by sacrificing Al-Mi'Raj, I can deal 500 points of damage times the Level of your most powerful Monster."

"Hold on…" said Maria.

Al-Mi'Raj vanished, and the Shadow Spawn screamed as violent waterspouts shot up around her. Everyone watching cheered as she fell on her back.

**(F: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,700)**

"Shut up!" she shouted as she got up. "Do you want me to drown this whole town after I win this duel?"

That only made it worse. The townsfolk started to jeer and curse at her. Some picked up rocks and clods of mud and threw them at the Shadow Spawn.

"You know something Maria?" said Hank. "I'm starting to think that the threats you guys make aren't having quite the impact that they used to have. People are starting to see you guys for the bullies and cowards you really are, and the fear you used to cause has turned into anger.

"I mean, you didn't even send a Yata-Garasu this time. If anything, it showed how insecure you were, having to disregard the one courtesy you always gave your targets."

"All right Hank, fine…" said Maria, softly, closing her eyes.

She stood up.

"Once I'm done with Francesca, _you're next!"_

"Excuse me?" said Francesca. "We're in the middle of a duel here?"

She set a card in her Disk, and a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"I'll end there…"

Maria drew a card, then she looked over the six she had.

Then her Trap Card lifted up.

"I play Birthright!" she shouted.

The aura of red energy appeared again, and form of Gagagigo that preceded the one already on the field appeared. (2,450 ATK) –) (2,650 ATK)

"Then I summon… Gagagigo!" she shouted.

The golden aura appeared, and the form that preceded _that _one appeared as well. (1,850 ATK) –) (2,050 ATK)

"Will you look at that…" said Francesca. "Just like the Three Bears… Does that make you Goldilocks?"

Maria looked at Francesca with a look that could best be described as utter rage.

"Maybe Francesca _is _losing it…" muttered Andy.

"I'll teach you…" hissed Maria.

Gagagigo leapt at the Monster…

Then Nimble Momonga appeared on the card before it was blown to shards.

"NO!" screamed Maria.

"Yes!" replied Francesca. "Now I gain 1,000 Life Points, and I get to set two more Momongas!"

Two more set Monsters appeared in front of her.

"I… don't… _care!" _shouted Maria.

Giga Gagagigo and Gogiga Gagagigo rushed at the two new set cards, and made short work of the two squirrels. Francesca took a deep breath as the energy flowed into her.

**(F: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,700)**

Maria took two cards from her hand. She took some deep breaths, and then fit them into her Disk. Two set cards slowly appeared in her Spell Zone.

"My turn is over…" she said.

Francesca drew a card, and looked at it.

_Alright, here goes… _she thought.

She played a card, and Pot of Avarice appeared in front of her. She took Garnecia Earthshaker, Al-Mi'Raj, Moja, Beast Striker, and Lady of Unicorns from her Graveyard, and reshuffled her deck.

She made two draws. Her eyes opened when she saw one of them.

She looked at the field.

_Maria has two face-down cards… _she thought, _but seeing as the card she drew last turn _must _have been Gagagigo, she waited for at least a turn before she set them… So they may not be all-too deadly…_

_Still… This next move may well be the riskiest gamble I've ever taken as a duelist… If it doesn't work… It may well be all over for me…_

"I summon… Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief!" she shouted.

There was a small burst of stars, and Ms. Mowz, looking exactly as Francesca had seen her before, leapt out in front of her. (1,200 ATK)

The Squeek jumped up and gave Francesca a small kiss on the cheek.

"Uh, thanks Ms. Mowz…" said Francesca. "Now let's get to work…"

Ms. Mowz looked at Maria with a more serious expression.

"All right…" said Francesca. "It's been three of my turns since I played Art Attack… That means I can remove it from play, and pay 2,000 Life Points…"

The card vanished, and her Life Points went down.

"In return, I can Special Summon four Level 4 or lower Monster from my deck with different names.

"I'll summon Key Mouse first…"

The small Tuner with a key on its tail appeared. (100 ATK)

"Then, Moja…"

The small, black blob with a face appeared. (100 ATK)

"Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest…"

A unicorn covered with moss, vines, and leaves appeared. (700 ATK)

"And finally, Tree Otter…"

An odd creature resembling a cross between a koala and a beaver appeared on the last space in her Monster Zone. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, I Tune _all five _of my Monsters together!"

The five Beasts leapt into the air and flew into the sky, Key Mouse taking the lead, and Ms. Mowz bringing up the rear.

"A five-Monster Synchro Summon?" gasped Andy. "Dear God, I hope she knows what she's doing!"

The five Monsters flew through the shimmering rings and turned into stars…

**(*1 + *1 + *1 + *3 + *2 = *8)**

"I call forth… Lightning Tricorn!" shouted Francesca.

The sky darkened, lightning flashed, and the mighty three-horned steed appeared in a shocking burst of energy. (2,800 ATK)

"Yeah, so?" asked Maria. "That guy may be strong, but Gogiga Gagagigo is stronger still."

Francesca smirked.

"I use Ms. Mowz's effect!" she shouted, as the Tease Thief appeared in front of her in phantasmal form. "When she's used for a Tribute Summon or Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Monster, an effect activates, depending on the Level of the summoned Monster.

"Because Lightning Tricorn is Level 8, I get to destroy one of your Monsters!"

Maria gasped as Gogiga Gagagigo exploded into pixels.

"Now I activate… Synchro Strike!" shouted Francesca, as her Trap Card lifted up. "This card increases my Synchro Monster's Attack Score by 500 points times the number of Monsters I used in the Synchro Summon. That's 2,500 more points!"

(5,300 ATK)

"And just to drive the point home…" she said, as she played a Spell Card, "I play Wild Nature's Release!"

(7,300 ATK)

"If this works, Fran will take Maria out in one mighty blow!" shouted Stan.

"Attack Gagagigo!" shouted Francesca. "Giga Volt Blast!"

"You haven't won yet, Fran!" shouted Maria, as one of her face-down cards lifted up. "With Mystik Wok, I can sacrifice Giga Gagagigo and gain Life Points equal to its Attack Score!"

The larger Reptile vanished.

"And now that I have copies of Gagagigo's first four forms in my Graveyard, I can activate this Trap Card…"

Her other facedown card lifted up.

"End of Evolution! By getting rid of all four of them, I gain 3,000 Life Points!"

Gigobyte, Gagagigo, Giga Gagagigo, and Gogiga Gagagigo appeared behind her and vanished into nothing. Maria glowed with energy. But then she screamed as a giant lightning bolt from Lightning Tricorn blasted the Gagagigo on the field to smithereens and threw her backwards ten feet.

**(F: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,900)**

"This is bad…" said Stan. "Maria survived, and when Fran ends her turn, Wild Nature's Release will do Lightning Tricorn in…"

"Don't panic yet, guys…" said Francesca. "I've got one card left…"

She took the card and played it.

"De-Synchro!" she shouted. "I'll get rid of Lightning Tricorn before it's destroyed, and summon my five Monsters back…"

The Synchro steed vanished, and then Moja (100 DEF), Key Mouse (100 DEF), Uniflora (500 DEF), Tree Otter (100 DEF), and Ms. Mowz (1,000 DEF) all appeared, forming a defensive wall in front of Francesca.

"Even better…" said Francesca, "because they were sent to the Graveyard and then resummoned, their effects are all good to go now!

"So my turn is over now… We'll see how that turns out next turn…"

Maria slowly got up. She made a draw.

"I'll throw this face-down…" she said, as a reversed card appeared, "and then play Silent Doom…"

The Spell Card appeared, and then Gagagigo appeared, kneeling and crossing his arms. (1,000 DEF) –) (1,200 DEF)

"It's your move…"

Francesca looked at Maria closely as she drew a card.

_I could do the same thing I did last turn… _she thought. _But…_

She looked at the face-down card.

_But I think I may have tempted fate too much as it is…_

She turned a card on her Disk, and Ms. Mowz moved to Attack Mode. (1,200 ATK)

"I use Tree Otter's effect…" she said. "When I have at least one other Beast – and I have four others – I can increase the Attack Score of another Monster by 1,000 points for one round.

"I'll give them to Ms. Mowz."

(2,200 ATK)

"Attack Gagagigo with Super Smooch!"

The Squeek puckered up her lips and flew at Gagagigo. Whether this was an attack or a show of affection wasn't clear to everyone watching, but there was little doubt in Maria's mind.

"I use the effect of my Snalligator!" shouted Maria.

"HUH?" said Francesca.

"Snalligator…" said Maria, as she took a card from her discard slot. "A Monster that's half snake and half alligator. I ditched it when I used Multiple Destruction.

"Because Gagagigo is in Defense Mode, I can banish it to make him invulnerable this turn."

Ms. Mowz planted a big wet one on Gagagigo, but he didn't seem impressed. She sighed as she flew back to Francesca's side of the field.

Francesca looked at the card she had drawn this turn, Sunlight Unicorn. She couldn't summon it, seeing as she had five Monsters…

"I end my turn…" she said, "so Ms. Mowz returns to 1,200 ATK points…"

Maria drew a card, she looked at it hard.

"It's time to bring this story to a close, Francesca," she said. "And it starts with this card…"

She turned it forward.

"A Legendary Ocean?" asked Francesca. "But… You already have that on the field…"

"Yes…" said Maria. "And I'm going to set this one…"

She opened her Field Zone, and set the card. The water and the city behind her vanished.

"By setting a Field Spell, the one already in play is destroyed," she said, as Gagagigo's Defense Score fell to 1,000. "Next, I summon my third Gagagigo."

Yet another of the lizard men appeared. (1,850 ATK)

Then her face-down card, Call of the Haunted, lifted up, and Warrior of Atlantis appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, most people assume that Gogiga Gagagigo was Gagagigo's final form…" said Maria. "But they're wrong… He eventually discovered a fifth form beyond it!"

"A fifth form?" gasped Francesca. "Wait… You're gonna sacrifice those Monsters to summon it!"

"No, not sacrifice…" replied Maria. "Close, but not quite…

"With these three Monsters… I build the Overlay Network!"

Everyone stood back as the three Monsters turned into the familiar vortex of energy.

"That's why Maria set that Field Spell!" shouted Stan. "She needed those Monsters to be Level 4 so she could summon a Rank 4 Xyz Monster… So she had to 'shut off' the effect of A Legendary Ocean!"

"I give you Gagagigo's fifth form…" said Maria. "Awakened Brave Warrior – Gagagigo!"

Everyone was shocked when the Xyz Monster stepped forward. They had expected some hideous demon… But this was actually kind of handsome, much like what Gagagigo had been before becoming Giga Gagagigo. It wore cybernetic armor, but not as bulky or ugly as what he used to wear, and had odd symbols tattooed on his muscular chest, legs, and arms. An aura of golden light surrounded him. (2,950 ATK)

"No way…" said Andy. "Gagagigo became a hero again? His story actually had a happy ending?"

"Yeah, but it may not be so happy for Fran," replied Stan. "That guy is just as strong as Gogiga Gagagigo, and there's no telling what effect he might have."

"Well first of all, he's about to get stronger," replied Maria. "I activate the Field Spell I just set."

She flipped the Field Spell face-up, and A Legendary Ocean quickly reappeared. (3,150 ATK)

"As for this Monster's effect…" she continued. "Well… It has none, much like Gagagigo's other evolutions…

"Which means, it's the perfect Monster to use with _this _card!"

She held up her last card.

"Oh, shit!" shouted Stan. "That's Oni-Gami Combo!"

"What does that do?" asked Andy, starting to panic.

"If Maria detaches _all _of that Monster's Overlay Units, it can attack twice this turn!" replied Stan.

"That's right!" said Maria, as she discarded Warrior of Atlantis and both copies of Gagagigo, "and to make certain that the same thing doesn't happen again, his first target is going to be that little floozy of yours.

"Attack the Tease Thief with Energy Claw Blade!"

Gagagigo's right claw glowed, and he sliced through the air, causing a blade of pure energy to cut right through Ms. Mowz, blowing her to pixels.

"Ms. Mowz, NO!" screamed Francesca, as she held her chest.

**(F: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,900)**

"I'm not done…" said Maria. "To make sure there aren't any more surprise Synchro summons, he's going after your Tuner next…"

The energy blade shot again, this time eradicating Key Mouse.

"Be glad it was in Defense Mode…" said Maria.

"I use its effect…" said Francesca, sadly.

She slowly took Lock Cat from her deck.

_Don't know how it will help, though… _she thought. _Even if I summoned Lightning Tricorn again, it wouldn't be able to beat that thing…_

She bowed her head.

"_Don't give up, you creamy piece of brie!" _urged Ms. Mowz voice.

Francesca looked at her Duel Disk.

"_I still trust you…"_

Francesca looked Maria in the eye.

"My move…" she said.

She drew a card.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the noble steed trotted onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I use its effect… Let's see how lucky I am…"

She drew a card.

"And it's Mage Power! Looks like this is my lucky day!"

"Is that a fact?" asked Maria.

"Oh, it is," replied Francesca, as she played the card she had drawn. "I use Monster Reborn!"

The holy symbol appeared, and Key Mouse appeared again. (100 ATK)

"Next, I Tune Key Mouse and Sunlight Unicorn together…"

Once again, Key Mouse flew into the sky, and Sunlight Unicorn galloped after it.

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

The Synchro appeared, and neighed angrily at Maria. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I play Mage Power," continued Francesca, "and with Limit Reverse and Mage Power itself, it gives Thunder Unicorn 1,000 more points!"

(3,200 ATK)

"Ergh…" said Maria.

"Next, I use Thunder Unicorn's effect," said Francesca. "I have four Monsters on the field, so Awakened Warrior – Gagagigo loses 2,000 Attack Points!"

Gagagigo groaned as he was shocked by electricity. (1,150 ATK)

"This isn't over, Francesca!" shouted Maria.

"I beg to differ!" replied Francesca. "Remember Tree Otter? I can use its effect to increase Thunder Unicorn's Attack Score by 1,000 _more _points!"

(4,200 ATK)

"Which means this story is _really _over! Attack Awakened Warrior – Gagagigo with Thunder Spear!"

The Unicorn galloped across the surf, and upon impact with her foe, a surge of lightning struck. Maria screamed…

**(F: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)**

As the Solid Vision holograms vanished, Maria fell to her knees…

"Listen to me, Maria…" said Francesca, "you tell your mother that we're going to bring her down. Even if she wants to sic a dragon on us like she did with Hooktail when my great-great-I-don't-know-how-many-great-grandmother went after her, I say, bring it on!"

Maria stared at her foe…

And then she seemingly melted into a puddle of water.

Hank looked at the now-nervous Amphibian Beast that was holding him… Then he elbowed it in the stomach. It let go, clutching its gut in pain. Hank gave it a punch with both fists, and it dissolved into water vapor.

"You could have freed yourself at any time?" asked Francesca.

"Not sure," said Hank. "But I _was_ pretty sure that it wouldn't be as tough with its master gone…"

He looked at _The Sea Witch, _which was still there.

"I could go get a dingy if you guys want to check that ship out…" he said. "There might be something useful there, and it would be a shame if you guys didn't get anything for your trouble…"

**0000000000**

It was a good idea, they had to admit, and fortunately, Maria's ship seemed deserted when they boarded it. Unfortunately, they found no chests full of gold and jewels onboard. They found a few cutlasses and some old-fashioned muskets. Unfortunately, the antiquated weapons were of little use to the three teenagers, as they had no experience using such things, and there was no ammunition for the muskets anyway.

When they searched a room that appeared to be Maria's private quarters, they found a few interesting things. A single Spell Card and a deck in a deck holder were in a drawer in a desk.

Francesca looked at the Spell Card first. It was called Showstopper.

"Looks like we found another of those special cards," she said.

"That means we only have one more to find," said Andy.

Then Francesca picked up the deck and looked through it. It seemed to be a copy of the deck that Maria had used…

It didn't have Awakened Brave Warrior – Gagagigo in it… But it did have another Xyz Monster…

"Hey, Stan…" she said.

She handed him the card.

"Think you can use that?"

He took the card and looked at it.

"It might have possibilities…" he said.

"Well done, Francesca!" said a cheery voice.

"Merlow?" asked Francesca, turning towards the door.

It was indeed Merlow, and he seemed incredibly happy.

"The Shadow Queen's influence continues to slip," he said. "Not only do five of her enforcers now lie defeated, but people are going to start wondering just how many more of their duels were won using underhanded tactics."

"I know…" said Francesca with a sigh. "Still, after all that's happened, I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the Shadow Spawn…"

She looked through the deck until she found a Gigobyte card. She read the Flavor Text:

"_He has a tranquil soul, but carries a destiny that one day his heart shall be tainted by evil…"_

"For what it was worth," said Francesca, somberly, "I meant it when I said that I didn't blame them for the way they turned out…"

**0000000000**

**DANCE OF THE GUARDIAN (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Exxod, Master of the Guard, surrounded by a brilliant aura.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack. Select 1 card in your opponent's hand and reveal it. If the revealed card is a Monster Card, negate the attack and send the revealed card to the Graveyard. Then, draw 1 card.

_Note: "Dance of the Guardian" was first used by Jin in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "It's in the Cards (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DARK EVOLUTION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Giga Gagagigo smashing out of a large glass cylinder in the middle of a laboratory as Kozaky recoils in fright. (The aftermath of the scene in "Level Conversion Lab".)

**Card Description: **You may only activate 1 "Dark Evolution" per turn. Select and activate 1 of the following effects:

* Tribute 1 "Gigobyte" you control. Special Summon 1 "Gagagigo" from your hand or deck. Then, you may add 1 "Dark Evolution" to your hand from your deck.

*** **Tribute 1 "Gagagigo" you control. Special Summon 1 "Giga Gagagigo" from your hand or deck. Then, you may add 1 "Dark Evolution" to your hand from your deck.

* Tribute 1 "Giga Gagagigo" you control. Special Summon 1 "Gogiga Gagagigo" from your hand or deck. Then, you may add 1 "Dark Evolution" to your hand from your deck.

**0000000000**

**EVOLUTION ENERGY (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Four shadowy forms, each one bigger than the last, standing side by side on an ominous-looking beach.

**Card Description: **During a turn where you do not Normal Summon or set a Monster and activate a "Dark Evolution", you may draw 1 card during the End Phase and place 1 "Dark Evolution Counter" on this card. When this card has 3 "Dark Evolution Counters", destroy this card. You may only control 1 "Evolution Energy".

**0000000000**

**END OF EVOLUTION (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Gogiga Gagagigo lying prone, bleeding, and possibly dead as Invader of Darkness stands over him, a dark sky overhead.

**Card Description: **Activate when you have at least 1 of each of the following cards in your Graveyard: "Gigobyte", "Gagagigo", "Giga Gagagigo", and "Gogiga Gagagigo". Banish 1 each of the above Monsters in your Graveyard from play and increase your Life Points by 3,000.

**0000000000**

**RIPTIDE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Goyo Guardian struggling in a strong current with the palace of A Legendary Ocean behind him.

**Card Description: **Activate when an "Umi" is face-up on the field and your opponent declares an attack with a Ritual, Fusion, or Synchro Monster. Destroy the attacking Monster and inflict damage to your opponent equal to 200x the destroyed Monster's Level.

**0000000000**

**AL-MI'RAJ (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Light/Tuner/Effect/Lvl2/600ATK/200DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Synchro Monster, draw 1 card.

**0000000000**

**SNALLIGATOR (Monster Card)**

**Reptile/Water/Effect/Lvl1/0/0**

**Effect: **When this card is in your Graveyard, you may banish this card and select 1 Reptile-Type Monster you control that is in face-up Defense Mode. The selected Monster cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn.

**0000000000**

**MS. MOWZ THE TEASE THIEF (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/1,200/1,000**

**Effect: **When this card is used for the Tribute Summon or Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Monster, activate 1 of the following effects depending on the Level of the Summoned Monster: 6 or 7: Reduce the ATK of 1 face-up Monster your opponent controls by half. 8 or higher: Destroy 1 Monster your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

_**Maria has been defeated, and only one of the Shadow Spawn remains… Still, the one that does remain may be the worst… What will happen when the heir apparent of the Empire of Shadow finally decides to intervene? We will find out… But not just yet…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: Andy, Fran, and I have met a lot of Duel Spirits since we got here… The Queen seemed to be going for intimidation those times…**_

_**She's changed tactics this time. While the creature I'm facing is somewhat frightening, she – that's right, she – clearly wasn't chosen because she is scary. She claims to be a bounty hunter, and given the nature of her card, I believe her. Obviously, the Queen has brought in a professional this time. **_

_**Still, this is a duel… But I have a feeling her strategy may be something I don't expect…**_

"_**Trap of Darkness" is coming soon. **_


	26. Trap of Darkness

_Author's note: It's my birthday, and as I like to do on this day, a present for my readers, with a new chapter._

_In the original version, this was where Stan dueled The End of Anubis, who used an Exodia Deck. Well, that was then, this is now. I've come up with something completely new._

_Enjoy._

**0000000000**

"_**Every dark cloud has a silver lining", as the old saying goes. I guess you may say that the dark cloud I'm in does have one.**_

_**See, this tournament, which is really a mad trap set by a wicked sorceress, has taught me more about the game of Duel Monsters than I could ever have learned if I had stayed in the States. **_

_**And with the opponent I'm facing now, I'm actually learning things about Xyz Monsters, my specialty, that I wouldn't have known otherwise…**_

_**Sigh…**_

_**Lucky me…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-SIX**

**0000000000**

**Trap of Darkness**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As night started to fall over Arcadia, the Shadow Queen was in her throne room, going over some cards. Crump and Grodus were standing nearby, ready to run at a moment's notice. They recognized the times when she was in a bad mood, and this was clearly one of those times.

Though she would never admit it, the Shadow Queen was more nervous than she had been in five-hundred years, since the time her first attempt to escape had failed. Stan, Andy, and Francesca were unintentionally doing the same thing that the Three Heroes had done on purpose – undermining her authority and proving to her subjects that she was not invincible.

After all, a tyrant can only retain power so long as she is feared.

The news that her spies had brought in was not good. Reports were that children were flocking to stores in Arcadia's towns that sold Duel Monsters cards, looking for copies of the cards that her prey had used. Those three had become urban legends after defeating Melissa, and were now well on their way to advancing to the status of local heroes.

She was angry at Maria, but in truth, the latest loss was more her own fault. She had hoped to make Francesca look like a fool by letting the duel continue after she had offered to disqualify Maria. Now Francesca looked like more of a hero than ever.

"Beast of Talwar?" she muttered, looking at a card. "No, he's scary, but he's a lousy duelist…"

She looked at another card.

"Aquarian Alessa"? No, she has the opposite problem…"

"What about Reign-Beaux, my Queen?" asked Grodus.

The Queen glared at him.

"What's the second rule of summoning, Grodus?" she asked.

"Oh, right…" replied Grodus. "Never summon something that you can't control."

The Queen nodded and went back to the cards. The _first _rule was "never summon something stronger than you are". Ironically, wizards tended to ignore both rules more often than one might believe, and it often led to disasters.

"Your majesty," said Crump, "if you would just consider…"

"For the third time, Crump," said the Queen, "this idea of yours is like the rest of your ideas – stupid!

"Besides, it's a matter of pride. As royalty, associating with common thugs is beneath me."

"She's a professional," replied Crump.

"Fine," said the Queen with a sigh. "She's a _professional _thug."

"Well, let me put it this way," replied Crump. "If she messes up, we don't have to pay her, and it won't cost us anything at all."

The Queen looked at him.

"When you make sense, I get nervous," she said.

She looked at the card he had given him.

"I guess it couldn't hurt…"

She hurled the card into the furnace, and it burned with the green flames again…

**0000000000**

The waves lapped gently against the shore as the residents of Keelhaul Key turned in for the night.

In the one-story residence where the three teenagers were staying, Stan dozed on a soft bed in a private room…

There was a twinkling in the air. The Dreamsprite appeared in the room.

Slowly, she snuck up to Stan's bed… Carefully, she reached over towards his temples with her hands…

And then Stan sprang up.

"AHA!" he shouted, pointing at the Duel Spirit.

The Dreamsprite shrieked at being discovered. She quickly turned tail and fled out the door as Stan sprang out of bed.

"No wonder we've been having nightmares," he grumbled, as he grabbed his Duel Disk and his hat.

"Come back here! I want a word with you!"

Dreamsprite didn't stop, so Stan chased her, out the door.

She still didn't stop, running until she got to the edge of town.

It suddenly struck Stan how demented this seemed… Dreamsprite had blue skin and dragonfly wings… But that still didn't change the fact that he was chasing a young girl who was completely naked. It really wouldn't look good if someone saw him.

Still, it was obvious that this creature had been the one giving them nasty dreams, and he wanted answers.

"Come on!" he shouted. "It isn't worth it!"

Still, she kept running, and led Stan through a swampy area outside of Keelhaul Key. Dreamsprite paused, out of breath.

Stan was about to catch up and grab the tired Duel Spirit…

But then, a bolt of black energy shot from somewhere up ahead, and Dreamsprite let out a scream as it hit her. She shattered…

"Good lord…" said Stan.

"Such a waste…" sighed a female voice from where the bolt had come, as two glowing eyes appeared.

Stan watched as a far more intimidating female Duel Spirit walked forward. It was a woman with long, platinum-blonde hair, wearing leather armor of demonic design and a mask over her eyes. She held a long whip in her right hand, and wore a Duel Disk on her left.

"Chaos Hunter?" gasped Stan. "What…

"Uh… If you're looking for the guy with Gren Maju Da Eiza, I… I have no idea where he is…"

"Actually, Stan, you're _exactly _the one I'm looking for…" replied Chaos Hunter.

She tapped a button on her Duel Disk, and a cord made of pure energy shot out of it, ensnaring Stan by the wrist.

"HEY!" shouted Stan. "Let go!"

"Afraid I can't," replied Chaos Hunter. "This is same device that Saggi used on your friend Andy… Neither of us can escape until we duel. Unless you cut your arm off."

She rolled up the whip and hooked it to her belt.

"Since I doubt you'll be doing that, I suggest you shuffle your deck."

"That's it?" asked Stan. "No goading? No threats?"

"Why?" asked the demoness. "Just what would such juvenile methods accomplish?

"After all, Stan, I have nothing against you… This isn't personal…"

"Not personal?" said Stan.

"I really don't care who you are," said the Duel Spirit, "or why the Queen wants you brought in. It's just what I do.

"In the game of Duel Monsters, there are cards called 'Hunters'. There's Hunter of Black Feathers, whose effect lets you destroy a Monster if your opponent has more than one of the same Type.

"Then there's G.B. Hunter, who prevents cards from returning to the deck.

"And my card, which prevents the opponent from banishing cards.

"However… Those effects don't translate well into personal powers in the place where we come from… But the three of us serve a different function… Where we're still Hunters…"

"Hired guns?" asked Stan, getting angry.

"Please, we prefer to call ourselves bounty hunters!" replied Chaos Hunter. "Or assassins… It depends on whether the client wants the target alive or dead. We're professionals. Someone gives me a target, I take care of the target, and get the fee I was promised. It's nothing against you in the least."

"In other words, you're doing this for money," replied Stan.

"So?" replied Chaos Hunter. "Shouldn't your job be something that you're good at?"

"And is there any particular reason why Dreamsprite had to die?" asked Stan, now even angrier.

"She served her purpose, and I didn't need her anymore," replied Chaos Hunter. "Still, to show you I'm fair…"

She held up a Crystal Card.

"…I have this, and if you happen to win, which I doubt, I'll hand it over. Now can we get on with this?"

"All right, Blondie, fine, you want a duel?" said Stan.

He turned the hat on his head backwards, and his Disk activated.

"Blondie?" asked Chaos Hunter.

"Oh, never mind…" sighed Stan.

_Guess she hasn't seen many movies… _he thought.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Chaos Hunter: 8,000)**

"Here we go…" said Stan, as he looked over his opening hand.

He played two cards, and a set Monster appeared, followed by a set card behind it.

"I'll play those, and end my turn…"

Chaos Hunter whipped the top card off of her deck.

"I summon Commander Kraken," she said.

A glob of water appeared in front of her, and a corpulent humanoid creature dressed in an old-fashioned military uniform with a fish's head, holding a blunderbuss appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"This guy is Level 4," said Chaos Hunter, "and you have to attack him with a Monster that's higher than that to defeat him in battle."

The well-dressed Fish aimed his weapon at Stan's Monster.

"But let's see how tough yours is…"

The primitive firearm went off with a loud blast, and Dark Mimic LV1 appeared on the card before being blown to pieces.

Chaos Hunter sighed.

"Fine then…" she said. "Draw."

Stan drew a card.

_Better… _he thought, looking at Gagaga Magician.

"I'll set a face-down card of my own," said Chaos Hunter, "and that will be that…"

She fit a card into her Disk, and a set card appeared behind Commander Kraken.

_Likely a Trap that can raise that guy's Level if I attack it, _thought Stan, as he drew a card.

_Well, let's see just how MUCH it can…_

"I summon Gagaga Magician!" he shouted.

He played the card, and his favorite Spellcaster emerged onto the field. (1,500 ATK)

"Maybe you didn't know that some of the Monsters in my deck can manipulate their Levels," said Stan. "To give you a demonstration, I'll change Gagaga Magician's Level from 4 to 8."

The four stars appeared on the Spellcaster's belt, and then doubled. Chaos Hunter smirked slightly.

"Destroy Commander Kraken!" shouted Stan.

A bolt of dark energy shot at the portly Fish, and it was blown into bits.

"I activate… Flat Level 4!" exclaimed Chaos Hunter, as her Trap Card lifted up. "Because you destroyed my Monster, both players may now Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from their decks."

"Oh… kay…" said Stan.

He played a card, and Magician's Valkyria appeared next to Gagaga Magician, kneeling and shielding herself with her staff. (1,800 ATK)

"And I will summon… Morkoth," said Chaos Hunter.

There was another surge of water, but this time, it was dark and foul. Another Fish appeared, a far-more evil-looking one.

It was somewhat humanoid, having a head that resembled a squid, with two long tentacles for arms, and two others for legs. Its torso was grey and scaly, and it smelled like rotten fish. (2,300 ATK)

"THAT'S Level 4?" shouted Stan.

"Wait, wait, hear me out here," said Chaos Hunter, "it may have very high Attack Points for a Level 4 Monster, but I'm not allowed to attack with it. Period.

"I'm also not allowed to Normal Summon it. That's why I used that Trap Card. What's more, if I take even one point of damage, it is destroyed.

"_However… _Every time I end my turn, it will deal 800 points of damage using its effect…"

Stan looked at the creature.

_That thing has 2,000 Defense Points too… _he thought. _Even if I summoned Maestroke, changing it to Defense Mode wouldn't help…_

He looked at the other cards in his hand. No Level 3 Monsters, so Muzurhthym was out. Then he looked at his set card.

"I end my turn…" he said, slowly.

Chaos Hunter made a draw.

"I set one card," she said, as a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone. "Then my turn is over…"

Morkoth's eyes glowed, and Stan grunted as a burning sensation filled him.

**(S: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 7,900)**

Stan drew a card. He looked at it.

_Hope this works, _he thought, as he set it in his Disk, causing it to appear face-down in his Monster Zone.

"That's it for me…" he said.

Chaos Hunter drew again.

"I pass," she said. "Your move…"

Stan grunted again as Morkoth's hex burned him again.

**(S: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 7,900)**

"Okay!" he said, as he drew a card. "First, I Flip Summon Crystal Seer!"

His set Monster flipped up, revealing the mysterious turbaned fortuneteller. (100 ATK)

"Now, I use its effect…" he said.

He picked up the top two cards on his deck, and they were Trident Warrior and Nutrient Z. He thought for a minute, and then put Trident Warrior at the bottom of his deck and Nutrient Z with his other cards.

"Next, I summon Effect Veiler…" he said.

There was a soft aura of light, and a young girl with green hair and large, flimsy, gossamer wings, wearing a white outfit and black knee-length boots appeared. (0 ATK)

Then one of Stan's face-down cards, lifted up.

"Next, I activate Call of the Haunted," he said.

Dark Mimic LV1 reappeared. (100 ATK)

"Which means, I can Overlay it, Effect Veiler, and Crystal Seer… Time for you to meet the newest member of my team!"

The three Monsters turned into a vortex of energy.

"I build the Overlay Network!"

There was a blast of energy, and a rather small creature appeared. It wasn't as intimidating as most of Stan's Xyzs… It was actually rather cute. Kind of like a cross between a puppy and a kitten with oversized ears. (900 DEF)

"It's called Baby Tiragon," said Stan. "And it may look rather small, but it's going to help take your Morkoth down."

"Perhaps it will…" said Chaos Hunter with an evil smirk. "But it will also help me put my true plan into play!"

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"It's called Ultra C, and it lets me Special Summon a Monster… I think you'll recognize it…"

Then to Stan's shock, his Extra Deck started to glow…

Then to even _more _shock, Maestroke the Symphony Djinn appeared on Chaos Hunter's side of the field, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,300 DEF)

"No… way…" gasped Stan. "That Trap Card… It lets you summon a Xyz Monster from MY deck?"

"Yep…" said Chaos Hunter. "And you summoned _exactly _the Monster I needed you to have for me to activate it… Baby Tiragon."

Stan looked at Baby Tiragon… Then it slowly started to sink in…

"You're telling me…" said Stan, as rage started to build inside him. "That the Baby Tiragon card… You _planted _it on that ship?"

"No," replied the Fiend. "But I know who did… Someone who knew that, as you say, your Monsters can manipulate their Levels, and realized that you could see more than one combo for your deck if you took it.

"Why do you think it was with Maria's cards?"

Stan looked at her. He had honestly thought the idea was to combine its effect with Gigobyte after using Triangle Power… He really should have checked to see if Triangle Power was actually in that deck…

"That's playing dirty…" growled Stan. "I suppose the card has a curse on it too?"

The Fiend chuckled.

"No…" she said. "Baby Tiragon is… How can I put this… Too _nice _to carry a curse on its card… Still… Like that Dreamsprite, even nice Monsters have their uses…"

Baby Tiragon hissed at the creature.

"Yeah…" growled Stan. "Things like you _use _them until they aren't useful any more, and then you throw them in the trash!"

"I fail to see a problem with that," said Chaos Hunter. "It's still your move… So… Baby Tiragon was going to 'take down' my Morkoth, as you say?"

Stan stopped for a minute.

_I could use Valkyria and Gagaga Magician to summon Kachi Kochi Dragon, _he thought, _but since she had the sense to summon Maestroke in Defense Mode, it wouldn't do much good…_

_So I'd best stick to the original plan. _

"I use Gagaga Magician's effect to reduce his Level to 1," he said, as the three of the stars on the Spellcaster's belt vanished.

"Then I ditch one of Baby Tiragon's Overlay Units," he said, as he threw Crystal Seer into his discard slot, "which lets a Level 1 Monster attack directly!

"Get her!"

Gagaga Magician flew at the fiendish assassin, socking her in the chin.

"Ugh…" she grunted.

Morkoth shattered into little pieces.

**(S: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

"I end my turn…" said Stan.

_With Valkyria in Defense Mode, and Maestroke without any Overlay Units, I should be safe… _he thought. _For now…_

"I draw…" said Chaos Hunter, as she drew a card.

"Now, my slave… Move to Attack Mode…"

Maestroke stood up, looking a little irked as he did. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I play the Spell Card, Overlay Regenerate!"

"Oh, shit…" said Stan.

"From your expletive, I believe you know what this card does…" said the Fiend. "After I play it, it becomes an Overlay Unit for an Xyz Monster.

"And now that Maestroke has one, I'll use his effect to change Magician's Valkyria to set position."

Valkyria vanished, and was replaced by a face-down card.

"With her upside-down, she can't use her effect to protect your other Spellcasters," continued Chaos Hunter. "And that means Gagaga Magician is a sitting duck!"

Maestroke flew at the Spellcaster, and with one swipe of his sword, cleaved him in half at the waist.

**(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

Chaos Hunter grinned. She deftly threw three cards into the Spell Zone of her Disk, and they all appeared face-down in three flashes of light.

"I'm done…" she said.

"I gotta ask you something…" muttered Stan. "Do you like your job?"

"Love it," said Chaos Hunter, with a smile.

Stan made a draw. It was Sangan.

_Lovely, _he thought. _NOW I draw a Level 3…_

He put it aside and took another one.

"Hate to do this, Maestroke, but…" he said. "I summon Anarchist Monk Rashin!"

As he played the card, an ominous shadow appeared in front of him, and a tall Spellcaster appeared wearing an expensive-looking red jacket with a fur collar, a metal vest, blue trousers, a wide-brimmed hat, and a Hannibal Lecter mask over the lower part of his face. He held a fancy golden rod. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, I'll move Valkyria to Attack Mode…"

The card flipped up, and Valkyria appeared again. (1,600 ATK)

"So… I build the Overlay Network!"

The two Spellcasters combined into the vortex again, and there was another explosion…

Kachi Kochi Dragon appeared with a roar. (2,100 ATK)

Chaos Hunter gave a bored look. Then one of her Trap Cards lifted up.

"I activate Splash Capture," she said. "By banishing two Fish-Type Monsters in my Graveyard when you make an Xyz Summon, your Monster becomes mine."

"Say WHAT?" shouted Stan.

Chaos Hunter took Commander Kraken and Morkoth from her discard slot, and a huge fishing net shot at Kachi Kochi Dragon, snagging it and pulling it over to her side of the field.

"Too easy…" sighed the Fiend.

Stan growled.

Then Stan heard a familiar voice.

"Stan!" shouted Andy.

Stan turned around and saw him and Francesca rush into the swamp clearing.

"Guys?" said Stan. "How did you find me?"

"We heard you yelling," replied Francesca. "We asked someone who said he saw you chasing someone…"

"Wait…" said Stan. "He, uh, didn't see who I was chasing, did he?"

"No…" replied Andy. "Was it _her?"_

"Chaos Hunter?" asked Francesca. "And she's using your Xyzs?"

"A Thief Deck of some sort," replied Stan, still a little angry. "This woman is a hired gun… Seems the Queen wants to use proficiency now instead of intimidation."

"I'd still like to know how you followed his trail," said Chaos Hunter. "We're in a swamp. How the Hell can you track someone in a place like this?"

Then Ms. Mowz appeared next to Francesca.

"We have someone with a nose that's better than a bloodhound's!" said Francesca with a smile.

"Fine…" said Chaos Hunter. "I don't like having an audience when I deal with a target, but if I must, I must…

"I believe it's my move!"

She drew a card.

"Kachi Kochi Dragon, destroy Baby Tiragon with Surging Shockwave!"

The large Dragon blasted its energy breath at the little Dragon, atomizing it.

"Now, I get rid of one Overlay Unit so that Kachi Kochi Dragon can attack a second time!" she shouted, as she discarded Magician's Valkyria. "Attack him directly!"

"From my hand," said Stan, "I Special Summon Gagaga Gardna to the field!"

Gardna appeared, kneeling behind his shield. (2,000 DEF)

Kachi Kochi Dragon paused.

"Well?" said Chaos Hunter angrily.

The Dragon blasted its Shockwave at the Warrior, and Stan quickly discarded a card from his hand.

"By discarding a card, Gagaga Gardna can resist your Monster's attack!" he shouted.

Gardna grunted as the blast hit his shield, but the shield held.

"In that case, Stan…" said Chaos Hunter.

One of her two face-down cards lifted up.

"I use the Trap Card, Betrayal! Now you take 800 points of damage for each of my Monsters that was originally yours."

Maestroke and Kachi Kochi Dragon's eyes glowed and flaming beams of energy shot at Stan. He shouted in pain and held his chest.

Chaos Hunter set another card, replacing the one she had just used.

"It's your move…" she said, slowly.

Stan panted for breath.

**(S: 4,500) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

_I can't use Gagaga Gardna's effect forever… _he thought. _If I want to win this duel, I'm going to eventually have to go on the offensive._

He drew a card.

"I play… Pot of Avarice…" he said, as he played it.

He took Crystal Seer, Dark Mimic, Baby Tiragon, Valkyria, and Effect Veiler from his discard slot and reshuffled. Then he drew twice.

"Okay…" he said. "I play Clock Out!"

The clock appeared behind him, and the hand started to spin.

Then it landed on the three.

"Oh, wonderful," said Andy. "That means it will incapacitate Stan longer than it will Chaos Hunter!"

Stan took another card, and set it. A reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"I'll end there…" he said.

"And I'll activate this…" said Chaos Hunter, as one of her face-down cards lifted up. "Escape from the Dark Dimension."

A dark portal appeared in mid-air.

"You remember Morkoth, right?"

Indeed, it was the hideous humanoid mollusk again. (2,300 ATK)

"Yeah…" said Stan. "Didn't miss him a bit…"

"And it's my move…" said Chaos Hunter.

She drew a card.

"I play Lightning Vortex!"

She played one of her cards, and discarded another. Lightning flashed, striking Gagaga Gardna and blowing him away.

"Cheer up," she said. "At least your set Monster is safe… I end my turn…"

Stan grunted in pain as Morkoth's burning hex tore through his chest again.

**(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

Stan made a draw. Then he quickly took it and another card, and set both in his Disk, causing another set Monster and a set card in his Spell Zone to appear.

He nodded, and the Clock Out card vanished.

Chaos Hunter made a draw, and looked at the Trap Card.

_Hmm, I just drew Ceasefire… _she thought. _If I set this card and waited, I could use it to deal 2,000 points of damage next turn…_

_Oh, Hell with it, since he's obviously going to defend on his turn…_

"Maestroke, cut down the Monster on the left!" she shouted.

The Symphony Djinn flew at the set Monster, and as he did, a muscular man appeared kneeling and pounding a sword into shape on an anvil with a hammer. Maestroke's sword fell, and Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu shattered.

"You activated my Monster's Flip Effect…" said Stan. "I get to take an Equip Spell from my deck…"

He quickly found the card he wanted, and shuffled his deck.

"So thanks…"

Now Chaos Hunter was even angrier. She turned to Kachi Kochi Dragon.

"Well? Don't just stand there…" she said.

The Dragon blasted its Surging Shockwave; Sangan appeared on the card, and was blown away.

Stan smirked, and took another card from his deck.

"Thanks again," he said.

Chaos Hunter furiously discarded Rashin's card. The Dragon attacked again.

Then Stan's face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Nutrient Z!" he shouted as he glowed with energy. "Now I gain 4,000 Life Points right before I lose any…"

Then the blast hit him knocking him over.

Chaos Hunter growled, clearly upset.

She set Ceasefire in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.

Then she stabbed her thumb down, and Stan grunted with pain again as Morkoth's eyes glowed.

**(S: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

"Next turn, it's all over," she said.

Stan drew a card.

_She couldn't be more right… _he thought.

"I play Gagagarevenge!" he shouted, as he played a card. "In case you didn't realize it, this was the card I got from Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu."

Gagaga Magician appeared, looking downright pissed at Chaos Hunter. (1,500 ATK)

"Then, I play Gagagabolt!" continued Stan. "This lets Gagaga Magician destroy any card on the field…"

_I'd like to see you try it, _thought Chaos Hunter. _You try to destroy a Monster my set Quickplay Spell My Body as a Shield will stop you dead in your tracks._

"I choose… Ultra C!" shouted Stan.

There was a flash of lightning, and the Trap Card was blown to pieces. Chaos Hunter's eyes opened wide as she realized she had never considered _that _possibility…

"Oh no…" she said. "That means…"

Maestroke sneered at her. Then he vanished, and reappeared on Stan's side of the field.

"That's right…" said Stan. "Maestroke is back where he belongs.

"Next, I summon Gagaga Girl…"

In a shower of flower petals, Gagaga Magician's female counterpart appeared. (1,000 ATK)

Chaos Hunter growled, and her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Ceasefire!" she shouted. "It deals 500 points of damage for every effect Monster on the field!"

Five balls of fire shot out of the card, hitting Stan in the chest.

**(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 6,400)**

"Stan?" said Andy.

"I'm fine…" said Stan. "She's not going to get away with that…"

He looked at Chaos Hunter.

"You made a big mistake, lady…" he said. "If you had waited to use that card, not only would you have hurt me, but the effect of my Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu would have been negated, since it's a Flip Effect Monster.

"I really hope the Queen didn't pay you in advance, because if she did, that mistake is going to cost her… A lot.

"I use Gagaga Magician's effect to raise his Level to 6… Then Gagaga Girl's effect to raise hers to 6 as well…

"Then… I form the Overlay Network again…"

The two Spellcasters combined into yet another vortex of energy.

In an explosion of stars, Magi-Magi Magician Girl leapt onto the field. (2,400 ATK)

"Due to Gagaga Girl's effect, I can reduce the Attack Score of one of your Monsters to zero…" said Stan.

Chaos Hunter's eyes opened wide again as Morkoth groaned and slumped over. (0 ATK)

"And due to Gagagarevenge, the Attack Scores of both my Xyz Monsters rise by 300!"

(Magi-Magi Magician Girl: 2,700 ATK, Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: 2,100 ATK)

"Next, I use the effect of Magi-Magi Magician Girl," said Stan, as the Spellcaster pointed her staff. "By detaching one Overlay Unit and removing one card in my hand from play, I can take control of one of your Monsters.

"So I'm taking back Kachi Kochi Dragon too."

He discarded Gagaga Magician, and then pocketed the last card in his hand. Kachi Kochi Dragon vanished, and then reappeared on Stan's side of the field with an angry roar.

"This can't be!" shouted Chaos Hunter.

"Of course it can," said Stan, as his three Xyz Monsters glared daggers at the bounty hunter. "I guess you never expected me to try to rescue them…

"But then… Someone like you who only uses underlings, including your own Monsters, as expendable bait… Well, I guess you just don't understand loyalty too much…"

Then Maestroke slung his sword forward, and the musical staff shot at Morkoth, blowing it into squid residue. Then Kachi Kochi Dragon's Surging Shockwave and Magi-Magi Magician Girl's Dark Burning Blast honed in on the demoness, and Chaos Hunter screamed…

**(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 0)**

The cord of energy holding Stan's wrist snapped, and then disappeared. He took Baby Tiragon from his Extra Deck.

"Tell the Shadow Queen thanks for the card," said Stan, as he held it up. "For a minute or two I was thinking of throwing it away… but… I kinda got attached the little guy…"

Then Chaos Hunter was gone. Stan looked, and saw a Crystal Card floating in the air where she had been.

"Man…" said Andy, as Stan walked over and picked it out of the air. "If she hadn't made that mistake…"

"Andy…" said Stan, as he looked at the card. "Katsuya Jonouchi, Seto Kaiba, and even Yugi Mouto faced several serious opponents who would have brought their careers to abrupt ends if it hadn't been for misplays on the part of those opponents.

"The key is to take advantage of such mistakes, and not dwell on what might have happened.

"So, Ms. Mowz was able to track down my scent?"

Then Ms. Mowz appeared next to Francesca.

"Not _your _scent, you big chuck of muenster!" she laughed. "One reason I was such a good thief was because I had such a good nose for precious metal, jewelry, and gems. I can sniff them out…"

"Then how…" said Stan.

Then he realized what she meant. He looked at the pendant around his neck, the one that all three of them had.

"I know the scent of those ones as well as I know my own!" chirped the Squeek.

"The Three Heroes were geniuses!" laughed Francesca.

"You might say that…" giggled Ms. Mowz. "Now you'd all get back to town before something else attacks you…"

Stan sighed as they headed back towards the safety of Keelhaul Key.

_So I have six now… _he thought. _All three of us are serious contenders…_

_But the Queen has proven one thing… While she may not be willing to overtly break the rules… She has no trouble with bending them as far as she can._

_It's like my uncle once told me… Rules were NOT made to be broken… But some people have very little trouble _manipulating _them…_

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Queen was watching.

"_Katsuya Jonouchi, Seto Kaiba, and even Yugi Mouto faced several serious opponents who would have brought their careers to abrupt ends if it hadn't been for misplays on the part of those opponents._

"_The key is to take advantage of such mistakes, and not dwell on what might have happened."_

She had to admit, Stan's words were quite profound. She knew exactly who those "serious opponents" were.

_Hopefully, by knowing the mistakes of the past, you can avoid repeating them, _she thought. _But there's never a shortage of idiots who keep making new ones…_

**0000000000**

**FLAT LEVEL 4 (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Axe Raider striking a heroic pose. Above him, the words "Lv 1, Lv 2, Lv 3" are printed in small letters, and "Lv 4" is printed in big letters.

**Card Description: **Activate when one of your Monsters is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Each player may Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from his or her deck.

_Note: "Flat Level 4" was first used by __Kaiba__ in the original anime episode "One Step Ahead (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**ULTRA C (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **Baby Tiragon leaping through hoops as Shadow Tamer urges it from behind with her whip.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent controls a "Baby Tiragon"; select 1 Xyz Monster in your opponent's Extra Deck and Special Summon it to your side of the field. (This is considered an Xyz Summon.) If this card leaves the field, control of that Monster switches to your opponent. If your opponent assumes control of that Monster, destroy this card.

_Note: "Ultra C" was first used by __Tokunosuke__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Flipping Out (Part 1)". (Some liberties are taken.) Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**COMMANDER KRAKEN (Monster Card)**

**Fish/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is in Attack Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle by Monsters that are not a higher Level than this card.

**0000000000**

**BETRAYAL (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Hand of the Six Samurai drawing a knife as she cautiously peers over her shoulder into a room where someone is praying.

**Card Description: **For each Monster you control that belongs to your opponent, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.

**0000000000**

**MORKOTH (Monster Card)**

**Fish/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/2,300ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned. This card cannot attack. If you take Battle Damage, destroy this card. During your End Phase while you control this face-up card, your opponent takes 800 points of damage.

**0000000000**

_**With her most recent minion defeated, the Queen may well decide to lie low for a little while… So it may be time for our protagonists to make some headway in the Tournament…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Francesca: My first opponent was a guy who used Rock Monsters, who valued them for their durability. He was a real creep.**_

_**My current opponent seems to like them too… But he seems to like them for a different reason. He calls himself a "ruin maniac", and he seems to be interested in Rock Monsters because of what they resemble – relics from ancient times. **_

_**Something tells me that this guy might be a great deal harder than Jackson was. Still, with the Queen's minions nowhere in sight, this is a great opportunity. **_

"_**Seal of the Ancients" is coming soon. **_


	27. Seal of the Ancients

_**We're on the road again, through greener pastures, and the Queen's henchmen seem to be leaving us alone for now. We're keeping our guard up, but things are reaching a very serious point now.**_

_**Stan and I have six Crystal Cards, and Andy has seven. We each need eight to advance to the next step, challenge some special duelist for a Crystal Star…**_

_**Which is what we need for our ultimate goal, entering the Thousand Year Door…**_

_**We have no idea what will happen after that. But with no way to turn back now, we have to concentrate on finishing part one of the plan. **_

_**And it seems I might have a chance at coming closer to that right now…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-SEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Seal of the Ancients**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Despite Dreamsprite's death, the three teenagers found the rest of the night still full of uneasy dreams. So many close calls had happened over the past few days…

They had been victorious over all but one of the Shadow Spawn, but knew that the one who remained was the Queen's oldest son and true heir, and the one that represented what was likely the most dangerous Attribute in the game of Duel Monsters.

When morning came, they asked Hank about Vladimir. He actually knew very little. Vladimir wasn't seen often, at least not when compared to his siblings. He was still one of the Queen's enforcers, but as her heir apparent, he only came when the most serious threats to her authority had to be dealt with.

Hank mentioned someone who might know more, who conveniently lived in the town of Poshley Heights, which was only a few miles to the south. He told them that the man's name was Dr. P.T. Pennington, and that if they went to Poshley Heights, he would probably find them long before they ever found him.

With those ominous words, they started out again.

The road from Keelhaul Key to Poshley Heights was well-maintained, and cut through peaceful prairies. Here and there, the familiar Duel Spirit wildlife was out and about, and seemed friendly this time. Dig Beaks, Dark Greys, and Fusionists prowled through the meadows, while a Mavelus watched them from a perch in a tree.

Eventually, the terrain turned rocky, and then they saw them…

Statues.

Odd statues among the plain rocks, each one easily four times the size of a human. They depicted heads, but were much different than the famous Moai of Easter Island. These ones weren't as pleasant to look at.

Some of them depicted ugly gorillas, others alligator-like monsters. Some were didn't resemble any real-life animal at all. And most of them had strange runes; they were still rather clear, but hardly understandable to the three teenagers.

"Hmm…" said a voice. "Interesting…"

They looked, and saw that someone else was examining the statues. He was a boy about two years older than they were age, wearing a khaki jacket and shorts and an old hat.

"Older than the Moai, clearly… Can't seem to place the culture… No idea what language this is in…"

"Hey…" said Francesca. "Are you some kind of archaeologist?"

The boy looked at her and laughed a little.

"Nah…" he said. "I haven't taken enough classes on the subject to really call myself that…

"If anything, I'm a… ruin maniac… You might say that as such, I'm an archaeologist who isn't all-too concerned with the scientific aspect of the field.

"I just love old things… You look at stuff like this, and it's like a window into the past…

"Hey, I'm Kyle…"

He held out his hand.

"Francesca…" she said, shaking. "So, are you in this tournament?"

"I thought everyone was," replied Kyle.

He reached into his pocket.

"I've got six so far," he said, holding up six Card.

"Join the club," said Francesca, with a smirk, holding up her own. "I'd say that only the serious contenders are left by now."

Kyle lifted his left arm, which held a Duel Disk.

"Want to try to narrow the gap some more?" he said.

Francesca grinned, and activated hers.

"Bring it!" she said.

They looked each other in the eye. They each snatched five cards off their decks.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Kyle: 8,000)**

"Ladies first," said Kyle.

"Age before beauty," replied Francesca.

"Youth before experience," said Kyle.

"Pearls before swine," added Francesca.

"Guys, guys, can someone please make the first move?" said Andy, rolling his eyes.

"All right, all right…" said Kyle, as he drew a sixth card.

"I'll start by playing the Continuous Spell Card, Guidance to Ore…"

He fit the card in his Disk, and there was a loud rumble as a rocky hill with a cave entrance appeared behind him.

_I know that card… _thought Stan. _Pretty obvious what kind of deck he's using…_

"Then I'll summon Mine Golem…" continued Kyle.

He played the card, and a large, bulky statue with a head shaped like a face wearing a gas mask and a soldier's knapsack on its back appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"It's your move…" he said.

Francesca made a draw.

"Beast Striker, you're up," she said.

The earth cracked, and with a loud growl, the tusked Beast holding its huge hammer sprang out. (1,850 ATK)

_All right… _she thought. _This is gonna hurt a little… But…_

"Get that Golem!" she shouted.

Beast Striker smashed with its hammer, blowing the Golem to pebbles.

"I activate Mine Golem's effect!" shouted Kyle. "Let's just say that 'Mine Golem' is a good name for it…"

Fortunately, Francesca had made an adequate foothold, and wasn't knocked over when multiple explosions erupted around her.

"That's not all…" said Kyle. "Because you destroyed a Rock Monster, Guidance to Ore lets me summon another one with the same name from my deck…"

A white glob of energy flew out of the cave, and transformed into another Mine Golem, this one kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,900 DEF)

"Ah, crap…" said Francesca.

She took a card, and threw it into her Spell Zone. A face-down card flashed into existence behind Beast Striker.

"That's all for my turn…" she said.

**(F: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 7,150)**

Kyle drew, and then quickly played two cards. They both appeared set behind his Mine Golem.

"That should do it…" he said.

Francesca made a draw. She smirked.

"Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.

The Monster appeared in a ray of sunlight. It was indeed Sunlight Unicorn. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I use her effect…" she said.

She flipped the top card of her deck. It was Hyena.

"Aw, fudge…" she said.

She placed it at the bottom of her deck. She quickly tapped her Disk, and her face-down card lifted up.

"I activate The Big March of Animals," she said. "For each Beast-Type Monster I have, each one gains 200 Attack Points."

(Beast Striker: 2,250 ATK; Sunlight Unicorn: 2,200 ATK)

"Sunlight Unicorn… You first…"

Sunlight Unicorn charged at the Mine Golem horn-first. It was smashed to pieces, and Francesca braced herself again as the explosion hit her again.

Then another glob of energy flew out of the cave, and a third Mine Golem appeared. (1,900 DEF)

Francesca sighed. She turned to Beast Striker.

"You handle it…" she said.

Beast Warrior smashed the last statue, and Francesca grunted as the explosion went off a third time.

**(F: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 7,150)**

"I should warn you…" said Kyle. "I play kind of rough."

"So do I…" said Francesca. "I end my turn, which means the effect of The Big March of Animals wears off. It's your move…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, in the Palace of Shadow, Sir Grodus and Lord Crump were in a hallway, nervously watching the door that led to Magical Scientist's cramped and cluttered lab.

"This really rubs me the wrong way…" muttered Grodus. "Smithy's robots made me nervous enough when Smithy was the one building them… But THAT guy?

"And he's been at it _how _long? Twenty hours now? Doesn't he ever _sleep?"_

"I know he's a little… Crazy," replied Crump. "But what choice did we have? The Queen isn't the most technology-minded person when it comes to magic, and it's not like she could hire someone from the mainstream scientific community to do this…

"A man can win the Nobel Prize in chemistry or physics… But that won't make him any good at crafting Dark Cards…"

As he said this, thick green smoke started to come from under the door. It started to fill the hall.

Grodus and Crump covered their mouths, and opened the door, in time to see the Duel Spirit douse what he was doing with a fire extinguisher.

"What the Hell happened?" shouted Grodus.

"Uh…" said Magical Scientist.

He coughed a little.

"That was what we Spellcasters call… A mistake."

"A mistake?" said Grodus, looking annoyed.

"Well, uhm…" said Magical Scientist.

He spread out a blueprint that was on the table.

"It seems I confused the abbreviation for teaspoon here with the one for tablespoon…"

He chuckled a little.

"Could have happened to anyone, right?"

Grodus looked at him. Then he looked at Crump.

"Crump," he said. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at my office at the parliamentary building…"

He turned to leave.

"Uh, I have a feeling that the Queen _is _going to need you soon…" replied Crump. "The preliminary rounds of the Tournament may be over in a day or two."

"Well until then, I won't be here!" replied Grodus. "I'm going where it's safe.

"I swear, this whole place is getting crazier by the day…"

**0000000000**

Kyle drew a card, and looked over his five cards.

"First, activate Ultimate Offering…" he said, as one of his Trap Cards lifted up. "I can use it to make as many Normal Summons as I want, provided I pay 500 Life Points for each additional one.

"So I'll set a Monster, and then pay 500 Life Points to summon Block Golem."

A reversed Monster appeared, followed by a large, square-bodied statue that seemed to be made entirely out of Legos! (1,000 ATK)

"Eh?" said Francesca, looking at the weird Monster.

"Block Golem has a powerful effect," said Kyle. "Because I have only Earth Monsters in my Graveyard, I can sacrifice it…"

Block Golem dissolved into particles of light.

"…and then Special Summon two Level 4 or lower Rock-Type Monsters from my Graveyard."

The ground rumbled, and two Mine Golems rose out of the earth. (1,000 ATK)

"They can't use their effects this turn," he continued. "But I can use this…"

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Aw, crap!" shouted Andy. "That's Minefield Eruption!"

"You got it!" replied Kyle. "It does 1,000 points of damage for each Mine Golem I have."

This time, Francesca could NOT brace herself; the explosion was too intense. It knocked her down, causing her to fall on her behind.

"After that, I lose my Mine Golems," said Kyle, as the two Rocks shattered into pixels. "But I'm not finished. I still have another Monster to summon.

"I banish Block Golem to summon Gigantes."

A large, red-skinned ogre wearing metal armor with a horn in its forehead holding a tree trunk appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Attack her Unicorn! Log Smash Bash!"

The name of the attack was fitting. Gigantes simply growled, and hit the steed hard with its tree trunk, smashing her to pieces.

"Ugh…" said Francesca.

Kyle wiped his right hand on his pants.

"Done…" he said.

**(F: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,650)**

"Okay, let's see here…" said Francesca, as she drew.

_That's a good one, _she thought.

"All right, buddy," she said, "I'll summon Key Mouse."

With a small squeak, the little Tuner with the key on its tail appeared. (100 ATK)

"Next, I'll Tune both Monsters together…"

"Here it comes…" said Andy, excitedly, as both Beasts flew into the sky, the Synchro Rings starting to form.

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_ shouted Francesca, as the two Monsters turned into glowing stars.

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

Once again, the noble steed leapt out in front of Francesca with electrical sparks flying from it. (2,200 ATK)

"And by using its effect," she said, "Gigantes loses 500 Attack Points…"

The ogre grunted as sparks surrounded it. (1,400 ATK)

"Attack that spirit with Thunder Spear!" she shouted.

Thunder Unicorn charged, and impaled the creature, blowing it into a cloud of dust. The explosion quickly turned into a sandstorm.

"Due to your own Monster's effect," said Francesca, "Guidance to Ore and Ultimate Offering are destroyed too…"

It was true. The sandstorm started to erode the hill with the cave and the Trap Card, turning both into a pile of dust too.

"I'll set this face-down," said Francesca, as a set card appeared behind her unicorn, "and end my turn…"

**(F: 4,400) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 5,850)**

Kyle frowned as he made a draw.

"I play… Miracle Rupture…" he said, as he played it.

"I take one Rock-Type Monster from my deck, then discard it…"

He looked through his deck until he found what he wanted, and then slipped it into his discard slot.

"Then I reshuffle," he said, as he shuffled his deck.

"Then make one draw…"

He drew a card.

"And now… Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and the familiar holy symbol appeared… The Monster that appeared was obviously the one he had just discarded. It was a large statue of a bestial creature with a lion's body, a hawk's head, and small (proportionately) eagle's wings on its back. (2,400 ATK)

"It's called a Hieracosphinx…" he said. "It's strong enough to take on your Unicorn… But…

"I flip Medusa Worm into Attack Mode…"

His face-down Monster flipped up, revealing a large worm-like creature made of rock with small spikes all over its hide. (500 ATK)

"Each time my Medusa Worm is Flip Summoned, I can destroy one opposing Monster!"

A sickly beam of green light shot from the thing, striking Thunder Unicorn and turning her to stone. The statue shattered.

"Each time?" gasped Andy.

Stan didn't answer. He looked worried. He knew this combo, and it was very hard to beat…

"Attack directly, Hieracosphinx!" ordered Kyle.

It was hard to believe, but the statue's small wings actually were able to give the creature a little lift, at least enough for it to make a swoop at Francesca… And it came down very hard with its front paws, knocking her over.

She groaned, but she was barely able to sit up before Medusa Worm darted forward, hitting her in the stomach.

**(F: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 5,850)**

Kyle looked at the last card in his hand.

_Think I'll save this… _he thought.

"I use Medusa Worm's other effect…" he said. "I can return it to set position…"

The creature vanished, becoming a reversed card again.

"Meaning I can use its effect again next turn… And with Hieracosphinx on the field, neither Medusa Worm nor any other face-down Monster I have can be attacked.

"I end my turn…"

_Is it my imagination, _thought Francesca, _or is this guy rather good?_

She stood up.

_A lot better than Jackson was, that's for sure…_

She drew a card.

_Hey…_

She played the card, and Lady of Unicorns appeared in front of her. (1,400 ATK)

"Hey…" said Kyle. "She kinda… Uh…"

"Yeah," said Francesca. "I know… You aren't the first one to say it…

"I activate Call of the Haunted…"

Her face-down card lifted up, and Sunlight Unicorn appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Now I'll use its effect again…" she said.

She picked up the top card. Then she turned it forward. It was Cursed Bill. Not exactly an Equip Spell that was useful in this situation, but at least it was an Equip Spell, so she got to keep it.

"All right…" she said. "Time to Synchro Summon again…"

Lady of Unicorns flew into the sky, and Sunlight Unicorn galloped after her…

"_Primal rage focused in the heart of one powerful beast. Beat with a pulse of absolute fury and bring destruction to all in your path!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_Synchro Summon… Garnecia Earthshaker!"_

The hulking pachyderm let out a trumpet as it appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Because I used Lady of Unicorns to summon this guy," said Francesca, "I can render him either unbeatable in battle or unable to be destroyed by card effects.

"I'm choosing card effects."

"Wait a minute…" said Kyle. "That means…"

"That's right," said Francesca. "Medusa Worm's effect won't work on it. So I can save that for later.

"And using Garnecia's own effect, it can switch your Hieracosphinx to Defense Mode when it attacks!"

Garnecia thundered towards the statue, and it sat on its hindquarters as it did so. (1,200 DEF) Kyle shouted out in shock as the impact from his Monster shattering knocked him over.

**(F: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,850)**

"Okay, okay…" he said, nervously. "Nothing I can't handle…"

Francesca threw a card into her Disk, and another set card appeared behind her Monster.

"That's all…" she said.

Kyle made a draw.

"I activate Pot of Avarice…" he said.

He took all three Mine Golems, Gigantes, and Hieracosphinx, and shuffled them into his deck. He made two draws. He looked at them, along with his other card. Then he slowly looked at Garnecia Earthshaker…

Then he fit one of the three cards into his Spell Zone, and it appeared face-down.

He nodded.

Francesca looked at him suspiciously, and drew a card.

"Attack his Medusa Worm!" she shouted.

Garnecia charged again, trampling the small Rock and smashing it flat.

"And once again, you still take damage…" she said.

**(F: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,250)**

"Good!" replied Kyle. "Now I can activate this…"

His facedown card lifted up.

"Damage Condenser," he said, as he discarded a card. "I can now ditch one card to Special Summon a Monster from my deck with an Attack Score equal to or less than the damage I took."

Then a strange Monster appeared. It looked like a large bust of some Machine, rusted and old… And there was something familiar about it… (500 ATK)

"My Ancient Gear Statue," said Kyle.

"Ancient Gear Statue?" said Francesca. "Kinda looks like a bust of Ancient Gear Golem…"

"Like this one?" said Kyle with a smirk, as he turned the last card in his hand around.

"Good lord…" said Andy, in shock. "Where in the world did you get a card that rare?"

"Andy, you have a Red-Eyes Black Dragon…" said Stan, with a sigh.

"Touché…" sighed Andy.

He looked at Kyle with worry.

"Don't panic, Francesca!" he shouted. "He needs two Monsters to summon that thing, and he can't Special Summon it!"

"Uh…" said Francesca, who was just as nervous. "I… End my turn…"

She knew that what Andy said was true… But after being on Arcadia these past days, literally _nothing _would surprise her.

"What your friend said is right," said Kyle, as he made a draw, "for the most part…

"The thing is… There are exceptions to every rule. In fact, by using Ancient Gear Statue I can _break_ the rule… By sacrificing it, I can indeed Special Summon the big guy…"

The small statue vanished…

"So let's all have a warm welcome…" he said, as a huge, forboding form loomed over the field. "Ancient Gear Golem!"

It was Ancient Gear Golem all right. The legendary Machine used by Professor Cronos de Medici, as tall as a castle tower, gunmetal grey, with one glowing red optic sensor. Its rusty plating and primitive appearance hid incredible strength in its huge limbs. (3,000 ATK)

"Scared?" said Kyle, with a smirk.

"Not really…" said Francesca. "To tell the truth… I've always wanted to see how well my deck could stand up to one of those things…"

"Yeah, well…" said Kyle, "in case you need a refresher course on how this 'thing' works, here's the long and short…

"First, it has the same piercing effect as your Garnecia Earthshaker.

"Second, it shares the effect common to most Ancient Gears, preventing you from activating Spell or Trap Cards when it attacks.

"But don't take my word for it…"

Ancient Gear Golem pulled its fist back…

"Attack Garnecia Earthshaker with Mechanized Melee!"

One would think that something as big as Ancient Gear Golem would move rather slowly. It did not. It threw a punch that came very fast, flattening Garnecia and knocking Francesca on her back.

"Ouch…" she said.

**(F: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,250)**

_All right… _she thought. _Another blow from that thing, and I'm history…_

Kyle glanced at the last card in his hand. He set in his Disk, and it materialized face-down in his Spell Zone.

"It's your move…" he said.

Then Francesca's face-down card lifted up.

"Miracle's Wake!" she shouted.

Garnecia Earthshaker reappeared in an aura of light. (2,200 ATK)

"You can't defeat Ancient Gear Golem with that thing," said Kyle. "Even if you use its effect, my Golem's Defense Score is just as high as its Attack Score."

"Don't I know it…" sighed Francesca.

She paused to look at her hand.

Al-Mi'Raj, Monoceros, Double Spell, and Cursed Bill.

She drew.

_Huh… _she thought.

"I banish this card," she said, as she held up Double Spell, "to Special Summon… Monocerous!"

In a flash of light, the long-horned unicorn-rhino hybrid appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I summon Al-Mi'Raj," she said, as the horned hare appeared. (600 ATK)

"And then…" she said, as she played a Spell Card, "I play the powerful Shining Rebirth!"

Al-Mi'Raj and Monoceros flew into the air, and the glowing rings appeared again.

"With the divine power of this Spell Card, I can Synchro Summon a Monster…" she said.

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

"…but not from my Extra Deck… The Monster comes from my Graveyard. So Thunder Unicorn lives again!"

The clouds broke, and radiant beams came from the heavens. The fierce steed reappeared, glowing with holy energy. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I draw one card due to Al-Mi'Raj," continued Francesca, as she made a draw.

"And I'll use it! Monster Reborn!"

She played the card, and Lady of Unicorns appeared again. (1,400 ATK)

"Now, I'll use Thunder Unicorn's effect," continued Francesca. "I have three Monsters, so your Golem loses 1,500 Attack Points."

Ancient Gear Golem groaned a little as sparks surrounded it. (1,500 ATK)

"But it doesn't lose any Defense Points, and that's a good thing," said Francesca, as she played the last card in her hand, "because now I'm playing Cursed Bill, and Equipping it to your Golem.

"You see, when a Monster is destroyed when Equipped with Cursed Bill, the Monster's owner takes damage equal to that Monster's Defense Points.

"So… Thunder Unicorn… Destroy his Golem!"

The unicorn lowered her horn, and charged at the much larger creature…

"I activate… Mirror Force!" shouted Kyle.

"NOOOO!" screamed Andy, as the Trap Card lifted up.

The light of the infamous Trap Card covered the field… Both Lady of Unicorns and Garnecia Earthshaker shattered…

But… Thunder Unicorn merely paused. She looked at Kyle, and smiled slightly…

"She… survived?" asked Kyle.

"You can look now…" said Stan, nudging Andy.

"Shining Rebirth has another effect…" said Francesca. "During the turn it's used, the Monster it summons is rendered invincible…

"Now… where were we?"

Thunder Unicorn resumed her charge, and made a great leapt, stabbing directly into the giant Machine's chest. It trembled…

Then its right arm fell off, followed by the left one, followed by the head. Kyle screamed as what was left of it collapsed on top of him…

Fortunately, it was a hologram… But the duel was over…

**(F: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 0)**

Francesca wiped sweat from her brow. Her two friends only looked at her for a minute.

"Man, Francesca…" said Andy. "I thought you were a goner…"

Francesca sighed.

"The thought kinda crossed my mind once or twice…" she replied. "Especially after he summoned that Golem… But… You gotta keep your mind on your goal."

Kyle slowly got up, and looked at Francesca.

"Francesca, listen…" he said. "I'll give you this, if you want it…"

He held up a Crystal Card.

"But I should warn you, I wasn't being truthful when I said I couldn't read the runes on those statues. I know all about them…

"See, a thousand years ago, there was this dark witch who…"

"The Shadow Queen, right?" replied Francesca. "We know…"

"We don't exactly _want _to go into the Thousand Year Door," said Stan, "but we kind of _have_ to. It's complicated."

"I see…" said Kyle.

He handed her the card.

"Then I'll wish you luck and do my best to meet you there…"

He glanced over his shoulder. Then he lowered his voice.

"Now… You'd best move along, because someone is taking an interest in you, it seems…"

They looked behind him.

Then they hurriedly walked away, down the path they had been going on before. Kyle turned towards a small group of rocks.

"You can come out of there, fellah," he said. "When you've got an eye for things as keen as mine, it's hard to miss stuff…"

Slowly, the young man stepped out of his hiding place. It was Jackson.

"Look, Indiana Jones," he said. "I don't have any beef with you… All I want is to get even with that dame. She humiliated me."

"I see…" said Kyle. "And I suppose you've been stalking her, hoping she would lose, thinking that a duelist is easy pickings after losing a duel…"

He activated his Duel Disk.

"Care to test that theory?" he asked.

"All right, you asked for it…" said Jackson.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen was watching through her crystal ball.

She waved her hand, and the magic item changed to a different scene. In Glitzville, Drake ordered a direct attack with Gren Maju Da Eiza, finishing his opponent off.

The crystal ball changed scenes again, to Twilight Town. Raven attacked an opponent directly with Hawk Joe, winning her latest duel.

_Some serious duelists are reaching the eight-Card point, _she thought. _I'd best tell the Guardians to prepare…_

_But I'll save the best ones in case Vladimir messes up… I can't take anything for granted right now… Clearly, this has become harder than I thought it would be…_

**0000000000**

**GUIDANCE TO ORE (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A cliffside with a mine opening in it.

**Card Description: **When a face-up Rock-Type Monster you control is destroyed, you may Special Summon 1 Monster with the same name from your deck.

_Note: "Guidance to Ore" was first used by __Iwamaru__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "J-Dawg and T-Bone". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**MIRACLE RUPTURE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Giant Soldier of Stone with its back to the sun shining through the clouds.

**Card Description: **Select 1 Rock-Type Monster from your deck and send it to the Graveyard. Shuffle your deck, and draw 1 card.

_Note: "Miracle Rupture" was first used by __Jim__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "A Sight Unseen (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SHINING REBIRTH (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Guardian Angel Joan holding Hanewata in her hands, the two of them slowly fading away as Avenging Knight Parshath strikes a heroic pose behind them.

**Card Description: **Select 1 Synchro Monster in your Graveyard. Send Monsters on the field you control necessary for a Synchro Summon of the selected Monster to the Graveyard and Special Summon the selected Monster from your Graveyard (this is considered a Synchro Summon). The selected Synchro Monster cannot be destroyed by card effects this turn.

_Note: "Shining Rebirth" was first used by Aki in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Truth and Consequences (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**ANCIENT GEAR STATUE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl2/500ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **By Tributing this face-up Monster you control, Special Summon 1 "Ancient Gear Golem" from your hand, disregarding its summoning conditions.

_Note: "Ancient Gear Statue" was first used by Heitmann in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" episode "Lessons Learned". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

_**Jackson is still around? What a surprise… But it seems Francesca has her seventh Card now, so things are heating up…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Stan: What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "Aesop"? Fables, right? He was a guy who wrote fables. Short stories that have morals.**_

_**Not much else is known about him… He may not have even been a real person, and no actual writings by him survive, but many popular fables are accredited to him, classic tales like "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Grasshopper and the Ant".**_

_**Now I'm facing a Pro League duelist who has named himself after the great fabulist, and he's VERY good… I'll say one thing… I wish the real Aesop was still alive and here right now, because I could use some advice from a guy like him. **_

"_**Phantasmal Martyrs" is coming soon. **_


	28. Phantasmal Martyrs

_**Aesop was a man who may have lived in Greece around 600 BC who may have written fables. What else do we know about him? Honestly, not much.**_

_**According to Aristotle, Aesop was a slave who was very ugly but very clever, who managed to win his freedom and become an advisor to kings and city-states. Some historians believe that he was originally from Ethiopia (they point to the presence of African animals like camels, apes, and elephants in his fables to support this). But it's just as likely that he was as fictional as the fables that he is credited with writing. Indeed, none of his original writings survive, even though he is said to be the author of many famous stories like "The Boy who Cried Wolf" and "The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs".**_

_**I have no idea why my opponent has chosen the name of the great fabulist as his moniker, but Pro League duelists are eccentric…**_

_**And this isn't going to be easy…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-EIGHT**

**0000000000**

**Phantasmal Martyrs**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Fifteen minutes after Francesca and her two friends had left…

"Ancient Gear Golem…" shouted Kyle, "destroy his Koa'ki Meiru Wall with Mechanized Melee!"

Jackson screamed as the huge fist slammed into his Monster, pulverizing it.

**(Kyle: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (Jackson: 0)**

"Didn't quite turn out the way you thought it would, huh?" asked Kyle.

He picked up one of Jackson's Crystal Cards, which Jackson had dropped.

"I believe you owe me this…" he said. "The pleasure was all yours, I'm sure…"

Jackson growled in rage as he watched the ruin maniac walk away.

Then he sighed, and looked at the three Crystal Cards he had left.

"This isn't going to be easy…" he said.

"I'd say it's going to be impossible," said a seedy voice.

Jackson turned around.

"The Witty Phantom?" asked Jackson.

"The one and the same," said the Fiend.

He took off his hat, and balanced it on one finger.

"You're one of those special duelists that Meyers mentioned, right?" asked Jackson.

"Mmm, yes…" said the Phantom. "I could duel you if you like… But even if you won and brought your Crystal Card count up to four, it wouldn't make much of a difference…"

He flipped the hat upwards, and it landed on his head.

"You see, Jackson, the Tournament is in its sixth day at this point… Only the strongest duelists remain, and most have six or seven Cards. By the time you have that many, if you can manage it, the eight Crystal Stars may well have already been claimed. Getting to the finals via legitimate means is likely out of reach for you now…

"But… There is another way…"

"How?" said Jackson.

"You want to make it to the finals and gain revenge on Francesca?" asked the Phantom. "I can give you a chance to do both at the same time, maybe even help you out a little…

"I just need a little commitment on your part…"

"Tell me what I need to do…" said Jackson with a snide look on his face.

Thunder started to rumble.

"Hmm…" said the Phantom. "Looks like rain…"

**0000000000**

He wasn't the only one who was noticing it. Stan, Andy, and Francesca heard the thunder too, and before they knew it, drops were starting to fall.

"Lovely…" said Francesca. "Now we're gonna get wet…"

"Hey! Look!" said Andy.

A few hundred feet in front of them was what looked like a mine entrance in a hill to the side of the path. They quickly made a run for it, ducking inside just as a downpour started.

"Whew!" said Francesca.

As they looked around, it was not clear what this mine was originally used for, but it _was _clear why it was no longer used. About forty feet past the entrance, a cave-in had made the rest inaccessible.

"Well, looks like we're here until the storm blows over," said Stan.

"So what do you want to do until then?" asked Andy.

Francesca smiled.

"Well…" she said. "Maybe an unofficial duel to pass the time?"

Andy smiled back. He shuffled his deck.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen was watching, and she couldn't believe how rotten her luck was. She would have loved to record this, but her crystal ball wasn't prepared for such right now.

**0000000000**

Andy and Francesca activated their Disks as Stan leaned against the wall.

Then they were interrupted.

"Hello!" shouted a voice. "Is someone in here?"

Someone rushed into the small cave, and he immediately got their attention.

He was a teenager about their age who would stick out. He was about Andy's height and string-bean thin, with messy blonde hair. His eyes didn't match; the left one was blue, and the right was green.

His clothes were even stranger. He had a long-sleeved green t-shirt with yellow patches on the elbows, and a red, sleeveless vest. He wore grey trousers with three belts around the left leg, and brown sneakers. He also wore leather, fingerless gloves, and a wide-brimmed, grey, floppy hat.

He also wore a Duel Disk.

"Oh, hey…" he said. "Don't, uh… Let me interrupt anything…"

His voice had one of those strange accents that made it impossible to tell where he was from.

"Uh, that's okay…" said Andy, as he deactivated his Disk. "You weren't really interrupting anything…"

"Nasty weather, isn't it?" said the strange boy. "Uh, hi… I'm Aesop…"

Francesca was a little surprised at this, but Stan smiled a little.

"Aesop, huh?" he said. "I see you're in the Tournament…"

"Stan, a word?" whispered Francesca.

"What?" said Stan, turning to her.

"I've heard of this guy…" she whispered. "He's a Pro from Europe… I think he may have been the runner up in some national tournament…"

"That would be Italy…" said Aesop, with a chuckle, who had apparently heard her. "I don't like to brag…"

"Okay…" said Stan. "Bring it on!"

He walked up to him.

"You sure about this, Stan?" said Andy.

"Andy, look," said Stan. "The Tournament's been on for six days now… We're not going to find all-too many easy duelists anymore.

"And I don't want to extend an open invitation for any more… 'Special duelists' to challenge us, if you know what I mean… The more we can avoid of them, the better…"

"Oh yeah, I dueled one of those…" said Aesop. "Some guy dressed like Armageddon Knight."

He chuckled.

"Guy wasn't bad, but someone really should have told him that Dark Armed Dragon isn't as potent these days as it used to be…"

_So we aren't the only duelists that the Queen is harassing? _thought Francesca. _Odd…_

"Anyway, Stan, if you want to duel me, I'm game…" continued Aesop.

He pulled a set of Crystal Cards out of his pocket.

"_Seven?" _gasped Stan.

He took a deep breath.

"Uh, okay… Sure…" he said, nervously. "Let's duel…"

**0000000000**

As much as the Queen would have loved to see Andy and Francesca duel each other, she knew that now had to watch this duel even closer.

_If Aesop wins, we'll have our first contender for a Crystal Star, _she thought. _And even if he loses, he'll still have the potential to be one…_

She flicked her wrist, and her cellphone appeared in it.

"It's me," she said into it. "Find Armageddon Knight… I need to speak to him about someone he dueled…"

**0000000000**

Aesop hit a button on his Disk, activating an auto-shuffler. Clearly, his Disk was a much newer model than Stan's.

Stan looked at him. He turned the cap on his head backwards, and then his Disk activated.

"Here we go…" he said.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Aesop: 8,000)**

"All right… Draw!" said Stan, making his first draw.

"I throw a card facedown, and then summon Familiar Knight."

A reversed card appeared, and then the Warrior in plate armor appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Okay, that should be all for now…"

"My move!" shouted Aesop, as he drew a card.

"By discarding one Monster from my hand with the word 'Fabled' in its name, I can Special Summon The Fabled Nozoochee from my hand."

He discarded a card, and a large snake with yellow scales and strange tattoos over its body with a bony blue covering on its head appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Now, the card I discarded was The Fabled Ganashia, which means that I get to Special Summon it now."

There was a loud trumpeting, and a humanoid elephant, smaller than Francesca's Garnecia and of medium build, wearing a vest and pantaloons, appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Fabled Monsters?" said Andy.

"Figures…" said Francesca. "What would you expect from someone calling himself Aesop?"

"I'm just getting started!" replied Aesop. "First of all, because I summoned Ganashia that way, it gains 200 Attack Points."

(1,800 ATK)

"And because of the way I summoned Nozoochee, its effect now activates, allowing me to Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Fabled from my hand. So I'll summon Fabled Oltro."

There was a loud cry like a baby throwing a tantrum. Then the Monster appeared. It _was _a baby throwing a tantrum. It clutched a stuffed animal in its left hand, a pacifier in its teeth, wore a black mask over its eyes, and was sitting in a baby walker with a skull design on the front. (800 ATK)

"I haven't even Normal Summoned yet!" he added. "So I'll bring out Fabled Lurrie."

There was a squeak, and a nasty little imp with bat-like wings wearing a red mask over its eyes appeared. (200 ATK)

"Oltro is a Tuner Monster, in case you didn't know," continued Aesop. "So I'll Tune together it, Lurrie, Nozoochee, and Ganashia…"

The infant suddenly stopped crying. Then it ripped the stuffed toy in half, and then flew towards the ceiling, with the other three Fableds following.

"_When angels fall from grace, they rise again as enemies of Heaven more powerful than any devil!"_

**(*2 + *1 + *2 + *3 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon the General of Malice… Fabled Valkyrus!"_

A bonfire of brilliant flames appeared in the center of the room, and a hulking creature rose out of it. As Aesop's Synchro Chant had described, this Fiend likely was a fallen angel before becoming a demon… It wore decorated armor in shades of red, gold, and black, with a design that suggested Feudal Japan. It had large, bat-like wings, and a handsome face with a pencil-thin moustache. (2,900 ATK)

"He summoned a Monster with 2,900 Attack Points on his first turn!" gasped Francesca.

"I'm not done!" said Aesop, with a smile. "Valkyrus' effect lets me, once per turn, discard a Fiend-Type Monster to draw once."

He discarded one of his remaining two cards and made a draw.

"Because the Monster I discarded was Fabled Krus, I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Fabled Monster from my Graveyard, except for that one…"

Fabled Lurrie appeared, kneeling and folding its wings in front of it. (400 DEF)

"All right Valkyrus…" said Aesop. "Attack Familiar Knight with Soul Purge!"

The Fiends eyes glowed… Then they flashed brighter than a strobe light with an overpowering blast. Stan grunted in pain as an explosion consumed the Warrior.

"I use Familiar Knight's effect!" shouted Stan. "Both players can summon a Level 4 Warrior from his hand."

He threw a card on his Disk, and Gagaga Magician appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

"You don't say?" said Aesop, with a smirk. "Very well… I'll summon The Fabled Rubyruda."

A weird Monster appeared next to the hulking Fiend. It looked like a large hawk with a monkey's face, with a fanged mouth. (1,100 ATK)

"And now that my Battle Phase is over, I set this card…"

He fit the last card in his hand into his Disk, and it materialized in his Spell Zone.

"Then, because Rubyruda is also a Tuner, I can Tune it and Lurrie to make another Synchro Summon!"

Rubyruda flew towards the ceiling, and the smaller Fabled followed again…

**(*4 + *1 = *5)**

"I call forth… Fabled Rajin!"

Another armored, winged demon appeared. This one wasn't as hulking as Valkyrus, but was still intimidating. It had the same wings, and was dressed in golden armor with red designs. (2,300 ATK)

"When I have less than two cards in my hand when I Synchro Summon Rajin, I get to draw until I have that many…"

He made two draws.

"Next, I'll activate the Spell Card I just set…"

His face-down card lifted up.

"Light of Redemption. By paying 800 Life Points, I get to recover a Light-Attribute Monster that I banished."

"But you didn't banish _any," _replied Stan.

"Actually, I did," replied Aesop. "Remember Ganashia? When it's Special Summoned via its own effect, then it's banished when it leaves the field."

A third card appeared with his other two.

"And with that, I conclude my turn…"

"Finally…" said Stan.

**(S: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 7,200)**

"Kinda easy to see why this guy made runner up in Italy," said Andy.

"You're not helping…" said Stan, as he drew a card.

"Okay…" he said.

His face-down card lifted up.

"I use Call of the Haunted!" he shouted, as Familiar Knight appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Next, I summon Mataza the Zapper!"

The katana-wielding _ronin _somersaulted onto the field and struck a pose. (1,300 ATK)

"All right!" shouted Francesca. "Now Stan has two Level 3 Monsters!"

"That's right!" exclaimed Stan, as the two Warriors turned into shadowy energy. "And with the Overlay Network built, I can bring forth Muzurhythm the String Djinn!"

A spotlight fell from the ceiling of the cave to the sound of guitar music, and the fiendish lounge musician appeared, strumming his instrument. (1,500 ATK)

Aesop smirked a little.

"Now, I use a Spell Card," said Stan, as he played a card. "The powerful Riryoku!

"It lets me cut the Attack Score of one of your Monsters in half, and give the same amount to one of mine. So I'll reduce Fabled Valkyrus' Attack Score and give the points to Gagaga Magician…"

(Fabled Valkyrus: 1,450 ATK, Gagaga Magician: 2,950 ATK)

"Wait a minute…" said Aesop.

"But Gagaga Magician won't be the one attacking Valkyrus," continued Stan. "Muzurhythm will be doing that…"

The Fiend Xyz strummed his guitar again.

"And by getting rid of one Overlay Unit when he attacks, I can double his attack! Destroy Fabled Valkyrus with Death Solo!"

A powerful wave of destructive sound shot at the fallen angel as Muzurhythm's Attack Score rose to 3,000. Valkyrus grunted as it was thrown backwards before dissolving into particles of light.

"ERGH!" shouted Aesop.

"Now Gagaga Magician will handle Fabled Rajin!" shouted Stan.

The Spellcaster formed a bolt of dark energy in his hand, and hurled it at the Fiend. Rajin exploded in a blast that lit up the whole cave.

**(S: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 5,000)**

""I'll set a face-down card and my turn is over," said Stan, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone. "Which means the Attack Scores of both my Monsters return to normal."

"I gotta admit, Stan…" said Aesop. "I have to admire a guy who has an eye for good Fiend Monsters… Even if that one is a bit… Unorthodox…"

He made a draw.

"Okay, first I'm summoning Fabled Grimro…" he said.

He played the card, and a dark-haired, very pale woman of sinister beauty wearing a black dress with large, black, feathered wings appeared. She smiled and blew a kiss to Stan. (1,700 ATK)

"Now I'm discarding Ganashia again to Special Summon The Fabled Chawa."

He discarded the card, and a Monster appeared that was, unlike the other Fabled Monsters, kind of cute. It looked like a Chihuahua with the same blue covering on its head that Nozoochee had. (200 ATK)

"I'm sure you remember what happens when Ganashia is discarded, right?"

The pachyderm appeared again. (1,600 ATK) –) (1,800 ATK)

"Because Chawa is another Tuner, that means I can Synchro Summon again…"

"_Another _Level 8 Synchro?" gasped Stan.

"No," said Aesop bluntly. "Grimro is staying out of this one…"

Chawa and Ganashia flew upwards, with Chawa flying through the glowing rings.

"I mean, big, tough Monsters can do the job sometimes…" continued Aesop.

**(*1 + *3 = *4)**

"…but sometimes what you need is a slightly _less _powerful one. I Synchro Summon… The Fabled Kuddabi!"

There was a loud neigh, and a strange-looking horse appeared. It had horns and a veil-like mask covering its entire face. A fancy red horse blanket with golden symbols covered its back, and it wore a similar piece of cloth in front of it. (2,200 ATK)

"A friend of yours, Fran?" asked Andy.

"It's no-one that any of my unicorns know…" muttered Francesca, looking at the weird Beast.

"Yeah, and I don't like it either…" said Stan, as his face-down card lifted up. "I activate Threatening Roar!"

Aesop chuckled a little, and then fit his last card into his Disk.

"In that case…" he said, as it appeared set behind his Monsters, "I'll end with this…"

Stan made a draw. It was Vivian's card.

_Hey… Not bad… _he thought.

"I summon Vivian the Shadow Siren!" he shouted.

There was a dark shadow, and Vivian appeared, still with her signature smile. (1,800 ATK)

"All right, Vivian, put the hurt on Fabled Grimro with Fiery Jinx!"

The Shadow Siren pointed, and waves of flame shot at the fallen angel. Aesop grunted a little as Grimro burst and black feathers fluttered down upon a scorched mark on the floor.

**(S: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,900)**

"So much for her…" said Stan. "Next, Muzurhythm attacks Kuddabi… And I'll get rid of his other Overlay Unit to use his effect again!"

The String Djinn strummed his guitar again, and his Attack Score rose to 3,000…

"I activate… Emoniel's Balance!" shouted Aesop, as his Trap Card lifted up. "Because Kuddabi is a Light Monster, its Attack Score becomes equal to Muzurhythm's just in time for it to meet the attack!"

(3,000 ATK)

"It's gonna be a draw!" shouted Andy.

The veil on Kuddabi's face vanished, showing, to the shock of the three teenagers, that the creature had a face that was fully human. Its eyes glowed, and a beam of pure light blasted from its eyes to meet Muzurhythm's sonic blast… There was an explosion…

Then, to the surprise of Stan and his two friends, when the smoke cleared, Kuddabi was unharmed. Muzurhythm, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky…

"That was no draw…" said Francesca.

"Technically, it was…" said Aesop, as the veil reappeared over Kuddabi's face. "But when I have no cards in my hand, Kuddabi can't be destroyed. It's nearly immortal."

Stan looked at the creature.

_Unless I can figure out a way to get rid of it that doesn't involve destroying it… _he thought. _And my deck is kind of short on ways to do that…_

The last card in his hand was Magician's Valkyria. Not much help there…

"I end my turn…" he said. "What the devil _is _that thing, anyway?"

"It's based on a Japanese demon called a Kudan…" said Aesop, as he drew a card. "According to legend, when a mare gives birth to one, it predicts a natural disaster in three days. The Kudan grows to adulthood in those three days, dying right before the disaster occurs…

"But anyway… I summon Fabled Urustos."

The Monster that appeared this time was the most hideous Fabled yet. It looked like a skeletal corpse with tangled white hair wearing a tattered black robe and hood. It had feathered wings that were decaying and molted. (1,500 ATK)

"And because I have less than three cards in my hand," said Aesop, holding up his empty hands, "its effect gives all Monsters I have with the word 'Fabled' in their name 400 more Attack Points."

(Fabled Urustos: 1,900 ATK; Fabled Kuddabi: 2,600 ATK)

"Kuddabi, attack Gagaga Magician with Doom Sight!" shouted Aesop.

The veil vanished again, and the bolt of blinding light shot at the Spellcaster.

"I use Vivian's effect!" shouted Stan, as he discarded Valkyria's card.

Vivian grabbed hold of Gagaga Magician, and then they both vanished into the shadows. The blast dissipated.

"As you can see, Vivian's Veil rendered your attack ineffective…" said Stan, as the two Spellcasters reappeared.

"Possibly," said Aesop, "but seeing as you have no more cards to discard, she can't do it a second time… And to avoid that from happening again, I'll simply have Urustos aim for her."

The skeletal Fiend stretched its palms out, and a volley of flaming skulls shot at Vivian. She let out a scream before she shattered. Stan sighed sadly.

"This guy isn't dumb…" said Andy.

"It's your move, Stan…" said Aesop.

**(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,900)**

Stan made a draw.

_I might be able to use this… _he thought. _It will depend on a lot of things…_

_Here goes…_

He set the card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind Gagaga Magician. Then he switched the card on his Disk, and Gagaga Magician knelt in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

He waved his hand to signal the end of his turn.

Aesop drew and looked at the card. He looked at it closely for a minute, as if he wasn't sure about it…

"Ah, what the Hell…" he said.

Fabled Urustos turned into an orb of light.

"The Monster I'm summoning is Level 8…" he said. "But… I can summon it with one sacrifice if I sacrifice a Fabled Monster.

"So… I summon Fabled Dianaira."

This time, there was no doubt of the Fiend's origins… It was never a fallen angel, but a demon through-and-through. It was a hulking, muscular creature with rough, purple skin, bare-chested and wearing armored trousers and gauntlets. It had bat-like wings, horns on its head, and like many other Fableds, a mask over its eyes. (2,800 ATK)

Kuddabi's Attack Score returned to 2,200.

Stan sighed.

"And just what does this guy do?" he asked.

"I'll be glad to tell you," said Aesop. "His effect is kind of like the Dark Deal Trap Card, except he can use it once per turn, and I get to choose which card to discard."

Stan looked at him strangely.

_But seeing as he's trying hard to keep no cards in his hand to maintain Kuddabi's effect, _he thought, _that effect may be kind of redundant…_

He looked at Kuddabi.

_It's invincible if he has NO cards in his hand… But… Does it have a penalty if he has MANY cards in his hand?_

"Attack his Gagaga Magician, Kuddabi!" shouted Aesop.

The blast of light shot from the infernal mare again, and Gagaga Magician was vaporized.

"Now, Dianaira attacks you directly!"

The demon leapt at Stan, and slugged him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him on his behind.

**(S: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,900)**

Stan grunted in pain, but he managed to hit his Disk and activate his face-down card.

"I activate Damage Gate!" he shouted. "Now I can Special Summon Magician's Valkyria from my Graveyard!"

A dark portal appeared in the floor of the cave, and Valkyria rose out of it. She knelt in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"Then it's your move…" said Aesop.

Stan made a draw.

_I think I can defeat Kuddabi… _he thought. _It will just take a little luck…_

He set the card on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.

"I'm done…" he said.

Aesop drew a card, and then played it right away.

"I summon Fabled Gallabas!" he shouted.

Another Fiend appeared that was most likely born a demon. It had an ugly face and barbed protrusions on its scaly arms. It wore plate armor, and held a huge, spiked iron ball connected to a length of chain. (1,500 ATK)

"Kuddabi, you first," said Aesop. "Attack his Spellcaster!"

The Doom Sight blasted again, incinerating Valkyria.

"Fortunately, she was defending…" said Stan.

"I have two more Monsters," said Aesop. "Gallabas, your turn… Strike like a Thunderball!"

The Fiend twirled its weapon around, and then hurled it at the face-down Monster…

But Aesop's eyes opened wide with horror when he saw what it was.

"Not a Morphing Jar!" he screamed.

"That's right!" said Stan, with a smirk. "And judging from your expression, Kuddabi won't like it when you have _five _cards in your hand!"

Aesop sighed as they both made five draws.

"You're right…" said Aesop. "When my hand consists of three or more cards, Kuddabi not only isn't invincible, but it dies during my End Phase… And you lucked out… Since I've already summoned for this turn, and all five of these cards are Monsters, I have no way to reduce my hand to three.

"But… I still have Dianaira and you're defenseless!"

Dianaira rushed at Stan.

"Oh, am I now?" said Stan, as he took a card from his new hand.

"I Special Summon Gagaga Gardna!"

In a burst of energy, the shield-wielding Warrior appeared to block the attack. (2,000 DEF)

"Seems Stan lucked out again," said Andy.

"Big time…" said Francesca.

Dianaira aimed a punch at Gardna…

"I use Gardna's effect!" shouted Stan.

He discarded Anarchist Monk Rashin's card.

"By doing that, Gardna isn't destroyed!"

Gardna held up his shield and strained as he parried the blow.

Aesop chuckled a little.

Then he laughed. He laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" asked Stan.

"Ho boy…" said Aesop. "You ever think about actually going Pro, Stan? I mean, if half the duels I fought on the circuit were as intense as this, my sponsor's profits would double in a week!"

"Uh…" said Stan. "Thanks… I think?"

"All right, I end my turn…" said Aesop. "And like I said…"

The Fabled Kuddabi shattered into pixels.

Stan drew a card. He put it with the others, and chose another one.

"I summon Trident Warrior," he said.

In a flash of light, the bearded Warrior holding the three-pronged spear appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Normally, this guy would let me Special Summon a Level 3 Monster… But I don't have one…

"Still, I don't need one, because now, I can build the Overlay Network again…"

The two Monsters vanished into a vortex of energy, and a lively tune started to fill the air. Fans of classical music would recognize it as a popular piece by French composer Paul Dukas.

"Eh?" said Aesop. "_The Sorcerer's Apprentice?"_

"A personal favorite of mine…" said Stan, as Maestroke appeared in front of him, waving his sword like a conductor's baton. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I'll get rid of one of Maestroke's Overlay Units, and use his effect…"

A wave of musical notes shot towards Dianaira, and it transformed into a set Defense Mode Monster.

"That guy may be tops on offense," said Stan, as Maestroke flew at the set card, "but it's lousy on defense!"

Dianaira briefly appeared kneeling on the card before Maestroke's sword fell, and the demon burst into colored lights.

"I'll throw one card face-down," continued Stan, as two set cards materialized behind Maestroke, "and my turn is over."

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen was on the phone with Armageddon Knight.

"Eh?" she said. "He didn't use Fableds?

"Odd… What _did _he use?"

She listened.

"I see… Very well… As you were…"

She hung up.

_Clearly, this Aesop character is, if nothing else, versatile, _she thought.

**0000000000**

"You know, I have to thank you…" said Aesop, as he made his draw.

He looked at the card. It was Fabled Kushano.

"You see, Stan, because you destroyed that Monster, I now get to summon something I don't get to summon very often… In fact, I've only managed this twice before…"

_Well, now you've done it, Stan, _thought Stan.

"First thing I'm going to do," said Aesop, "is sacrifice Gallabas to summon Fabled Soulkius."

Gallabas turned into a globe of light, and then a bigger Fiend appeared. This seemed to be a step back to the "fallen angel" design seen with previous Fableds, a handsome demon dressed in black with gold design, and metal boots. He had large, leathery wings, and as always, a mask over his eyes. (2,200 ATK)

"And now…" continued Aesop. "By banishing two Light-Attribute Fiends from my Graveyard that are at least Level 8…"

Fabled Dianaira and Fabled Valkyrus appeared behind him and then vanished into nothing.

"…I can Special Summon Fabled D'spayer!"

A cloud of thick smoke started to rise on Aesop's side of the field…

Stan and his two friends were startled when they saw the Monster. It was the Phantom of the Opera!

Well, sort of. The mask was the same, and he was wearing a similar tuxedo, but the tuxedo was rotted and tattered, and there was a definite inhuman look in the one eye that they could see. He held a cane with a golden knob shaped like a fanged skull. (3,400 ATK)

"Like I said," said Aesop, "this guy isn't easy to summon… I've been thinking of taking him out of my deck for a long time… But I guess keeping him around was a good idea…"

Stan nervously looked at the masked Fiend as it looked him in the eye.

"I use D'spayer's effect," said Aesop. "By tossing one card from my hand, he can destroy all Special Summoned Monsters on the field except himself!"

He discarded Fabled Kushano, and a maelstrom of brilliant, crackling energy appeared over the dueling field.

"It's Jowgen the Spiritualist on steroids!" shouted Francesca.

"I use Maestroke's effect!" shouted Stan. "I'll get rid of his other Overlay Unit, and he isn't destroyed."

_Just hang on… _he thought, as he discarded Gagaga Gardna.

"Well then…" said Aesop, as D'spayer slowly removed its mask. "Only room for one composer here… Attack with Penance Stare!"

The Fabled stared without blinking, and Maestroke screamed… Stan's heart skipped a beat as his Monster shattered…

**(S: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,900)**

"Eh?" said Stan. "I only lost 800 Life Points?"

"What?" said Aesop, as D'spayer replaced the mask. "You really thought that a Monster this powerful didn't have a drawback? The Battle Damage it does is halved.

"But… That's not the case with Soulkius…"

Soulkius formed a burning ball of flames in his hands… Stan quickly looked at his face-down card…

_If I trigger my Xyz Reborn to Special Summon Maestroke back in Defense Mode, I can block the direct attack… _he thought. _But… What then? Maestroke would just die again on Aesop's next turn…_

The ball of energy shot at Stan, hitting him in the chest and knocking him over.

**(S: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,900)**

Aesop glanced at the three cards in his hand.

"End…" he said.

He looked at the last two cards in his hand, Fabled Ashenveil, Fabled Miztoji and The Fabled Kokkator.

Fabled Miztoji was a Level 2 Tuner, but it had an added effect: If discarded, it allowed _any _Fabled to act as a Tuner.

_If all goes right,_ he thought, _I can summon Kokkator and then use this guy's effect__… I'll have the required ten Levels of Monsters to Synchro Summon Leviathan next turn… And if I'm lucky, I might even be able to Special Summon Soulkius again…_

"All right, draw!" shouted Stan.

He made a draw.

Then one of his set cards lifted up.

"I activate Xyz Reborn!" he shouted.

The sound of guitar music echoed through the cave again, and Muzurhythm the String Djinn appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

"Not only does my Trap bring my guitarist back, but the Trap itself becomes an Overlay Unit."

"I don't see how that's going to help him beat D'spayer," said Aesop.

"You of all people should know, Aesop," said Stan, "a card that can't work well with the other cards in your deck won't amount to much…

"I play Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and a dark portal appeared on the cave floor. Gagaga Magician rose out of it. (1,500 ATK)

"Then, I'll summon Gagaga Girl," he continued.

There was a shower of flower petals and sparling motes, and the female Spellcaster appeared with a graceful pose. (1,000 ATK)

"I'll lower Gagaga Magician's Level to 3," said Stan.

The four stars appeared on the Spellcaster's belt, and one of them vanished.

"And with the Overlay Network in place again," he said, as the two Gagagas turned into orbs of energy, "I can turn Muzurhythm's solo act into a duet!

"I Xyz Summon… Melomelody the Brass Djinn!"

There was the sound of loud horns, and the green-haired female Djinn appeared astride her huge French horn. (1,400 ATK)

"Wondering why I used a Monster with 1,500 Attack Points to summon one with 1,400?" asked Stan. "For starters, Gagaga Girl's effect lets Melomelody reduce Lon Chaney over there to an Attack Score of zero."

Fabled D'spayer grunted and held his chest. (0 ATK)

"What's more," said Stan, "when two Djinns perform together, they're far more deadly than one of them alone, because a Djinn's effect can be applied to _any _Xyz Monster with the word 'Djinn' in its name.

"I'll show you… Melomelody's effect lets me detach one of her Overlay Units so that any Djinn I have can attack twice…"

"But that means…" said Aesop.

"Exactly…" said Stan, as he discarded Gagaga Girl's card. "By giving that ability to Muzurhythm and using his own effect, Muzurhythm can attack twice… With 3,000 Attack Points each time!

"Talk about playing up a storm…"

The Fiend guitarist started to strum his instrument more fiercely than ever. (3,000 ATK) The wave of sound shot at Fabled Soulkius, blowing the demon to pieces.

"He's not done!" said Stan, as Muzurhythm continued to play. "The encore's gonna be even better!"

Another blast of sound darted at D'spayer, and Aesop screamed as the well-dressed Fiend was smashed into particles of light.

"And now Melomelody can bring this to a close!" said Stan. "Attack directly with Melodic Wave!"

The Brass Djinn put her lips to the mouthpiece of her horn and blew, sending a strong pitch that plowed into Aesop and knocked him down.

"And that's that…" said Stan. "Take a bow you two…"

**(S: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 0)**

"Ugh…" said Aesop.

"Aesop?" said Stan. "You okay?"

"Man…" said Aesop. "I haven't had a duel that intense since the _final _round of the Italy Nationals…"

"What kind of deck did that guy play?" asked Francesca.

"Psychics…" sighed Aesop. "I thought I was in bad shape when he destroyed Valkyrus with Hyper Psychic Blaster… But then it got about ten times worse when he used Assault Mode Activate and…

"Well, better you didn't know…"

He took a Crystal Card out of his pocket.

"After all this, you'd better get to the finals, Stan," he said, as he handed it to him. "If I manage to get there, I want you to be there too…"

"I'll look forward to it…" replied Stan.

"Hey…" said Andy. "The rain stopped…"

They peaked out of the mine entrance and saw that it had indeed.

A large, beautiful rainbow was in the sky to the south, right in the direction where they were headed.

_Arcadia can be such a beautiful place sometimes… _thought Stan. _Maybe all of it used to be that way… Maybe it was once a practical paradise…_

_Long ago… Before the Shadow Queen came here…_

**0000000000**

They watched the rainbow until it faded away, as rainbows, sadly, always do.

Not much needed to be said after that. They said goodbye to Aesop, and continued on their way towards Poshley Heights…

A potential ally waited for them there… As did a powerful enemy…

**0000000000**

**EMONIEL'S BALANCE (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A dark-skinned, scantily clad, winged, male, muscular figure holding a set of golden scales.

**Card Description: **Activate when a LIGHT Monster you control battles an opposing Monster. For the Damage Step only, the ATK of your Monster becomes equal to the ATK of the opposing Monster.

**0000000000**

**FABLED D'SPAYRE (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Light/Effect/Lvl10/3,400ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except from your hand by banishing 2 Level 8 or higher LIGHT Fiend-Type Monsters from your Graveyard. Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to destroy all Special Summoned Monsters on the field except this card. Battle Damage your opponent takes from battles involving this card is halved.

**0000000000**

_**The heirs of the Three Heroes now have seven apiece… Stage one of their quest is almost at an end…**_

_**Next:**_

_**At Poshley Heights, where the upper class of Arcadia lives, the Heir of Shadow finally appears. Vladimir, the Shadow Spawn of Darkness, the Queen's eldest son.**_

_**Saying anything else would be giving it away.**_

"_**Fear from the Dark" is coming next. **_

_**And for those who want even more… Check out "Shadowchasers: Tournament of Shadows", a collaborative fanfic written by myself, Lux Nero, and MultiplePersonas, starting NOW!**_


	29. Fear from the Dark

_**We've come to Poshley Heights, the place where the upper class of Arcadia live…**_

_**And I'm facing one of Arcadia's most feared residents… The eldest of the Shadow Spawn… Vladimir, the Heir of Shadow…**_

_**And his attack, if you can call it that, has come as a complete surprise.**_

_**His siblings have used blackmail, threats, hostages, and curses in order to get us to face them. I expected the most feared member of the Queen's enforcers to use the same methods, but he clearly hasn't…**_

_**I'd almost swear that he wasn't related to the others at all, except for one thing… Being around him makes me feel uneasy… It kind of gives me the same feeling I had when I was eight years old, when I was in bed at night, nervous about the things in the shadows that all young children believe are there…**_

_**I doubt this is going to be easy…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL TWENTY-NINE**

**0000000000**

**Fear from the Dark**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As the three teenagers walked on, the road became even more well-maintained. Eventually, the meadows gave way to well-manicured lawns and flower gardens.

Then houses appeared. Very large, very fancy houses. Even the smallest house could probably be called a villa, while a few of them were nothing less than mansions. The three duelists felt very much out of place.

"Seems like the hoi-polloi lives here," said Andy.

"Actually, Mr. Markova, if you mean that rich people live here, 'hoi-polloi' is not an accurate term," said a voice that had a clearly British accent.

They turned, and saw a man sitting on a bench, his face hidden by a book. The only words on the book were written in Latin, a language they didn't understand, so they had no idea what it was. He was wearing a sports jacket, vest, shirt, tie, slacks, and leather shoes.

"See," he continued, "the term is from the Greek, and means 'the many'. It was used to refer to the lower class.

"You're obviously thinking of how Moe Howard used the term in a _Three Stooges _short of the same name when he used the term to describe the upper class… I believe that the Stooges had the rich folk acting like _they _typically did at the end, and Howard said it to mock them."

"Uh…" said Andy. "How did you… Know my name?"

The man but the book down, revealing a handlebar mustache, slate grey eyes, and grey hair.

"I know all your names," he said. "Word is spreading about you three fast…"

He stood up.

"My card…" he said, offering them a business card.

Andy took it and looked at it.

**P.T. Pennington, DD**

**Doctor of Divinity**

"Whoa…" said Francesca. "Hank was right… He did find us… And rather fast…"

"Doctor of Divinity?" asked Stan, scratching his head.

"It's only an honorary doctorate in your country," replied Pennington. "A little more serious in Great Britain, however…"

"So, word about us has been spreading?" asked Andy.

"I should say so," replied Pennington. "You three have been making fools of the Shadow Spawn. Not easy to do…"

He took a watch out of his jacket pocket.

"One o'clock…" he said. "Maybe we can talk over lunch? My treat?"

"Uh, isn't food free for tournament guests?" asked Francesca.

"Yes," replied Pennington, "but trust me, in Poshley Heights, it helps to have someone like me around…

"You'll find many friends here, but many enemies as well… And sometimes, it's hard to tell which is which…

"In a place like this, alliances can even change at a moment's notice…"

**0000000000**

The restaurant that Pennington took them to was _very _fancy. Just looking at the menu, Francesca was glad that someone else was paying.

"You seem to be an oddity around here, Pennington," said Stan. "Someone who isn't afraid of the Shadow Spawn."

"Of course I'm afraid of them," replied Pennington. "But I'm relatively certain that I won't be a target for as long as their tyrant of a mother stays locked up in her palace.

"You may have heard of Arcadia's rich uranium mines? The backbone of its economy?"

They all nodded.

"Well…" said Pennington, his voice lowering. "You've been all over Arcadia… Seen any mining operations? Any refining plants? Any building at all that suggests something to do with uranium?"

They looked at him strangely.

"Now that you mention it…" said Andy. "Aside from that collapsed mine that we were in…"

"I can't be specific…" said Pennington, "but the uranium mines are actually in another place, on the property of some very powerful… beings. Negotiating with these beings takes unique skills that are hard to learn. Only two people have them, me, and the Shadow Queen herself.

"And they refuse to deal with her, because they won't deal with someone who won't meet with them in person, which she can't do because she can't leave her palace.

"So for the past one-thousand years, all of her dealings with these creatures have had to be done via an intermediary, and right now, I'm the only one who's qualified."

"So if she got rid of you," said Francesca, "Arcadia would collapse into economic ruin."

"Exactly," said Pennington. "I despise her, and the feeling is mutual, but she can't find anyone else who can learn how to do what I can do, so she has no choice."

"One time she got so fed up, she did arrest me, and tried meeting with them using that hologram trick she uses… Big mistake. They took it as an insult. She had no choice but to grant me a pardon. And then I was the one who had to deliver her less-than-sincere apology to those… things."

"Believe me, I only work for her because if I didn't, the people of Arcadia would starve… I just have to hope that she never escapes…"

"You, uh…" said Stan. "There isn't any talk of insurrection floating around?"

"You didn't hear that from me…" said Pennington, in an even softer voice, "but let me tell you, I know a few people, and they've all become very excited to hear about what the three of you have been doing."

"So…" said Francesca. "You've been inside the Palace of Shadow?"

Pennington nodded.

"Only when I absolutely must," he said. "Not enough to know of any weaknesses in its construction, I'm afraid. The place was clearly designed by an insane architect… A lot of its rooms and passageways have purposes that only the Queen knows about. And on top of it, I think she has the power to change the place as she desires. I'm not certain if her power there is absolute, but it may well be.

"And being there on official business for her is only slightly better than being a prisoner. Being a guest can be even worse."

"Worse?" said Stan.

"Her children's fathers started as guests, and I think you know what happened to them," said Pennington. "Gaining the Queen's personal attention, even if positive, is never desirable… Having her show affection towards you is a practical death sentence. None of her lovers have ever lasted long.

"Whenever I have to go there, I finish what I have to do and leave as soon as possible."

"Lovely…" muttered Stan. "If we manage to gain Crystal Stars, we'll be walking into the lion's den… And that may be the whole point…"

**0000000000**

At the entrance to the restaurant, the maître de was writing something down in a book. The door opened, and a young man entered.

"Excuse me," he said. "Someone told me that Mr. Mason, Mr. Markova, and Ms. Benedict were here?"

"They're dining with Dr. Pennington, and they do not wish to be disturbed," replied the maître de.

"Can I leave a message then?" asked the young man.

"Sir, if you don't mind…" said the maître de, looking up.

Then he turned white.

The young man looked about nineteen, with dark hair, and was dressed all in black; however, his clothing was rather simple. A t-shirt, jacket, and slacks, but not much that would set him apart, except for dark sunglasses.

"L-lord… Vladimir…" he said.

"If it isn't too much trouble…" said the young man.

"No!" stammered the maître de. "No trouble at all… Right this way…"

**0000000000**

"This whole obsession the Queen had with Duel Monsters started about twenty years ago, I would say," said Pennington. "A few years after Battle City, thereabouts.

"That's when these Duel Spirits you kids have been seeing started to appear, presumably summoned by the Queen, and she implemented this aberration of a justice system to deal with subjects who offended her.

"At first, hired soldiers were in charge of doing it. The problem was, their loyalty and skill was questionable. Then eventually, Vladimir turned thirteen, and he started showing up to handle offenders.

"The Queen's grip on power got tighter then, and it tightened even more each year as another of her children became old enough to do the job. As of last year, Melissa joined her siblings, and the Queen's elite team of enforcers was complete."

"And that's when she started making her plans for us?" asked Stan.

"More than likely…" replied Pennington. "Those six were practically raised from birth with this goal in mind… Why Duel Monsters? I don't know… I think it reflects the Queen's hypocrisy, using a system with rules to enforce the will of a domain where her word is law.

"She has told me that she will never go back on her word or break it outright…"

"Yeah, she did offer to disqualify Maria after she cheated…" said Francesca.

"But then…" said Pennington, "even if she gives her word, there are ways to get around it…

"Have you ever seen the Disney version of _Peter Pan?_"

"Of course…" said Andy.

"You might remember then in one scene," said Pennington, "where Captain Hook promises Tinker Bell that he will not lay a finger – or hook – on Peter, but then plants a bomb in Peter's hideout, because he _didn't _say he wouldn't do _that. _The Queen can be like that sometimes… Never break the rules…"

"But manipulate them as much as you can…" said Stan, with a sigh.

Pennington was about to say something else, but then the very frightened maître de rushed up to the table.

"Dr. Pennington…" he said. "I'm _very _sorry, but…"

A sour frown appeared on Pennington's face as the Shadow Spawn of Darkness walked up to the table.

"Vladimir…" said Pennington, with a scowl.

"Pennington…" replied Vladimir.

It wasn't hard for the three duelists to deduce that these two had met several times before, and didn't like each other much.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Vladimir.

They just glared at him without answering. He pulled up a chair and sat down, the back facing forward.

It was strange. Stan, Francesca, and Andy had so many things they thought they would say to this person when they met him…

Yet, Andy could only say one thing to break the silence.

"Do you always wear sunglasses indoors?" he asked.

Vladimir smiled, and it actually seemed like a rather pleasant smile.

"A valid question, Mr. Markova," he said, adjusting his sunglasses. "You see, being the member of my siblings representing Dark gives me many advantages, but many disadvantages as well… One of those disadvantages makes my eyes very sensitive to light."

"But I guess it's a small price to pay for power," replied Francesca. "So what now, Shadow Spawn of Darkness? I suppose you're going to hold the folks in this place hostage? Throw a hex on this town?"

Vladimir sighed.

"I do not walk that route," he said. "My brothers and sisters sadly engage in such dishonorable means of persuasion, and I apologize for their actions… However…"

"Wait…" said Stan.

"Yes?" replied Vladimir.

"That was an apology?" asked Stan. "You sure you're related to them?"

"Unfortunately yes," said Vladimir.

"But you're here for the same reason they came looking for us, I take it?" replied Andy.

"Yes, but I have no intention of forcing you…" said Vladimir. "My mother demands your arrest, and I'm here to do that…

"I just hope to convince you to duel willingly, rather through any sort of threat."

"And just how do you intend to do that?" asked Stan. "I suppose you're going to say something like 'If I have to force you, I will'?"

"Well, Mr. Mason," said Vladimir, "you've already beaten my five siblings… If you accept my challenge and win, it is probable that you won't have to deal with the Shadow Spawn again."

"How come?" asked Andy.

"My other siblings are being punished for their failure," replied Vladimir. "Mom said that their punishment ends when your three have been defeated."

"So then it stands to reason that all of you in that situation would get you all out of our hair for good?" asked Andy. "And protect everyone else on Arcadia from your mock trials? How can we say no?"

"Who do you want to duel?" asked Stan.

"As many of you as I can," replied Vladimir. "I brought three decks, and I'm fully capable of dueling three times in a row… But I'll leave if any of you prove victorious."

The three of them looked at each other. Stan and Francesca nodded.

"Fine…" said Andy. "You're on. Seeing as I've only had the 'pleasure' of dealing with one member of your family and they each had to handle two… I'll take the first duel."

"Very well…" said Vladimir. "In the meantime… Lunch will be on me… Garcon?"

Pennington sighed.

_I have a bad feeling about this… _he thought.

**0000000000**

Given Vladimir's attitude, it was almost hard to believe that he was the Shadow Queen's son at all. He wasn't rude once, and not only paid the tab, but left a tip that was slightly more than fifteen percent.

Still, something about him still made them uneasy… He had a strange and unpleasant aura around him that was hard to place…

As Andy faced Vladimir outside, no-one came out to watch, but he, his two allies, and Pennington did notice a few people peeking out the windows of their houses.

"I still don't trust you, Vladimir," said Andy, as he shuffled his deck.

"Frankly, I don't blame you," replied Vladimir.

Andy looked at him. _That _was a response he did _not _expect.

He took his own sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. Strangely, for some reason, they didn't make him feel quite as confident now as they usually did.

His Duel Disk activated. Then Vladimir held out his left arm, and a shadowy aura appeared around it. A Duel Disk – a normal one, it seemed – appeared on it.

"Uh, why don't you go first…" said Andy.

_Maybe I'm best see what I'm up against before I do anything, _thought Andy.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vladimir: 8,000)**

"Pennington, have you seen Vladimir duel before?" asked Francesca, with a worried look.

"Have I ever…" said the old man with a sigh. "He was the one who arrested me that time I mentioned. And believe me, when he duels, the game takes a whole different turn…"

Vladimir drew his first card, and chose one of the six cards.

"I summon Steelswarm Caller," he said.

As he played the card, there was a hideous droning, like the buzzing of insect wings. Then a Monster flew over his head and landed in front of him, a gaunt, bug-like humanoid with a sunken face, grey skin, and wasp-like wings. (1,700 ATK)

"Steelswarms…" said Stan. "I've heard of them…"

"I throw a card face-down…" continued Vladimir, as one card appeared set in his Spell Zone, "and I conclude my turn…"

"All right, draw!" shouted Andy.

He drew a card, and looked at his hand.

The six cards were Hand Destruction, Polymerization, Red Eyes B. Dragon, Goddess

With the Third Eye, Twin-Headed Behemoth, and Immortal Dragon.

_Whoa, this is the best opening hand I've had in ages! _he thought.

He started to reach for the Polymerization.

_I just have to summon Meteor Black Dragon, then summon Twin-Headed Behemoth, then set Immortal Dragon…_

Then his hand froze.

He stopped. He looked at the card that Vladimir had set…

His hand started to tremble… It slowly moved away from Polymerization…

"Uh…" he said.

He took three other cards.

"I'll set these, and I'll end my turn," he said quickly, as a set Monster and two set cards behind it appeared.

_Huh? _thought Francesca. _Andy's defending?_

Vladimir drew a card. Then held out his hand, and his Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Needlebug Nest," he said. "By using this card, I send five cards from my deck to the Graveyard…"

Five cards flew off of his deck, and then vanished.

"Now that I've done that, I sacrifice Steelswarm Caller, to summon Steelswarm Moth…"

Caller turned into a dark orb of energy, and another ugly creature that looked like a man-shaped bug appeared. It was tall and thin, with a black exoskeleton, and wings that, naturally, resembled a moth's, along with a thick, knobbed tail. (2,400 ATK)

"Because I used Steelswarm Caller as a sacrifice to summon another Steelswarm, its effect now activates, letting me summon a Level 4 or lower Steelswarm from my deck. I thus summon Steelswarm Gatekeeper."

There was another aura of darkness, and a Monster that looked like a six-legged dog covered completely with a black, crustacean exoskeleton appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Steelswarm Moth's effect also activates, because I summoned it by sacrificing another Steelswarm… By paying 1,000 Life Points, I can now send two of your cards back to your hand… I choose… _Those _two."

He pointed to the two cards behind Andy's Monster, and Moth flapped its wings, causing another sickly drone. The two cards were blown off the field.

"Gatekeeper, attack his Monster… Chilling Ray."

The Fiend's eyes glowed green, and two bolts of energy shot out of them. Goddess With the Third Eye appeared on the card, and shattered into pieces.

"HUH?" said Stan and Francesca at once.

"Steelswarm Moth, attack directly," said Vladimir.

Moth beat its wings again, and bolts of sonic energy shot into Andy, pushing him backwards five times before he fell down.

**(A: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 7,000)**

"That is not right!" said Stan. "Why in the world did Andy defend with _that _Monster?"

"He was scared of Vladimir's set card…" muttered Pennington.

"That makes no sense!" shouted Francesca. "Andy has _never _been so cautious in a duel before!"

"Against Vladimir, it's very different…" sighed Pennington. "Very…

"You may have noticed how each of the Shadow Spawn can control the element that they are associated with… How Kurtis can command Wind, Leopold can alter Earth, and so forth…

"Vladimir's abilities as the Shadow Spawn of Darkness are a bit more complex… He is the embodiment of a near-instinctual fear that lies deep in the souls of most sentient beings."

"A fear?" asked Francesca.

"Humans naturally fear what they cannot see," said Pennington. "Fear of the dark… It is what caused primitive man to huddle close to their campfires, dreading the night. It is what causes children to cower under their blankets at night, hiding from imaginary monsters.

"Vladimir radiates an aura that brings this fear to the surface in anyone who confronts him. As a result, when he duels, his opponent fears any card that he does not know about, any reversed card at all.

"An opponent always assumes that a set card in his Spell Zone is Mirror Force… If he's already played Mirror Force, his opponent assumes it's Magic Cylinder. He assumes any set Monster is Newdoria, unless he has less than 1,000 Life Points left, in which case he fears that it's a Marshmallon. Despite the fact that Marshmallon is a Light Monster, and unlikely to be used by Vladimir, the possibility suddenly becomes very real to the opponent.

"Vladimir's power makes his opponent too afraid to take chances with any set card, and it often leads to disaster…"

"It's your move…" said Vladimir.

Andy nervously made a draw. He looked at it.

"I'll set these cards again…" he said, as he set the two cards that Moth's effect had returned to his hand. "And then I'll set another Monster…"

Another reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"And I end my turn…"

Vladimir drew a card. He looked at it.

"I activate the Spell Card, Hyperparasitism," he said as he played it.

"Hyperparasitism?" said Andy. "Don't like the sound of that…"

"It's a biological term for a parasitic relationship where a parasite feeds on another parasite," explained Vladimir. "And that describes the Steelswarm to a T. The high-Level ones can only use their powers if they're Tribute Summoned by using other Steelswarms as sacrifices… They literally consume their own kind.

"Anyway… I play this card at the beginning of my turn, and then, at the _end _of my turn, I get to take one Steelswarm from my Graveyard for each one that I Tribute Summoned."

_Each one? _thought Francesca. _He says that as if he can Tribute Summon more than one…_

"I sacrifice Steelswarm Moth…" said Vladimir.

The larger Steelswarm turned into an aura of darkness.

"…to summon Steelswarm Mantis."

A new Steelswarm appeared, this one with the same black armor, smaller insectoid wings, and mantis-like blades on its arms. (2,200 ATK)

"He sacrificed his Monster to summon a weaker one?" asked Francesca.

"Only so I could summon an even stronger one," replied Vladimir. "You see, when Mantis is Tribute Summoned, I can drop 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon another Steelswarm from my Graveyard, including the one I just sacrificed."

Steelswarm Moth appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"I next use Gatekeeper's effect," he continued. "When it's on the field when I Tribute Summon a Steelswarm, I'm allowed a second Normal Summon for the turn.

"Thus, I sacrifice Mantis and Gatekeeper…"

The two Steelswarms turned into an even bigger aura of darkness.

"…to summon Steelswarm Caucastag."

There was a low snarl, and a Fiend appeared that stood head and shoulders over Moth. It still had bug-like features, but unlike Moth and Mantis, it was hulking, and was clearly more demon than bug. Pointed and serrated edges covered its armored exoskeleton, and it had claws the size of daggers and a wicked, barbed tail. (2,800 ATK)

"Clearly the stories about Vladimir being the most skilled of his siblings weren't exaggerated," whispered Stan.

"We're in for the fight of our lives…" gasped Francesca.

"This was not the deck he used when I faced him…" muttered Pennington. "But then, he would have been foolish to have used one that I could have warned you about."

"I now use Caucastag's effect…" said Vladimir. "Rather, it has two effects I can use when it's Tribute Summoned, and I get to choose one. I can either destroy all Monsters on the field except itself, or destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field…

"I think I will choose… The latter option…"

Andy bowed his head…

Then he heard a voice shouting in his ear.

"_By __Blabberton's beard, lad! Snap out of it!"_

Andy's eyes opened wide.

"Bobbery?" he gasped.

Then he realized something. His set Spell and Trap Card… He could still use them…

"I chain-activate my two cards!" he shouted.

The first one lifted up.

"Hand Destruction! We both discard two cards and make two draws."

He quickly discarded Red-Eyes and Polymerization, while Vladimir discarded Steelswarm Sting and Steelswarm Sentinel. They both drew twice.

"Then, Immortal Dragon!" he shouted, as his Trap Card flipped up.

With a loud roar, Red-Eyes appeared in front of him. (2,400 ATK)

_Seems Andy gained a small burst of courage…_ thought Pennington. _But he still made a small error… He really should have summoned that Dragon in Defense Mode._

"I have to thank you, Andy…" said Vladimir. "Caucastag's effect may have been wasted, but at least I was able to draw this card…"

He opened the Field Zone on his Spell, and played a card. Suddenly, darkness started to creep over the field, covering the whole area.

"What's happening?" gasped Andy.

"Don't panic…" said Vladimir. "It's just Mystic Plasma Zone. A perfectly ordinary Field Spell. Of course, it benefits my Monsters, giving all Dark-Attribute Monsters 500 more Attack Points. Sure, it causes them to lose 400 Defense Points, but seeing as almost all Steelswarms have a Defense Score of zero, that's kind of redundant."

(Steelswarm Moth: 2,900 ATK; Steelswarm Caucastag: 3,300 ATK)

"Of course, your Red-Eyes benefits from this Field Spell as well…"

(2,900 ATK)

"So then… No harm, no foul… Attack his Dragon with Ruin Plague."

The foul demon lifted its wings, and a swarm of locusts, lice, and biting flies flew at Red-Eyes. Andy forced himself to look away as his Dragon was literally eaten alive.

Then Steelswarm Moth released its sonic waves again, and Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared on the set card briefly before it shattered.

"I throw one card facedown, and I end my turn…" said Vladimir, as a facedown card appeared in his Spell Zone. "Which means, because I Tribute Summoned two Steelswarm, the effect of Hyperparasitism lets me take two from my Graveyard."

He took two cards from his discard slot.

He paused for a minute.

"Uh, Andy?" he said. "I ended my turn… Your Twin-Headed Behemoth? Remember?"

"Eh?" said Andy. "Oh…"

He placed the card on his Disk, and the Dragon reappeared in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,000)**

"Care to tell me why you decided to be so nice and remind me?" asked Andy.

"You want me to make this even more unpleasant than it's going to be later?" asked Vladimir.

"I guess not…" sighed Andy, as he made a draw.

Then he looked at it in surprise. It was Bobbery's card.

_No wonder he was able to reach me there! _he thought.

"I sacrifice Behemoth…" he said, as the Dragon vanished.

Then, Bobbery appeared, his fuse sparking. (2,200 ATK)

"Eh?" said Vladimir.

"Get 'em!" shouted Andy. "Bob-ombast!"

Then Bobbery exploded, blowing the two Steelswarms into bug residue and knocking Vladimir on his back.

"Ugh…" said the Shadow Spawn of Darkness, as he held his head. "That wasn't supposed to happen…"

Pennington looked at Vladimir intently. Then he nudged Francesca.

"That Monster that Andy just used…" he whispered. "I assume it was a special card?"

"You might say that…" she replied.

"It seems to have nullified Vladimir's aura…" he said. "This might just turn in Andy's favor."

"Might?" asked Francesca.

"Well, if he can somehow gain a major advantage over Vladimir _fast, _he may manage to win," replied Pennington. "You see, I've seen Vladimir lose his aura before, but it's always temporary.

"It will return…"

"After how long?" asked Stan, nervously.

"Well… It's hard to say…" replied Pennington.

Andy looked Vladimir in the eye.

"I end my turn…"he said.

_I ended with nothing on the field… _he thought. _But I think I may be safe… Vladimir must have discarded a few Monsters with Needlebug Nest… I have a feeling that the Monsters he took from his Graveyard with that Spell may be high-Level ones that he intended to Tribute Summon this turn…_

Vladimir set two cards, and a set Monster appeared, followed by another set card behind it.

"Mmm…" he said.

_Seems I was right,_ thought Andy.

He drew a card.

"It's my Standby Phase," he said, as globules of energy filled the air, "which means Bobbery comes back."

The globules coalesced, and turned back into the Admiral. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" he shouted.

There was a shimmering aura of energy, and the gemstone Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"Think you can intimidate me with a Light Monster?" asked Vladimir. "I'm not a vampire, Mr. Markova."

"Attack his Monster!" shouted Andy. "Blinding Blast!"

Alexandrite Dragon shot a bolt of pure energy from its jaws, and a weird, lumpy thing with eyes on appeared right before it was obliterated.

"What was that?" asked Stan.

"I believe it was Steelswarm Genome," replied Pennington. "A rather weak Steelswarm, but dangerous if used with other Steelswarms. Andy is lucky he got rid of it."

"Bobbery, attack Vladimir directly!" ordered Andy.

Bobbery hopped towards the Shadow Spawn.

"I activate… this," said Vladimir, as one of his face-down cards lifted up.

"Oh no, he wasn't bluffing…" said Francesca, with a worried look.

"It's called Infestation Ripples," continued Vladimir. "I pay 500 Life Points, and then Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Steelswarm Monster from my Graveyard.

"I choose Steelswarm Sting."

There was another loud droning, and an armored Fiend resembling a big hornet appeared, hovering over the ground with its wings beating. (1,850 ATK) –) (2,350 ATK)

Andy sighed. He set a card in his Disk, and a face-down card appeared behind his two Monsters.

"Guess I'll end there…" he said.

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,500)**

Vladimir made his draw, and then played the card.

"I activate The Beginning of the End," he said. "I have at least seven Dark Monsters in my Graveyard, so I can now banish five of them to draw three times."

He pocketed the five cards, and then made three draws.

"But it seems that the name of the card was somewhat deceptive," he continued. "This duel is just beginning. I play D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation."

He played the card and then discarded Deck Devastation Virus from his hand.

"By discarding one card, I can Special Summon one of the Monsters I banished, and I choose… Steelswarm Caller."

Again, the gaunt, lanky, winged Steelswarm appeared. (1,700 ATK) –) (2,200 ATK)

"Why that one?" asked Andy. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to summon Steelswarm Caucastag?"

"You'll see why in a minute," replied Vladimir. "For now…

"Sting, attack Admiral Bobbery with Stinger Missile."

The demonic wasp pointed its stinger, and needle-like bolts of energy shot from it, stabbing into Bobbery. He grunted, and then shattered. Andy bowed his head sadly.

"Caller, attack with Power Purge," continued Vladimir.

The next attack was rather disgusting. Caller literally vomited a high-pressure stream of vile gunk at Alexandrite Dragon, melting it into a puddle of goo.

**(A: 4,850) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,500)**

"Now, it's time to use one of my more unorthodox strategies," said Vladimir, as the two Steelswarm turned into dark shadows of energy. "By building the Overlay Network, I can Xyz Summon one of the most powerful Steelswarm…

"I Xyz Summon… Steelswarm Roach!"

The darkness of Mystic Plasma Zone parted, and a beam of energy shot from the heavens…

Strangely, the Steelswarm that appeared didn't seem like the others at all. It actually looked somewhat benign. It didn't look like a cross between a demon and a bug… It looked more like a man wearing bug-themed armor, sort of like a character from the _Kamen Rider _series. On top of it, the armor was gold and black instead of just black, and it held a long spear. (1,900 ATK) –) (2,400 ATK)

"Most powerful?" asked Andy, as he lifted an eyebrow. "It only has fifty Attack Points more than Sting."

"Looks deceive," said Vladimir. "You ever hear about how resilient roaches are? How they'd be the only survivors of a nuclear apocalypse?

"Well… That's kind of an exaggeration, but this one was rather hardy. When the Steelswarm unleashed the plague that created the Evilswarm, it wiped them out in the process… All except this one. It was the only true Steelswarm to survive.

"But it has a powerful Effect… If you try to Special Summon a Monster that's Level 5 or higher, I can get rid of one of its Overlay Units to negate that Special Summoning."

"So what does that leave Andy with?" asked Pennington.

"Not much…" replied Francesca. "His Fusions are all higher than Level 5… His Tyrant Dragon can beat that thing, but Normal Summoning it is gonna be a problem…"

"I end my turn…" said Vladimir.

_I can still beat that Roach if I manage to draw Axe Dragonute… _thought Andy. _With this Field Spell, he'd have 2,500 Attack Points, and that's just enough…_

He drew a card.

_But this isn't it! Dragon's Mirror? Not the best time for that…_

He set a card on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.

"I'll end my turn…" he said.

Vladimir drew again.

"I Equip my Roach with Fairy Meteor Crush," he said.

Andy gulped as a fiery aura surrounded the Xyz.

"I'm sure you know what that does," said Vladimir, as Roach lifted its spear.

The Steelswarm leapt across the field, and Masked Dragon appeared crouching in Defense Mode right before it was impaled by the creature's weapon.

"GAH!" said Andy. "I use Masked Dragon's effect!"

There was a small burst of flame, and a second Masked Dragon appeared in front of him, this time in Attack Mode. (1,400 ATK)

**(A: 3,550) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,500)**

Vladimir nodded.

Andy drew. It was Monster Reborn. Still not something that was useful against Roach.

"_Andy?"_ said Bobbery's voice.

"Bobbery?" said Andy, softly.

"_Listen, lad…" _said Bobbery. _"I know this is difficult for you… Clearly, it's hard to fight Vladimir's influence…_

"_But you have to try. Roach's effect is not foolproof… It does have a weakness…_

"_You see…"_

Bobbery tried to say something else, but his voice faded, and Andy couldn't hear what came next.

Andy looked closely at Steelswarm Roach, trying to figure out what Bobbery was about to say…

_A weakness… _he thought. _Maybe…_

Then an idea started to form…

"I pass," he said. "Your move…"

Vladimir made a draw.

He set it, and a new face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone. Then he pointed, and Roach threw his spear again.

Andy grunted in pain again.

"I Special Summon… Ancient Dragon!" he shouted.

In another aura of light, the majestic-looking Dragon appeared with its wings outstretched. (1,400 ATK)

"It's your move…" said Vladimir.

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 5,500)**

"And this one is gonna count!" said Andy, as he made a draw.

_This will be good just in case… _he thought.

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted, as he played a card.

The holy symbol appeared, illuminating the darkness of the Mystic Plasma Zone, and Alexandrite Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"I figured out your Roach's weakness, Vlad," said Andy, as the two Dragons combined into the Overlay Vortex. "If it can negate the Special Summoning of high-Level Monsters, I'll just have to summon one that has no Level at all!"

There was the typical explosion of anti-matter that proceeded the appearance of an Xyz Monster, and Queen Dragun appeared in front of him. (2,200 ATK)

"Of course!" gasped Pennington. "Steelswarm Roach can't negate an Xyz Summon, because Xyz Monsters don't have Levels!"

Vladimir laughed softly.

"Pretty clever…" he said. "Not many people are able to figure out Roach's weakness… At least not so quickly…"

"Yeah, well your Roach is in big trouble," said Andy. "Queen Dragun is a Dark Monster, which means your own Field Spell gives her 500 more Attack Points."

(2,700 ATK)

"Stomp that Roach!" he shouted. "Purgatory Inferno!"

The Queen pointed her scepter at the Steelswarm.

"I activate… Slipshod Support!" exclaimed Vladimir, as one of his face-down cards lifted up. "Because my Monster has zero Defense Points, this Trap switches it to Defense Mode, but makes it invincible for this turn!"

Roach knelt and held its spear in its lap. (0 DEF)

Andy raised an eyebrow. Then _his _Trap Card lifted up.

"Dragon's Rage?" screamed Vladimir.

The blast of fire from Queen Dragon hit Roach, and while Roach withstood it, Vladimir certainly didn't. He actually screamed in pain as the impact from the blast knocked him down.

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 2,800)**

"Okay, Vladimir clearly didn't expect _that!" _said Pennington.

"I'll throw one card face-down, and my turn is over…" said Andy quietly, as another set card appeared behind Queen Dragun.

Vladimir held his chest as he sat up. Then his other Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Shock Draw…" he said.

He stood up, and drew twice.

Then he made his regular draw, and looked over his hand.

_He's a worthy foe, _thought the Shadow Spawn. _I haven't had a challenge like this since Pennington… But… I can end this now…_

"This Monster is Level 7," he said, as he held up a card. "But… I can summon it with one sacrifice, providing that sacrifice is a Steelswarm.

"So, I sacrifice Roach…"

The Xyz turned into a glob of darkness.

"…to summon Steelswarm Girastag."

The huge Fiend that appeared didn't have much to differentiate itself from Steelswarm Caucastag. Maybe slightly shorter, less hulking, with a few less pointed edges. What really made it stand out was its right arm, which had a blaster like weapon at the end instead of a hand. (2,600 ATK) –) (3,100 ATK)

"When this Monster is Normal Summoned, I get to send one opposing Monster to the Graveyard," said Vladimir, "and I don't have to pay any Life Points this time… In fact, I _gain _1,000 of them."

Queen Dragon clutched her chest in pain as she was surrounded by a dark shadow. Then the shadow completely covered her, and she seemingly dissolved into the darkness.

_Okay, now we're in trouble… _thought Andy.

Girastag pointed its weapon-arm at Andy, and it glowed with sickly green light.

"Finish him off…" said Vladimir.

"I activate… Nitwit Outwit!" shouted Andy, as his set card lifted up.

"You used that on Tyson…" said Vladimir.

"That's right…" replied Andy. "I'll send Vanguard of the Dragon to the Graveyard, and your Monster loses 1,700 Attack Points…"

(1,400 ATK)

A stream if glowing green ooze shot from the weapon and Andy grunted as it hit him in the chest.

**(A: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 3,800)**

"You can keep trying, but I'm gonna keep getting up to fight you again," said Andy. "Just like the Energizer Bunny…"

"Good metaphor…" said Vladimir. "Still… I doubt that even _his_ battery has a limitless supply of power. No battery does."

He threw two of his cards into his Disk, and two set cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"It's your draw…" he said.

"And I'll gladly make it!" shouted Andy, as he drew a card.

"Because now that your Roach is history, I can play this!"

Dragon's Mirror appeared in front of him, and then Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Goddess With the Third Eye appeared behind him. They vanished, and then Black Skull Dragon rose onto the field, towering over Steelswarm Girastag. (3,200 ATK)

Then it roared as it absorbed the power of the Field Spell. (3,700 ATK)

"Maybe the Field Spell wasn't the brightest idea…" muttered Vladimir.

"Well, Dark is a pretty common Attribute…" said Andy.

The Black Skull Dragon launched its barrage of fireballs, burning the ugly Fiend to a crisp.

"Ugh…" said Vladimir.

**(A: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 1,500)**

Andy took the last card in his hand, and set it in his Disk, causing it to appear in his Spell Zone.

"That's enough for now…" he said.

_Andy's almost done it… _thought Pennington. _Vladimir can't defend, and Black Skull Dragon's power is hard to beat…_

_This this may well be the closest the Queen has come to true defeat for five-hundred years…_

_Damn you, Pennington, why do you think things like that? Are you trying to jinx it?_

"I draw one card…" said Vladimir, making a draw.

Then one of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"I use Escape From the Dark Dimension to summon Steelswarm Genome back to the field," he said, as the small, lumpy thing reappeared. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,500 ATK)

"When Steelswarm Genome is sacrificed to summon another Steelswarm, it can count as two sacrifices…"

The small Steelswarm vanished.

"Not another Caucastag!" shouted Francesca.

"No," replied Vladimir. "This one is even stronger, Ms. Benedict. It's not the strongest Steelswarm, but it's close…"

A huge, hulking form rose in front of Vladimir.

"The mighty Steelswarm Longhorn."

The Steelswarm that appeared was even bigger than Caucastag, and the same basic design: large, muscular, armored, ugly, and bug-like. Its name clearly came from the two horns sprouting from its head, which hung down to its waist and ended in barbs. (3,000 ATK) –) (3,500 ATK)

"This Monster is different than other Steelswarms…" said Vladimir. "As usual, I can only use its effect if I summon it by sacrificing Steelswarms, but once I do that, its effect can be used every turn, instead of just once.

"That effect lets me pay 1,000 Life Points to destroy one Monster."

Everyone gasped as Black Skull Dragon shattered.

"This leaves me with only 500 Life Points," continued Vladimir. "So just in case…"

He played one of the two cards left in his hand.

"I activate Infestation Invigoration… It immediately refunds the Life Points I paid to activate a Steelswarm's effect.

"Attack him directly…"

Steelswarm Longhorn's horns shot at Andy like deadly spears…

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" shouted Andy.

His face-down card flipped up, and Black Skull Dragon appeared again. (3,200 ATK) –) (3,700 ATK)

Strangely, Longhorn didn't stop its attack… Then the horns impaled right through Black Skull Dragon, skewering it. The huge Fusion Monster shattered.

"What?" said Andy.

"How did it…?" said Francesca.

Then they noticed Vladimir's Trap Card.

"Infestation Tool," said the Spawn. "By sending a Steelswarm from my deck to the Graveyard, the one on the field gained 800 Attack Points for the rest of the turn…"

**(A: 550) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 1,500)**

Vladimir set his last card, and one more face-down card appeared.

"My turn is over…"

Andy went to draw a card.

Then his hand trembled.

"Oh no, I knew this would happen…" said Pennington.

"What?" said Francesca, staring to panic.

"I told you," said Pennington. "Anything that nullifies Vladimir's aura is always temporary. It always returns.

"It's back… With a vengeance…"

Andy closed his eyes. He tried to make himself reach for his deck, but his hand wouldn't obey his head.

"_Andy?" _said Bobbery's voice. _"Lad, please… You have to try…"_

"I… I don't know if I can…" said Andy, with a quiver in his voice.

"_Andy…" _said Bobbery.

The old admiral paused.

"_Can you give it one more turn?" _he asked.

"_Just try for one more turn… That's all I ask… If it doesn't work, then I'll understand…"_

Andy slowly managed to draw the top card.

It was the Sweet Feast card.

_If I use this, I'll be able to draw five times… _he thought. _But… If I'm left with more than one of them in my hand at the end of my turn, I lose…_

He looked at Longhorn.

_On the other hand, if I don't use it, I'm gonna lose anyway… So I might as well end this on my terms!_

He played the card.

"Sweet Feast lets me draw until I have five cards!" he shouted. "But… Any of them that I don't actually use this turn, I lose at the end of my turn, and I take 400 points of damage for each!"

He grabbed the top five cards off his deck.

_No… way… _he thought, when he saw what two of them were.

"Here's my move, Vladimir!" he shouted. "I summon Mirage Dragon!"

Again, the darkness of Mystic Plasma Zone parted, and the translucent Dragon of Light appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"This is my Light that drives the Darkness away, Vladimir," he said. "You see, with Mirage Dragon on the field, the threat of you stopping an attack with a Trap Card is all but done away with, meaning I don't have to be afraid of your set card."

"Perhaps," said Vladimir. "But my Monster is more than twice as strong as yours."

"It has 3,500 Attack Points, yes," said Andy, with a smirk, "but its Defense Score is zero. You said so yourself.

"So it's easy prey for _this _card!"

He held up a Spell Card.

"Dragon's Gunfire?" shouted Vladimir.

"That's right!" shouted Andy.

A bolt of blazing energy shot at Steelswarm Longhorn, and the demon let out an unholy scream… Then it shattered into black pixels.

Vladimir looked at his set card. Ironically, he _hadn't _been bluffing. It _was _Mirror Force…

A lot of good it would do him now…

"Attack Vladimir directly!" shouted Andy. "Spectrum Blast!"

Vladimir bowed his head. He didn't move in the least as the bolt of energy hit him…

**(A: 550) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 0)**

"Andy!" shouted Francesca.

She rushed up and hugged him.

"Francesca!" he exclaimed.

She blushed a little, and then let go.

Then looked at Vladimir. He deactivated his Duel Disk, then removed the deck, and placed it inside his jacket.

Then he turned away.

"Vladimir…" said Andy.

"Yes?" replied Vladimir, turning around slightly.

"That's it?" asked Andy.

"You expected a threat?" asked the Shadow Spawn of Darkness. "A vow of revenge?

"Such things are beneath me, Mr. Markova…"

Then an aura of darkness surrounded him, and he vanished.

Andy hugged Francesca again.

"You know, Pennington…" he said. "I almost feel sorry for that guy…

"That Xyz Monster he used… Steelswarm Roach… It really didn't fit in with the others… It seemed like the one good product out of a crop of bad ones.

"Maybe you can say Vladimir is a lot like Steelswarm Roach…"

"Possibly…" said Pennington. "But don't forget, he sacrificed Roach to summon Girastag, one of the 'bad ones', showing where his true loyalty lies.

"Don't be fooled. You aren't the first one to think that the Shadow Spawn serve their mother because she forces them to… But the truth is, they _want _to do it… All because of the power she gives them."

Pennington didn't know it, but Vladimir hadn't left yet. He was watching from a distance.

_Pennington, _he thought, _you're a very smart man, and you're more often right than you are wrong…_

_But this time… You aren't right at all…_

Then he truly disappeared.

**0000000000**

Vladimir appeared in the dark dungeon.

He saw his five siblings, chained to the wall, not looking very happy. In fact, they seemed to turn even more depressed upon seeing him.

Then an arm came out of the darkness and grabbed him by the throat.

His mother slammed him against the wall, just like she had done with the others, and a set of chains started to restrain him too.

Once they had done the job, she sighed, and looked at them.

"Five-hundred years ago…" she said, "I entrusted my first heirs with something important… I believe you six know what it is.

"They failed me. Due to their failure, I suffered my greatest defeat since the Three Heroes cursed me to be a prisoner of my Palace… I was very disappointed in them…

"Just as I am disappointed in you…

"But… You six have one advantage that they didn't have… They didn't live to contemplate on their failures. Times were different then, and we handled things in a far more lethal manner than Duel Monsters…

"You six survived… You can learn from this…

"When I give you a second chance… _If _I decide to… Use this knowledge to good use."

Then she turned and left the room.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Pennington and the three duelists were in a very fancy-looking lounge, where many people in suits were playing cards, smoking, and typing on laptops.

"So, how do you like the Billionaire's Club?" asked Pennington.

"It's interesting…" asked Francesca. "What do people do here?

"Mostly things that folks don't like them doing anywhere else!" said Pennington, with a laugh. "As you can tell from the cigar smoke… Heh, heh… But anyway…"

He picked up a briefcase, a very expensive-looking one with a digital lock, and set it on the table.

"Mr. Markova…" he said. "I can't thank you enough…"

He punched a combination into the lock.

"Defeating Vladimir was all the proof I needed that now is the time to finally part with something that I've been keeping hidden for a very long time…"

The briefcase opened. Inside was a single Spell Card.

"Go on…" said Pennington. "Take it…"

Andy carefully picked it.

It was clearly the final Enchanted Card… It was called Supernova.

He read the card text.

_I have to be very careful with this one… _he thought.

**0000000000**

**SLIPSHOD SUPPORT (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Second Goblin struggling trying to pull Giant Orc over a mountain ledge with a rope.

**Card Description: **Activate only during your opponent's turn. Select 1 Monster you control with zero DEF and move it to face-up Defense Position. This turn, the selected Monster cannot be destroyed by battle once. If the selected Monster is destroyed by battle this turn, you may draw 1 card. 

**0000000000**

**HYPERPARASITISM **** (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Steelswarm Caucastag standing over Steelswarm Mantis and Steelswarm Moth, both unconscious and bleeding, as energy flows from them into Caucastag's fist.

**Card Description: **Activate during your Main Phase 1. During the End Phase of your turn, add 1 "Steelswarm" Monster from your Graveyard to your hand for every "Steelswarm" that you Tribute Summoned this turn by Tributing a "Steelswarm" Monster.

**0000000000**

**INFESTATION INVIGORATION**** (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Steelswarm Hercules letting out a mighty roar as energy flows into it from all sides.

**Card Description: **Activate when you pay Life Points to activate the effect of a "Steelswarm" Monster. Gain Life Points equal to the amount you paid.

**0000000000**

_**The Shadow Spawn have suffered a complete defeat. So it's onto the next part of the plan. With seven Crystal Cards apiece, each of our heroes need only one more, and the day is not over!**_

_**Next: **_

_**Stan: We've been almost full-circle in Arcadia, but there's one town we haven't been to, a small place called Fahr Outpost, a place where the Three Heroes fought a battle that, if the outcome had been different, may have changed the course of human history!**_

_**I have a chance to gain an eighth Card, and my opponent looks about as dangerous as cherry pie… Thing is, she also has seven Cards, so I'd be a fool to think that she's a pushover.**_

"_**Pixie Ring" is coming soon. **_


	30. Pixie Ring

_**We've been almost everywhere on the map, but one small town remains… A small place that, according to Pennington, has a dark history, where events that transpired during our ancestors' original quest may have changed things to their benefit a great deal.**_

_**But I'm less concerned with history than I am with winning this duel. If I succeed, my Card total will be eight, and I'll be eligible to compete for a Crystal Star. **_

_**What happens after that is anyone's guess… My opponent seems a welcome break from the dark assassins and evil enforcers… But she must be a good duelist…**_

_**After all, she's also trying to get her eighth card…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY**

**0000000000**

**Pixie Ring**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Stan, Francesca, and Andy were very anxious to leave Poshley Heights. While they weren't mistreated there, they found most everyone there except Pennington to be stuffy and snobbish.

Pennington quickly gave them directions to the Fahr Outpost, and told them some of the history of that place.

"You see…" he said, with a grave voice, "the place can trace its roots back over a thousand years, like most towns on Arcadia, but not as a town. It used to be a military barracks… Not for human soldiers, mind you.

"In those days, the Queen's army was a force of demonic creatures called the Company of Malice. These demons came from a world that orbited a dark, cold star, a world where they conquered and enslaved the other races, and when they ran out of reasons to fight on that world, they went looking for reasons to do so elsewhere, hiring themselves out to anyone with a cause and a lack of morals.

"These creatures were born to fight. Fear was unknown to them, as was mercy. They never fled from a fight, never retreated, and always fought until either they or their enemies were dead. The Queen used this dark army to build her Empire of Shadow, and no force could stand up to them.

"The Fahr Outpost held the greatest concentration of these creatures on Earth, and it was there that the Queen was building her ultimate weapon. No-one knew just what it would have been capable of if completed, but most say that she could have used it force any nation or city-state to submit to her, making her the undisputed master of the world.

"This was the last stop for the Three Heroes before they attempted to storm the Palace of Shadow. By then, they had toppled many bastions of the Queen's power, and support for them among the Queen's subjects was growing. The Queen was nervous. She doubled the guard at the Outpost and placed one of her most powerful servants in charge…

"General U'ulgan, Supreme Commander of the Company of Malice. He was feared among many worlds as the deadliest warrior of the Company, a demon who stood twenty feet tall holding a blade as long as a man was tall. That sword was magical, and it was as much a living thing as U'ulgan; it had a malignant intelligence that made it just as bloodthirsty as its master.

"Simply the sight of U'ulgan and his terrible sword on the battlefield had been known to send armies running for their lives…

"Nonetheless, the Three Heroes came… Defeating the grunts and footmen of the demonic army seemed like a simple matter…

"Then U'ulgan himself appeared. He ordered his men to stand aside, and with a bloodcurdling battlecry, engaged the three on his own…

"They found him their deadliest foe to date, even stronger than Hooktail. It was a long and terrible fight that lasted the whole night…

"But when the sun rose, the Dragon Master was finally able to use his secret weapon…

"You may know that those special cards you have were actual magic spells that they used. This was the first time that the true version of that one I gave you, Supernova, was utilized.

"The explosion it caused could be seen from Twilight Town. It did the job. Whether it truly killed U'ulgan or simply banished him back to whatever Hell he came from, they didn't know, but he was never seen again. And with his defeat, the Company of Malice felt fear for the first time, and fled.

"The explosion also leveled the building where the Queen's super-weapon was being built, destroying it and ending the threat. With more support behind them now than they could ever further gain outside the Palace of Shadow, the Three Heroes knew that it was finally time to take their fight inside it…"

**0000000000**

As they left Poshley Heights, they had no idea that the first contestant to gain eight Crystal Cards was now putting them to good use.

Who was it? Chico.

After gaining his eighth Card, the instructions took him to Petalburg, where folks pointed him to a ruined structure in Petal Meadows called the Shwonk Fortress. After exploring the place for a while, he found a secret stairway going down… And at the bottom was a chamber decked out like an Egyptian tomb.

He quickly found his opponent… A strange creature who seemed to be the same species as Koops, but portlier, and dressed differently, like an Egyptian pharaoh with a peculiar anachronism: a pair of dark sunglasses. The strange creature called himself Tutankoopa.

Chico thought at first that the guy was a joke, but after the duel started, it was clear that looks deceived…

**0000000000**

_How did I get into this mess? _thought Chico.

**(Chico: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Tutankoopa: 3,500)**

Chico had Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier and Gravekeeper's Assailant in Defense Mode, and two set cards in his Spell Zone. Unfortunately, his Field Spell had been demolished two turns ago, as had his Sphinx. His opponent had a set Monster, and Chico's failed attempt to destroy it two turns ago had told him that it was Giant Axe Mummy.

"My move…" said the Koopa pharaoh.

He drew a card.

"And I have just the card I need…" he said. "I sacrifice my Monster…"

The set Zombie turned into a dark shadow.

"…to call forth the dreaded Great Dezard!"

A tall man in silken robes with a cowl decorated by tassels and several images of the Eye of Wdjat appeared. He carried a staff similar to the ones used by many of the Gravekeepers. (1,900 ATK)

_Don't tell me he's going to… _thought Chico.

"Now, I play the Double Attack Spell Card," continued Tutankoopa. "By discarding a Monster with a higher Level than Great Dezard, like this one…"

He held up Despair from the Dark and discarded it.

"…my Monster can attack twice!"

_Yeah, I guess he is… _thought Chico.

The high priest shot twin bolts of dark magic at the two Gravekeepers, blowing them into pixels.

"And now," said Tutankoopa, as Great Dezard's eyes glowed red, and a sinister shadow enveloped him, "my Monster can shed his flesh and assume an even greater form…"

First the Spellcaster's robes, and then his very flesh rotted away, transforming him into a decaying, skeletal zombie wearing tattered robes. A different scepter appeared in its hands, a wooden staff tipped with a plain crescent. (2,600 ATK)

"Fushioh Richie," said Chico. "Man, that guy is _ugly_…"

"Duel Monsters isn't always pretty…" said Tutankoopa.

"Yeah?" said Chico. "I dueled a guy who used a Monster that kinda looked like you… It was a lot handsomer, though…"

Tutankoopa frowned.

"I use Fushioh Richie's effect, and move it to set Defense Mode!" he shouted, as the lich vanished, and was replaced by a reversed Monster. "With that, I end my turn."

_This is bad, _thought Chico, as he made a draw. _Fushioh Richie was the Gravekeepers' most hated enemy… They protect graves, but that thing only defiles them!_

_But I'm in bad shape… Not only does it have 2,900 Defense Points, it's immune to Spell and Trap Cards, and Tutankoopa can Special Summon a Zombie from his Graveyard whenever he flips it face-up!_

He looked at the card he had drawn, and then set one on his Disk. A reversed Monster appeared.

"Go…" he said.

"I suppose you want me to think that that's a Gravekeeper's Guard," chuckled Tutankoopa, as he drew a card. "Well, sorry…"

"I Flip Summon Fushioh Richie…"

The card flipped up, and the nosferatu lich reappeared. (2,600 ATK)

"By using its effect, I can Special Summon Despair from the Dark from my Graveyard…"

A huge, hulking, demonic shadow appeared next to the lich. (2,900 ATK)

"Now I'm going to attack with Fushioh Richie _first. _If that _is_ a Guard, feel free to use its effect to send my lich back to my hand… You'll be utterly defenseless against Despair from the Dark.

"Unholy Blight!"

Fushioh Richie pointed its staff, and a wave of black magic shot towards the Monster. As it turned out, it wasn't Gravekeeper's Guard, but Gravekeeper's Spy. She let out a scream before the dark shadows consumed her.

"I use Spy's Flip Effect…" said Chico.

Tutankoopa was surprised to say the least by the Monster that appeared in front of Chico. It was a short, dirty, sneaky-looking man dressed in rags. (500 DEF)

"Gravekeeper's Vassal?" said Tutankoopa. "There's actually a duelist who still uses that guy? Was there _ever _a duelist who used it?"

"He has more uses than you might think," replied Chico.

Tutankoopa chuckled slightly.

"That will be the day…" he said.

He pointed, and a wave of shadow blasted from Despair from the Dark, eradicating the small Gravekeeper.

"Now, I move to my second Main Phase, and again, I move Fushioh Richie into Defense Mode."

The lich returned to set position again.

"And I activate this," said Chico. "Miracle's Wake!"

His Trap Card lifted up, and Vassal reappeared. (700 ATK)

"Whatever…" said Tutankoopa, with a chuckle. "It's your move…"

Chico drew a card, and then his other facedown card lifted up.

"I use Rite of Spirit!" he shouted.

Assailant leapt out of the card, brandishing her daggers. (1,500 ATK)

"Then, I sacrifice her…"

The assassin turned into a dark shadow.

"…for Gravekeeper's Chief!"

In an aura of divine magic, a man in Egyptian priestly vestments with a beard, holding the same snake-tipped staff that many other Gravekeepers used, appeared in front of him. (1,900 ATK)

"And by using his effect, I can Special Summon my Sphinx from my Graveyard…"

With a loud roar, the Gravekeeper's Sphinx bounded onto the field. (2,200 ATK)

"Now I play… Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and the holy symbol appeared.

"I think I'll summon a Monster from _your _Graveyard, fellah…"

Great Dezard appeared on Chico's side of the field. (1,900 ATK)

"You may have summoned an impressive group of Monsters," said Tutankoopa, "but none of them are strong enough to defeat either of mine."

"Not individually, no," replied Chico, as he played a Spell Card, "but you forget one thing… The Gravekeepers are a team…

"I play… Union Attack! By using this card and choosing one of my Monsters, it becomes the only Monster that can attack this turn, but gains the Attack Points of all my other Monsters while doing so.

"I choose… Gravekeeper's Vassal."

The small servant flexed his muscles and glowed with golden energy. (6,700 ATK)

"You forgot one thing," said Tutankoopa. "The Battle Damage I take will be reduced to zero. And when my turn comes, I'll simply attack that runt and win."

"Seems that _you _forgot something, fellah!" said Chico with a smirk. "Vassal doesn't inflict Battle Damage at all! His attacks inflict Effect Damage.

"What that means is… Cards like Waboku, Miracle Locus, Tornado Wall, and this one, don't reduce the damage he does when he attacks."

Tutankoopa looked at Chico dumbfounded…

"Attack Despair from the Dark!" shouted Chico.

The Vassal formed a ball of darkness in his hands, and hurled it at the evil shadow. Tutankoopa screamed and his sunglasses fell of his face as the impact knocked him backwards.

**(C: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 0)**

Chico walked forward, and picked up the Golden Star, a gold-colored, star-shaped gem, which was resting on a table.

"Oh please, don't get up…" he said. "I'll show myself out…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Stan, Francesca, and Andy were walking down a road, and the plant life had dwindled until it became limited to a few evergreen trees.

And it had started to become very cold.

Before they knew it, snow started to fall.

"Aw, man!" shouted Andy. "And I thought rain was bad!"

"Don't panic," said Stan, as the snow started to fall harder. "I think I see buildings up ahead…"

Indeed, they seemed to reach the Fahr Outpost right in time. The small town seemed to be composed of large buildings, built in the style of longhouses.

As they rushed into the middle of town, a very large, very muscular man with a thick, black beard carrying logs over his shoulder noticed them.

"Hey, fellah," said Francesca. "Is there any place where we can warm up around here?"

"Da, it's cold," said the man, in an accent that was clearly Russian. "Come with Boris… You don't want to stay out here…"

He opened the door to the building in front of him, and it seemed to, indeed, be a longhouse. It might have been a banquet hall at one point in the past. Trophies and crests hung from the walls and wooden tables were set up, at which many locals were drinking from flagons. Most importantly, a large fire was burning at the far end.

"Thanks…" said Stan.

"You're welcome!" laughed the man.

He slapped Stan on the back, a little too hard for Stan's tastes.

"Seems friendly enough…" said Francesca.

"A little TOO friendly…" replied Stan.

"So, uh… Boris…" said Andy, as he sat down. "Is it always this cold around here?"

"Da," replied Boris. "Some families have lived here for six generations, and all that time, they say that the Fahr Outpost is very, very cold.

"You think it's cold now? This is summer. You come here when fall comes, and it's even colder. You come here when winter comes, and… Well, when winter comes, _don't _come here."

"Awfully strange weather for an island this far south…" whispered Francesca to Stan and Andy. "You think that it had something to do with the Company of Malice living here?"

"Maybe…" said Andy. "Maybe their presence kind of put a blight on the land… Pennington did say they came from a cold world…"

Then the door opened, and a young girl about their age came in.

"Brr!" she said, as she shook the snow off of her clothes, and a parasol.

Yes, a parasol.

She had a strange fashion sense, a frilled and fancy white blouse with a pink skirt, the parasol being pink as well. Japanese fashion called this the Sweet Lolita style, although she was clearly not Japanese.

"Cold out, isn't folks?" she said with a big smile. "Anyone up for building a snowman?"

She giggled as she walked in.

"Aw, why the long faces?" she said. "How does that old song go? 'The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful'…"

She walked to the fire and warmed her hands.

"Makes you want to toast marshmallows and make s'mores, doesn't it? Turn those frowns upside-down, people. Cindy's here, and it's gonna take more than a little snow to make this a bad day."

"You sound pretty energetic…" said Stan.

"I should be!" laughed Cindy.

She giggled, and opened her purse. She took out a small stack of Crystal Cards.

"_Seven?" _gasped Andy and Francesca at once.

"One more to go…" said Cindy. "One poor little orphan girl once said that you should always think about tomorrow when the day is grey… But now… Thinking about how far I've come already… It 'clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow' just as much thinking about what's ahead!"

"Really?" said Stan.

He held up his seven Cards.

"Then duel me. Whoever wins will have just enough."

Cindy smirked.

"A big strong guy wants to wrestle with sweet Cindy?" she asked. "Sure!"

"Uh… Stan?" said Andy. "She may be a lot tougher than she looks, you know?"

"Like I said before, Andy," replied Stan, "we aren't going to meet many amateurs anymore."

"Something smells funny here…" sighed Andy, as he sat down, "and I don't think it's her perfume…"

"What kind of perfume is she wearing, anyway?" asked Francesca. "Kind of smells like gingerbread…"

Cindy produced an odd Duel Disk, one with pink trim, and put it on. Then, she spun around once as it activated.

_Wonder if it's too late to change my mind… _thought Stan, as he activated his Disk.

He quickly took hold of his cap, and turned it backwards.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Cindy: 8,000)**

"Please go first…" he said.

_Really want to see what I'm up against here… _he thought.

"Here we GO!" laughed Cindy, as she dramatically made her first draw.

To Stan's regret, she didn't play any cards that he could see. She set two, and a reversed Monster and a reversed card in her Spell Zone appeared.

"Your turn!" she said.

"Okay, let's see here…" said Stan, as he made a draw.

It was Breaker the Magical Warrior.

_Good one… _he thought.

He threw the card on his Disk, and a Spellcaster wearing red armor with gold trim, a cape, and a pointed helmet appeared. He held a longsword and a shield with a gem in the middle. (1,600 ATK)

"By summoning Breaker, he gains a Spell Counter that gives him 300 Attack Points," said Stan.

(1,900 ATK)

"But, by getting rid of that Counter, he can destroy one Spell or Trap Card…"

Breaker's shield glowed, and his Attack Score fell down to 1,600 as a beam of light shot towards the set card. It briefly lifted up before it shattered, and Stan didn't recognize it at all.

_Something… Tea Break? _he thought. _Oh well… _

"Attack her Monster!" he shouted. "Breaking blade!"

Breaker swung his sword… But hitting the Monster that appeared was like hitting a pillow…

At first, Stan thought it was a Marshmallon, but it wasn't. The strange Beast (he assumed that's what it was) looked like a sheep with a very large torso made of marshmallows. (1,800 ATK)

"That's my Madolche Baaple!" laughed Cindy.

"It's a sheep made out of candy…" said Francesca.

"HARD candy!" laughed Cindy. "As Breaker found out!"

Stan sighed again. He looked at his hand, which now contained The Fiend Megacyber, Gagaga Gardna, Miracle's Wake, Gagaga Girl, and Shrink.

He took the Spell Card, and set it in his Disk.

_Is she tries to attack, I'll be ready, _he thought.

"Your move…" he said.

**(S: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)**

"Draw!" laughed Cindy, drawing a card.

"Yay!" she shouted. "I got Madolche Mille-Fleur!"

She played the card and a shower of roses fell from the ceiling.

"And because I have no Monsters in my Graveyard, I can summon her with no sacrifice!"

Francesca was a little surprised when she saw the Monster. At first, it looked like a Synchro Monster she had heard of, some sort of floral-themed Warrior…

Then, upon closer inspection, it looked more like a young girl wearing the armor of said Warrior: Pink armor and a cape, with a large plume. She had a twirled rapier at her side. (2,300 ATK)

"Attack!" she cheered, as the pint-sized Warrior charged at Breaker. "Go, go, go!"

"I activate my Spell Card!" shouted Stan.

His face-down card started to lift up… But then it slammed back down.

"Huh?" he said.

Then Mille-Fleur thrust with her weapon, and Breaker groaned, and then shattered.

"My card…" said Stan.

"Didn't work!" laughed Cindy. "That's something else she gets from me having no Monsters in my Graveyard. She's like Ancient Gear Golem!"

_Okay, this may be hard… _said Stan.

"Think I'll end there…" said Cindy.

**(S: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)**

Stan made a draw, and looked at the card.

"Okay Cindy…" he said. "I Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

He threw the card on his Disk, and the hulking cybernetic Warrior rose in front of him. He looked at the two strange Monsters and grunted in confusion. (2,200 ATK)

"I know, I know," said Stan. "They are unusual, but we can handle them…"

His facedown Shrink card lifted up, and he pointed at Madolche Mille-Fleur. The pint-size Warrior shrank even smaller. (1,150 ATK)

"Attack with Mega-Slash!" he shouted.

Megacyber pounced, and tore at the small fencer, and Mille-Fleur burst into flower petals.

"Oh, the horror!" shrieked Cindy. "You just sent Mille-Fleur to the Graveyard!"

And then she giggled a little. She quickly took Mille-Fleur's card from the discard slot.

"Fortunately… She doesn't have to stay there… You see… Almost all Madolche Monsters share an effect in common… If they're destroyed, they quickly move from my Graveyard back to my deck…"

She added the card to her deck, and then reshuffled.

"So then, the whole idea behind these Madolche things is keeping the Graveyard free of Monsters?" asked Andy.

"Don't look at me…" said Francesca.

Stan took a card from his hand.

"All right," he said, as he fit a card into his Disk. "I'm playing Shard of Greed…"

A Continuous Spell Card appeared in front of him.

"We'll get into that later… I end my turn…"

**(S: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,850)**

Cindy drew a card.

"Let's see…" she said. "What next…

"I think I'm going to move Baaple into Attack Mode…"

The marshmallow sheep stood up. (0 ATK)

"It has zero Attack Points…" said Stan.

"You'll see why in just a sec!" replied Cindy. "I summon Madolche Magileine!"

She played the card, and there was a puff of pink, sparkling smoke. A young woman appeared in a bright purple dress and witch's hat with ribbons on both the dress and the hat. Instead of a broomstick, she carried a large fork (as in the utensil) with a bouquet of flowers on the blunt end. (1,400 ATK)

"Oh, I get it..." said Andy.

"Get what?" said Francesca.

"These Monsters have names that are made by combining what they are with some sort of dessert. This 'Madolche Magileine' is a Spellcaster, so her name combines 'magic' with 'madeleine'… French sponge cake."

"That's right!" cheered Cindy. "And by summoning Magileine, I can take any Madolche Monster I want from my deck…"

"Any at ALL?" gasped Stan.

Cindy took a card from her deck.

"That's right…" she said, "but I've got far better ones than Mille-Fleur…

"Now I can use Baaple's effect. I can choose one of my Madolche Monsters that's in Attack Mode, and one of _your _Monsters that's in Attack Mode, and change _both _to Defense Mode!"

Baaple sat in Defense Mode again (1,800 DEF), while The Fiend Megacyber knelt and crossed his arms. (1,200 DEF)

"Wait…" said Stan.

"That means Magileine can serve up her dark hexing ala mode," said Cindy, "and throw it in Fiend Megacyber's face!"

The witch twirled the huge fork above her head, and then thrust it forward, shooting a blast of shimmering, silver dust at the Warrior. He quickly dissolved into granules of light.

_Now I'm SURE this is gonna be hard… _thought Stan.

"Think I'll set a face-down card and end my turn," said Cindy, as a set card appeared behind her two Monsters.

_Okay, here goes… _thought Stan.

He drew a card, and looked at it.

_Well, I can't get rid of Baaple with this Monster… _he thought, _but on the other hand, Baaple's effect won't be of much use against her…_

"I summon Magician's Valkyria!" he shouted.

There was a flash of light, and Valkyria leapt onto the field, brandishing her staff. (1,600 ATK)

"Go, Trap Card!" shouted Cindy.

"A Rival Appears! I get to Special Summon a Monster from my hand with a Level equal to your Monster!

"So… Here comes Madolche Chouxvalier!"

Another Warrior appeared, this one male, but somewhat effeminate-looking. He wore a black musketeer's outfit with a large red plume in the hat, and was mounted on a green horse that looked like a large stuffed animal. He held a sword that looked like a peppermint stick. (1,700 ATK)

"And guess what, Stan?" said Cindy, with a giggle. "You aren't allowed to attack any Madolche except him!"

Stan sighed. He took a card from his hand, and set it in his Disk. A set card appeared next to Shard of Greed.

"Cindy, I gotta ask…" he said. "Why all the Monsters named after rich desserts? I mean, you can't be all-too fond of such things yourself, you're thin as a rail…"

Cindy's jovial expression suddenly vanished. She looked far more serious now.

Then she sighed.

"Sure, I like desserts…" she said. "Trouble is, they don't like me… I'm diabetic, Stan…"

"Huh?" said Stan.

"It's not easy growing up with Type 1," she said. "Being a kid who has to stay away from sugar at all costs… You can only envy the kids at school who have chocolate pudding cups and brownies in their lunches…

"Can you imagine not being able to eat the cake at your own birthday party?

"My mom always consoled me by saying I was better off without sweets… Heck, she was right! Desserts are empty calories and are never healthy! They rot your teeth and make you fat, and don't do give you any more benefit than a rush that lasts for fifteen minutes at most… They can say that some crummy packaged crumb cakes are 'low-fat' or 'low-sodium' but that doesn't actually make them _good _for you!

"The Madolche… They were a blessing…"

"Wait…" said Francesca. "I get it… These Monsters are desserts that you don't have to eat!"

"That's right!" said Cindy, with her smile returning. "My Monsters solved the problem. They're as sweet as the candy and cake I had to do without, but with zero calories! Dessert that's one-hundred percent guilt-free!

"Even better, as I started to use them, I found out I was actually good at dueling! And here's the proof…"

She held up the seven Crystal Cards again.

"Need I say more? And trust me, Stan, you haven't seen _anything _yet!"

She drew a card.

"I summon Madolche Butlerusk!"

There was another shower of shimmering dust, and a young man with sandy brown hair, dressed like a butler, appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"By summoning him when I have another Madolche on the field, I get to take a Field Spell from my deck…"

She took a card from her deck. Then she opened her Field Zone slot, and played it.

"I activate it now!" she shouted. "Take us to Madolche Château!"

As she played the card, the longhouse faded away, and turned into a meadow under a blue sky with puffy clouds and a shining sun. Then, a huge castle started to rise behind Cindy… A castle constructed out of cake and gingerbread! Finally, sugarplum trees sprouted up around them, and river of molten chocolate started to flow from the hills behind.

"So who lives there?" said Francesca, looking around in wonder. "King Kandy?"

"Close," said Cindy. "But not quite… Anyway… My Field Spell has a variety of effects… The one that matters now is, it gives all Madolche Monsters 500 more Attack and Defense Points.

(Madolche Baaple: 2,300 DEF, Madolche Chouxvalier: 2,200 ATK, Madolche Magileine: 1,900 ATK, Madolche Butlerusk: 2,000 ATK)

"It has other effects, but we'll get into them later… Chouxvalier, if you would…"

The soldier urged his mount forward, and charged at Valkyria with his candy weapon. Valkyria grunted as the odd armament hit her, and then dissolved into particles of light.

"Magileine, go!" laughed Cindy, as the witch spun her fork again. "Attack Stan directly!"

"Hold up!" shouted Stan.

He threw a card on his Disk.

"I Special Summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand!"

Gardna appeared, crouching behind his shield. (2,000 ATK) Magileine made an annoyed pout.

"In that case…" said Cindy, "I'll set this card…"

She fit a card into her Disk, and a reversed card appeared behind her Monsters.

"And it's your move…"

"I'll activate this first…" said Stan, as his facedown card lifted up. "Miracle's Wake!"

Valkyria appeared again, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,800 ATK)

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,850)**

Stan drew a card, and then looked at his Shard of Greed card.

_Hope this works, _he thought. _She has me outnumbered, and unless I get rid of Chouxvalier, I'm not going anywhere…_

"It's been two turns since I played Shard of Greed," he said. "Thus, I can send it to the Graveyard to draw two cards…"

He made two draws.

"Good !" he said. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!"

He played the card, and in a dark shadow, a tall, bald man wearing a green vest over a blue robe and holding prayer beads appeared. The left side of his face was badly scarred.

"If your Monsters are going to retreat back to your deck when they're destroyed, then his effect won't work," he said. "But… At least he has 1,800 Attack Points, and that's all I need…

"At least once I use Gardna and Valkyria…"

The Spellcaster and the Warrior turned into the vortex of energy.

"…building the Overlay Network to Xyz Summon Kachi Kochi Dragon!"

The large, rocky Dragon appeared in front of him. It looked at the Madolche and licked its lips. (2,100 ATK)

"Forget?" asked Cindy. "You can only attack Chouxvalier."

"Then that's just what Kycoo is gonna do," said Stan. "Attack Madolche Chouxvalier with Spell of Banishment!"

Kycoo held up his free hand, and lightning fell from the sky. He caught it, and then, threw it at Chouxvalier…

"And by playing Ego Boost," said Stan, as he played a Quickplay Spell, "I can make Kycoo more than strong enough to do the job."

Kycoo's Attack Score rose to 2,800 right before bolt hit the candy soldier, blowing him to shards.

Cindy giggled again.

"Now would be a good time to mention another of my Field Spell's effects…" she said. "Whenever a Madolche Monster's effect would send a Monster from my Graveyard to my deck, it goes to my hand instead…"

She quickly took Chouxvalier's card from her discard slot.

_Then the same thing will happen when I attack Butlerusk and Magileine, _thought Stan. _That wouldn't be good… Still I can't let this opportunity pass…_

"Attack Madolche Butlerusk!" he shouted. "Surging Shockwave!"

The Dragon blasted its bolt of energy, hitting the manservant and blowing him to pixels.

Cindy smirked again, and took his card from the discard slot.

"Now I use my Dragon's effect," said Stan, as he threw Gardna into his discard slot, "so that he can attack again!"

The Dragon fired again, and the witch grunted and fell backwards before she shattered.

Cindy's smile never faltered. She took Magileine's card as well.

"Anything else?" she said.

"No…" sighed Stan.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,950)**

Cindy made a draw, and then smiled even wider.

"Yes!" she said, "Yes, yes, yes!

"I'm gonna sacrifice Baaple…" she said.

The marshmallow sheep turned into pixie dust, and faded away. Two toy soldiers appeared at the door of the large castle, and produced horns, which they started to blow. Then a red carpet rolled out.

"It is my pleasure to introduce…" said Cindy, as someone started to walk out the entrance, "the Madolche Puddingcess!"

The Monster that was walking forward was pretty much what Stan had expected… A cute – to the point of being cloying – doll-like young girl with flowing blonde locks, dressed in a fancy dress the color of gingerbread with a tiara on her head. Her bright smile was accented by her dimples. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,500 ATK)

"Uh…" said Stan. "Okay… I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that a Level 5 Monster with only 1,000 Attack Points is a lot more dangerous than she looks…"

"Very," said Cindy. "As you said, her Attack Score is rather weak, but I can fix that…

"You see, because I sacrificed Baaple, that means it stays in the Graveyard… Which means I can use _this _Trap Card…"

Her face-down card lifted up.

"Madolche Lesson," she said. "This lets me move Baaple from my Graveyard to my deck. All Madolche Monsters on the field then gain 800 Attack AND Defense Points…"

She shuffled her deck, and Puddingcess smiled broadly. (2,300 ATK)

"That's not all…" said Cindy. "Due to her own effect, with no Monsters in my Graveyard now, Puddingcess gains 800 Attack Points from her own effect."

(3,100 ATK)

"He turned that pixie into a powerhouse!" gasped Andy.

"Yep," said Cindy. "And now she's gonna give Kycoo a big hug!"

Puddingcess let out a girlish giggle and skipped towards Kycoo. She did indeed give him a hug, but while her smile never wavered, it seemed much, much stronger than the one he expected. He grunted, and then shattered.

"Puddingcess isn't done," said Cindy.

The princess whistled to Kachi Kochi Dragon, and it looked at her strangely.

"When Puddingcess battles, she gets to destroy another of your cards…"

Puddingcess blew the Dragon a kiss, and sparkling dust covered it. The Dragon shattered.

**(S: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,950)**

"Puddingcess just loves to play with anyone she meets," said Cindy. "They can be such wonderful toys…"

"Seems she breaks her toys a lot…" muttered Stan. "Girl needs a spanking…"

'You're welcome to try…" said Cindy, with a sly smile.

She played a Spell Card.

"But… Now that Puddingcess is Equipped with Madolche Sorbet Blessing, that's gonna be harder. You draw once now…"

Stan looked at Puddingcess hard, and then drew a card.

"But it's a good thing," continued Cindy. "See, it makes her invincible, both from attacks and card effects.

"Of course, if the Blessing is lost, she's gone for good.

"For now, I end my turn…"

_Okay, let's see here… _thought Stan, as he made a draw.

He set it on his Disk, causing a reversed Monster to appear. Then he nodded.

Cindy drew, and then played the card.

"I activate Madolche Terrior Walk," she said, as a Continuous Spell Card appeared. "Then I summon Magileine again."

The cute looking witch appeared once again. (1,400 ATK) –) (1,900 ATK)

"I'm sure you remember her effect, right? I get to take another Madolche from my deck…"

She took a card from her deck, put it aside, and then took another from her hand.

"Then, due to Terrior Walk, because I have a Madolche Monster, I can make a second Normal Summon once per turn."

Chouxvalier appeared again, between the two Madolche ladies. (1,700 ATK) –) (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I Overlay My Level 4 Chouxvalier and Magileine…"

The two Madolche turned into the familiar vortex of energy.

"…to summon Puddingcess' favorite pet… Not to mention her bodyguard… I Xyz Summon… _Madolche Flambragon!"_

There was a sound like a loud snoring, and a large, cartoonish, red Dragon appeared, its features accented by vanilla frosting, with a flame atop its head. It appeared to be asleep. (2,000 ATK)

"Just when I thought that this couldn't get weirder…" said Stan.

"It's going to get worse," said Cindy, as Puddingcess rose to an Attack Score of 3,700, "because so long as I have no Monsters in my Graveyard, all of my Madolche gain 300 more Attack Points for each Overlay Unit that Flambragon has. And let's not forget the 500-point boost that he gets from my Field Spell."

(3,100 ATK)

"Flambragon, attack with Flambé Flamethrower!"

The Dragon opened its eyes and yawned, and then belched a stream of flames, accompanied by the strong smell of brandy. A female Spellcaster holding a long staff appeared on the card and vanished in a cloud of flames.

"That was Apprentice Magician," said Stan. "And due to her effect, I get to take a Level 2 or lower Spellcaster from my deck, and then set it in Defense Mode."

He took a card from his deck.

"Furthermore, because I have no other cards on the field right now, you can't use Puddingcess' effect…"

He threw the card on his Disk, and it appeared set.

"Okay!" laughed Cindy. "Madolche Puddingcess, attack!"

The Princess giggled again, and skipped towards the reversed Monster. Crystal Seer appeared on the card. He grunted as Puddingcess hugged him, and then shattered.

"I use my Seer's effect…" said Stan.

He picked up the two cards on his deck. They were Gagagabolt and Frequency Warrior.

He looked at the two cards he already had, Gagaga Girl and Shield Crush.

_This might work… _he thought.

He put Frequency Warrior at the bottom of his deck, and kept Gagagabolt.

"That's enough for now…" said Cindy.

"Draw…" said Stan, as he made a draw.

"I summon Gagaga Girl!" he shouted.

There was a shower of rose petals, and the female Spellcaster gracefully appeared on his side of the field. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I play Gagagabolt!" he shouted, as he played the Spell Card. "With a Gagaga Monster on the field, I can destroy one of your cards.

"The one I choose… Madolche Sorbet Blessing!"

A bolt of lightning crashed from the sky, blowing the Equip Spell to pieces.

"All right!" cheered Francesca. "Now Puddingcess will be…"

Then she stopped short.

"…still there?" she gasped.

Indeed. Puddingcess was giggling as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"She should have been banished…" said Stan, slowly. "You said…"

"I guess I should have mentioned Flambragon's other effect…" giggled Cindy. "As long as he's around with at least one of his Overlay Units, my Madolche _can't _be banished.

"You know how it is, Stan… You never break the rules… But don't be afraid to bend them as far as you can…"

"Where have I heard _that _before?" groaned Andy.

"This is serious, Andy!" said Francesca. "With Gagaga Girl in Attack Mode, this may be Stan's last turn…"

"Maybe not…" said Stan, as he played the card he had just drawn. "I play Clock Out!"

He played the card, and the magical clock appeared behind him, and the hand started to spin.

Then it stopped on the four.

"There…" he said. "Now no attacks are allowed until four End Phases have passed. I'll end my turn there…"

"I see…" said Cindy, as she drew a card.

"I'll summon Butlerusk to the field again…" she said.

She played the card, and the Madolche butler appeared once more. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,600 ATK)

"Don't forget, his effect lets me take a Field Spell from my deck," she said, as she held up a second copy of Château.

"I'll save it in case I need it. It's your move… Let's see if you can do anything with the two turns you have…"

"I can try…" said Stan, as he made a draw.

He drew a card, and looked at it.

"Think I'm just gonna move Gagaga Girl to Defense Mode this turn…" he said.

The Spellcaster knelt on her haunches. (800 DEF)

"Then, I'll throw this face-down," he said, as he fit a card into his Disk, causing a reversed card to appear in his Spell Zone, "and then you go."

"Okay…" sighed Cindy, as she made a draw.

She looked at the Spell Card.

"Think I'm gonna pass this turn… One turn to go…"

Stan drew a card.

_Here goes nothing… _he said.

He set it, and a reversed Monster appeared next to Gagaga Girl.

He waved his hand, and Clock Out vanished.

"My move!" laughed Cindy, as she made a draw.

"Yay! Time for a new Equip Spell! Big Bang Shot!"

"Andy, remind me…" growled Francesca. "Slugging her would be grounds for Stan being disqualified, right?"

"I'm afraid so…" sighed Andy.

Puddingcess glowed with fiery energy as a burning aura surrounded her. (4,100 ATK)

"Now she's gonna attack Gagaga Girl!" laughed Cindy.

Puddingcess giggled, and rushed towards Gagaga Girl with her arms outstretched… But to Cindy's surprise, Gagaga Girl stood up, and hugged Puddingcess back.

"Seems Puddingcess can't harm my Monster this turn…" said Stan, pointing to the Trap Card he had just activated, "thanks to Gagagashield. It makes Gagaga Girl invincible this turn, both to Puddingcess' attack AND her effect."

"But you still take damage due to Big Bang Shot…" said Cindy.

Stan grunted and doubled over in pain.

"And if Puddingcess can't use her effect to destroy her…" continued Cindy, "I'll just have her destroy your _other _Monster!"

The set Monster shattered.

"Thank you…" said Stan, with a smirk. "That was Sangan."

He looked though his deck, and got the card he needed.

"This is more fun that I thought it would be!" laughed Cindy. "Turn end!"

**(S: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,950)**

"Then I draw!" exclaimed Stan, as he drew a card.

"Good! I summon Marauding Captain!"

He played the card, and the armored Warrior strode onto the field. (1,200 ATK)

"Then, by using his effect, I can summon Gagaga Commando!"

A new Warrior stepped onto the field, dressed like a Green Beret, with camouflage fatigues and face paint, and the Gagaga insignia on his belt. He carried a Bowie knife. (1,400 ATK)

"A new one, Stan?" asked Andy.

"Yep, and I'm not done," said Stan, as he played another card in his hand. "I use Gagagarevenge to summon Gagaga Gardna from my Graveyard…"

He played the card, and the Warrior with a shield rose onto the field in an aura of light. (2,000 DEF)

"Next, I Overlay my Level 3 Marauding Captain and Gagaga Girl," he said, as the Warrior and Spellcaster turned into the vortex of energy. "Normally, I'd ask for a drum roll, but this guy can provide one himself…"

Temtempo the Percussion Djinn appeared, rapping on his drums. (1,700 ATK)

"Oh, how cute!" giggled Cindy.

"Maybe so," said Stan, as Gagaga Commando and Gagaga Gardna turned into a second vortex, "but this one isn't as cute…"

Again, classical music started to play.

"Is that the theme from _Tetris?" _asked Andy.

"It's 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' from _The Nutcracker," _replied Francesca. "Quite appropriate."

Maestroke the Symphony Djinn appeared next to Temtempo. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, because I used Gagaga Commando and at least one other Gagaga Monster to Xyz Summon Maestroke," said Stan, "_both _of my Xyz Monsters gain 500 Attack Points for one turn. In addition, because Gardna was Equipped with Gagagarevenge, they gain 300 more points.

"And I'm not done… By detaching one Overlay Unit from Temtempo, he can detach one Overlay Unit from one of _your _Xyz Monsters!"

He discarded Gagaga Girl's card, and the Fiend drummer rapped on his instrument, sending a wave of sound towards Madolche Flambragon. Chouxvalier's card appeared briefly, and then shattered.

"And by doing that," continued Stan, "both my Djinns gain 500 more Attack Points."

(Temtempo: 3,000 ATK, Maestroke: 3,100 ATK)

"And that's not all…" said Francesca. "Chouxvalier was just sent to Cindy's Graveyard… Which means that Puddingcess loses the 800-point boost from her own effect, and ALL of Cindy's Monsters lose the 600-point boost from Flambragon's effect…"

(Butlerusk: 2,000 ATK, Flambragon: 2,500 ATK, Puddingcess: 2,700 ATK)

"And that's just the way I like them!" shouted Stan. "Maestroke, attack Madolche Puddingcess with Death Symphony!"

Maestroke swung his sword, and Puddingcess ducked and covered her head as the lethal bolt of musical notes shot towards her. She shattered into pieces.

"Not bad!" laughed Cindy, "but Puddingcess can use her effect even if she _loses _a fight, so it's curtains for your little drummer boy!"

A bolt of energy shot towards the Percussion Djinn…

"Terrific…" muttered Stan. "I was kinda afraid that might be the case… I use Maestroke's effect! If I ditch one of his Overlay Units, he can protect a Djinn from being destroyed!"

He quickly threw Gagaga Commando into his discard slot, and a shield made up of musical staffs encircled Temtempo, blocking the blast.

"At least Puddingcess still has her effect that lets her escape the Graveyard…" said Cindy. "Which means, due to my Field Spell, she returns to my hand…"

"And now that she's gone," said Stan, "Temtempo can handle your Dragon…"

Temtempo beat his drums vigorously, and Flambragon let out a loud, annoyed yawn. Then he vanished in a puff of multicolored smoke.

"I end my turn…" said Stan. "Which means the effect of Gagaga Commando wears off, and both Djinns lose the 500-point bonus."

(Temtempo: 2,500 ATK, Maestroke: 2,600 ATK)

"It's your move…"

**(S: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,050)**

Cindy smirked as she drew a card.

"I move Butlerusk to Defense Mode…" she said.

Then butler knelt, and placed his arm on his knee. (1,300 DEF)

"Then, I summon Madolche Lancour."

In another sparkle of pixie dust, a pint-sized knight in shining armor (seemingly a child dressed as a knight) appeared, holding a long lance with a flag on the end, depicting a cute-looking cat-like creature. (1,400 ATK) –) (1,900 ATK)

"By summoning him, I get to take any Spell or Trap with the word 'Madolche' in its name from my Graveyard and put it on top of my deck," continued Cindy.

A card slipped out of her discard slot.

"We'll get into that next turn… For now, it's your move…"

_This might help… _he thought.

"I throw this facedown…" he said, as he set it.

"Then, I play Shield Crush!"

He played the card, and a bolt of energy blasted out of it, eradicating Butlerusk.

"Maestroke, you first!" he shouted. "Attack Madolche Lancour!"

The conductor made a swipe with his blade, crushing the small knight. Cindy quickly recovered the card from her discard slot.

"Then there's Temtempo!" continued Stan. "Attack directly!"

The Djinn started to beat his drums again, and Cindy grunted a little as the wave of sound rammed into her. She fell on her behind.

**(S: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 1,850)**

"Your move…" said Stan.

"Oh, by all means…" said Cindy.

She got up, and brushed herself off.

She drew a card, and then nodded. She took another card from her hand.

"I activate the Cost Down Spell Card," she said, as she discarded a card. "I'll discard one card, and as a result, Puddingcess' Level is reduced to 3.

"Which means… She's back…"

Puddingcess reappeared in a shower of twinkling motes. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I play another Spell Card," she said. "Murmur of the Forest… By doing so, I can switch one of your Monsters to set Defense Mode."

Stan stepped back in shock as Maestroke transformed into a set card.

"That's bad…" said Andy. "He just lost his other Overlay Unit… And with Puddingcess on the field, he's not gonna last more than another turn."

"And his other Djinn isn't even going to last _this _turn!" laughed Cindy. "You see, Murmur of the Forest also lets me return a Field Spell Card on the field to my hand…"

Madolche Château vanished, and the card reappeared in Cindy's hand.

"But I'm going to play it again right now…" she said.

She played the card again, and the candy castle rose behind her again.

"It may see pointless," she said, "but Château has one more effect… When it's activated, all Madolche in my Graveyard return to my deck.

"What that means is, I now have no Monsters in my Graveyard again, meaning Puddingcess now benefits from her own effect again."

(2,300 ATK)

"So now she's going to attack your Maestroke!"

Puddingcess rushed up to the set card, and Maestroke appeared on it. (2,300 ATK) She gleefully hugged him, but he was able to withstand it…

"His Defense Score is equal to her Attack Score…" said Stan.

"True," said Cindy, "so he's safe this turn… Your other Djinn won't be so lucky…"

Puddingcess pointed at Temtempo, and the Percussion Djinn shattered.

"I set one card…" said Cindy, as she fit a card into her Disk, "and end my turn…"

Stan drew a card.

_Okay, it's now or never… _he thought.

"I activate Pot of Avarice!" he shouted.

"I use my Counter Trap!" laughed Cindy.

"Counter Trap?" asked Stan, as the facedown card lifted up. "Wait… That was the Trap I destroyed with Breaker's effect!"

"Yup," said Cindy. "Madolche Tea Break. With no Monsters in my Graveyard, this negates your Spell and returns it to your hand.

"Of course, you can just activate it again, but it has an added effect due to the fact that I have Puddingcess on the field… I get to destroy one of your cards!"

"Okay, can't let that happen!" replied Stan.

His facedown card lifted up.

"Seven Tools of the Bandit!" he shouted.

Cindy's Trap Card was blown to pieces, and Stan took a deep breath.

_Of course… _he thought, _unless these two cards are good ones, it will all be for nothing._

He took Kachi Kochi Dragon, Gagaga Gardna, Temtempo, Marauding Captain, and Gagaga Commando from his Graveyard, and shuffled his deck. He made two draws.

He sighed.

"It's been a great duel, Cindy…" he said, "but I'm ending it now…

"I summon Gagaga Kaiser…"

He played the card, and the well-dressed Warrior strode onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, with Monster Reborn, I can summon Gagaga Girl to the field as well…"

The holy ankh appeared, and the female Spellcaster appeared, making a graceful spin. (1,000 ATK)

"And because both are Level 3, I can Overlay both…"

The two turned into the Overlay Vortex.

Melomelody the Brass Djinn appeared next to Maestroke. (1,400 ATK)

"And because of Gagaga Girl, Puddingcess falls to an Attack Score of zero…"

"Have you forgotten her effect?" asked Cindy.

"No, I didn't," replied Stan. "Next, Maestroke moves to Attack Mode…"

Maestroke leapt to his feet. (1,800 ATK)

"And by using one of Melomelody's Overlay Unit's," continued Stan, "He can attack twice this turn…"

Slowly, Cindy realized what Stan meant…

She could still use Puddingcess' effect, but no matter which Djinn she used it on, it wouldn't matter. If she used it on Maestroke, she'd still face a direct attack from Melomelody… And she'd have the opposite problem if she used the effect on Melomelody.

Stan looked at her.

"Well?" she said with a smile. "What's the hold-up?"

Stan pointed, and Maestroke blasted his stream of musical notes, blowing Puddingcess away.

Stan waited for Cindy to do anything, but she merely shook her head. Then she smiled again, as Maestroke made his second attack, hitting her…

**(S: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 0)**

"All right, Stan!" shouted Andy. "I gotta tell you, I was worried for a while there…"

"The duel isn't over until the last card is played…" said Stan. "I think someone else may have said that…"

"Here you go, Stan," said Cindy, as she handed him a Crystal Card. "I guess you can call this the sweet taste of victory…

"Maybe we can duel again someday… Maybe when my deck is complete…"

"Complete?" asked Stan.

"Oh yeah…" said Cindy. "There's one Madolche Monster I don't have… A powerful one that I've been trying to find for a long time…

"Anyway… Keep your cards dry…"

She giggled, and then walked to the door.

"Heh… The snow stopped."

Stan looked at the new Crystal Card, and then took the other seven out of his pocket.

"Well, I finally have eight…" he said. "So what now?"

Then the eight cards started to glow, and then flew from his hand. They all formed a circle in the air.

"_Congratulations, contestant!" _said a voice. _"You have completed the first leg on your quest in the journey to greatness on Arcadia."_

All three of the teenagers scowled. They recognized that voice. It was the Shadow Queen's.

"_Your next goal," _continued the voice, _"is to find the Sapphire Star and wrest it from its Guardian._

"_Now, if you've been to Keelhaul Key, you may have heard the legend of Cortez and his lost spoils. You may have doubted that this great treasure exists. Make no mistake… It does exist._

"_To gain the Sapphire Star, you must find it._

"_Now, I can't tell you _exactly _where it is, but the card I'm giving you will take you to the general area."_

A card appeared, and lowered into Stan's hand. It was the Trap Card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

"_Use it whenever you are ready… Be warned, however, you only have one chance._

"_Good luck…"_

Then the eight Crystal Cards dissolved into light.

"Whoa…" said Andy.

"So…" said Francesca. "Should we give it a go?"

"No time like the present, as my uncle always says…" said Stan.

He activated his Disk, and fit the card into a slot. As he did so, the odd machine pictured on the card appeared in front of them. It hummed to life, and a portal appeared in front of them.

Cautiously, they walked into the portal…

**0000000000**

**MADOLCHE MILLE-FLEUR (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl6/2,300ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is destroyed by your opponent and sent to the Graveyard: Shuffle it into your deck. If you have no Monsters in your Graveyard, you can Normal Summon this card from your hand without Tribute. When this card attacks and you have no Monsters in your Graveyard, your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the damage step.

**0000000000**

**MADOLCHE LANCOUR (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect:** When this card is destroyed by your opponent and sent to the Graveyard: Shuffle it into your deck. When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, you may select one "Madolche" Spell or Trap card from your Graveyard and place it on the top of your deck.

**0000000000**

**MADOLCHE FLAMBRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Dragon/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank 4/2,000ATK/2,000DEF**

_2 Level 4 EARTH Monsters_

**Effect: ** When this card is destroyed by your opponent and sent to the Graveyard: Return it to your Extra Deck. As long as this card has at least 1 Xyz Material, "Madolche" Monsters cannot be banished. If there are no Monsters in your Graveyard, then this card gains the following effect: Increase the ATK and DEF of "Madolche" Monsters on the field by 300 points for each Xyz Material this card has.

**0000000000**

**MADOLCHE TERRIOR WALK (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Madolche Puddingcess walking through a vineyard with Madolche Chouxvalier and Madolche Butlerusk watching her from afar.

**Card Description:** If you have a face up "Madolche" Monster on your side of the field: Once per turn, you may perform a second Normal Summon.

_Note: Credit for the proceeding four cards goes to fanfic author Lux-Nero._

**0000000000**

**MADOLCHE SORBET BLESSING (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **Madolche Puddingcess sleeping on a fancy bed, with her dreams illustrated above her head, depicting images of frozen desserts.

**Card Description: **Equip only to a "Madolche" Monster. The Equipped Monster cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. If this card leaves the field, banish this card and the Monster it was Equipped to.

**0000000000**

**GAGAGA COMMANDO (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect: **If this card and at least 1 other "Gagaga" Monster you control is used for the Xyz Summoning of an Xyz Monster, increase the ATK of all Xyz Monsters you control by 500 until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

_**Stan has finally reached his goal! Well, the first part, anyway… Does this mean it's going to be easy from this point?**_

_**I kind of doubt it…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: The goal we've been given seems insurmountable at first… Find a treasure that has been hidden for a thousand years. Still, I doubt that the Queen would give us a task that's truly impossible, given what her actual goal is.**_

_**We have to find Cortez's treasure, and then I have to duel a Guardian that's there… You know… Seeing as this place and its inhabitants mirror a popular video game, I have a sneaking suspicion as to what we might find there…**_

"_**Silent Abyss" is coming soon. **_


	31. Silent Abyss

_Author's note: Almost all (well, actually, not "almost") the fanmade cards that debut in this chapter I cannot take credit for. They were created entirely by my close ally in Fanfiction, Lux-Nero._

_Whether he has plans for them, and whether he has more of these cards waiting to be unleashed, I cannot say. But it is with great pleasure that I debut this unique fanmade archetype here._

**0000000000**

_**It seems that a good rule of thumb on Arcadia is, "expect the unexpected".**_

_**I had expected to duel someone who works for the Shadow Queen in my attempt to gain the Sapphire Star, and apparently, I was technically correct… But it seems that he doesn't like her any more than I do. In fact, from what he tells me, he may have even **_**more **_**of a reason to hate her than I do.**_

_**That doesn't make this situation any less dangerous. He's a powerful duelist, using cards I've never even heard of. I never even knew that Monsters of this Type came in this Attribute.**_

_**This isn't going to be easy… In fact… It may be harder than anything I faced yet…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-ONE**

**0000000000**

**Silent Abyss**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The portal opened, depositing the three duelists in a dark, swampy area.

They looked around.

"Hey, I know where we are!" exclaimed Stan. "This is the place where I dueled Chaos Hunter!"

"At least she doesn't seem to be around…" said Francesca, nervously.

She looked around.

"Okay…" she said. "If I was a pirate lord in the Dark Ages, where would I hide a horde of ill-gotten gains?"

Her deck glowed, and Ms. Mowz appeared in front of her. The Duel Spirit sniffed the air.

"You got me," she said. "He must have hidden it pretty well for my nose not to be able to sniff it out…"

"Maybe it isn't hidden at all," replied Andy, as they started to walk through the swamp. "Maybe people have just been looking in the wrong place the whole time. I once read a story in some book called 'Glongold's Gauntlet' with such a situation…"

"I don't follow…" said Stan.

"Well, the story went like this…" said Andy. "There was a pirate named Raul Glongold who had a long career where he became very, very wealthy. Eventually, he decided to retire… When he did, he spread the word that he had hidden a chest full of gold doubloons on an island in the South Seas, going so far as to give the exact coordinates of where the island was, swearing on Leviathan's Chest that he was being truthful.

"Apparently, that was one of the most sacred vows that a pirate could take in those days, so folks doubted that he was lying.

"Naturally, treasure hunters flocked to the island, but no-one found the treasure. In fact, most of them didn't get a chance to look for it, because they were so busy fighting each other. Those who did manage to dig up the beaches found nothing. Those who delved into the mainland risked their lives; it was a thick jungle infested with venomous snakes and swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, and the river was full of hungry piranhas. They still found nothing…

"Meanwhile, Glongold himself was watching them from his luxurious private yacht anchored off the coast, laughing his head off. Apparently, watching everyone kill themselves trying to find the treasure was his twisted idea of enjoying his retirement.

"Some frustrated and injured fortune-seekers swore that Glongold had actually lied when he made that oath, and that he'd burn in the blackest Hell that pirates went to… But if he had lied, whatever enforced that sacred oath didn't seem to care… He was living the high life, and couldn't be happier, with no trace of any divine retribution looming overhead to smite him or any sign that he was worried in the least…

"But then, one treasure hunter noticed the ruins of an old monastery on a rocky outlet right off the main beach, a place that was in plain sight. No-one had ever thought to look there… It was unprotected and out in the open, and didn't seem to be a place where a pirate would hide a treasure.

"But the guy went and looked there, and sure enough, found the chest full of gold doubloons lying in an old water basin. Glongold had 'hidden' the treasure right in plain sight, where no-one – or rather, _almost _no-one – would think to look."

"So you think that Cortez might have hidden his treasure by putting it in a place that would seem too obvious?" asked Francesca.

"I'm not ruling anything out…" said Andy.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen was watching, and chuckling softly.

"An intriguing idea, Andy…" she said. "I'll have to read that sometime…

"It was an interesting theory, but…"

She took a Trap Card out of her dress. Dark Trap Hole.

"The truth is, you're never going to find Cortez's treasure… Unless I help you…"

She hurled the card into the furnace. As she did, the three teenagers screamed as a sinkhole gave way underneath them. The Queen chuckled softly again.

**0000000000**

"Francesca!" shouted Andy. "Francesca, where are you!"

"You landed on her!" replied Francesca's voice.

Andy quickly got up, and then gave her his hand.

"Where are we?" asked Stan, as they got up.

As their eyes got accustomed to the dim light, they saw where they were, and didn't like the look of it. They seemed to be on a rocky shore overlooking a huge, water-filled grotto. Strewn along the small shore were old skulls and rusted pieces of metal.

"So what do we do now?" asked Andy.

Then two long things fell over in front of them with a clatter. They noticed that the "long things" were oars, and that a wooden rowboat was in front of them.

"Guess that answers your question…" said Stan.

He looked at the small craft, and tested it.

"Seems solid enough…"

Cautiously, they pushed it into the water, and hopped onboard. It stayed afloat, so Stan took hold of the oars.

Soon, it became clear that they weren't entirely needed. A strange current was pulling them forward. What made them nervous, however, was the eerie mist that was starting to rise from the water.

Then, to their shock, three large, ominous shapes appeared out of the mist in front of them. They looked like creepy pirate ships with skull-shaped bows and crimson hulls. (1,600 ATK x3)

"Holy…" said Francesca.

Andy stood up, and activated his Duel Disk.

"They're Skull Mariners…" he said. "Easy to take care of…"

He played a card, and Alexandrite Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK) It blasted a beam of light, blowing a hole in the hull of one of the Mariners, causing it to catch fire.

The Dragon blasted twice more, and the other two pirate ships capsized. Stan started to push the oars faster, and they quickly moved past the three sinking ships.

"The Shadow Queen is just trying to scare us," he said. "Well, three third-rate Monsters aren't gonna do the job…"

Then the mist parted, and a large, ominous shape appeared in front of them.

"But _that _sure might…" he said, with a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

They had reached the other end of the grotto, and on a much larger shore, a far larger pirate ship had run aground, one rotting due to incredible age. Exactly what was keeping it from falling apart was a mystery. The sails were in tatters, but still mostly there, and the wood, while warped, still seemed solid. The whole thing seemed to emit contradicting auras of decay and perseverance at the same time.

Ms. Mowz appeared again.

"I can smell it!" she exclaimed. "There's treasure in there, you big chunks of cambozola! LOTS of treasure! I haven't smelled a trove like this in centuries!"

Stan guided the craft onto the shore.

"Has to be a way onboard…" he said as they stood up.

They looked hard at the port side of the ship, the side they were facing. Then they slowly walked around towards the starboard side.

Then it seemed that getting inside would actually be quite easy. A huge hole was in the starboard side.

Bobbery appeared next to Andy.

"Tread with caution, lads," he said. "There may be treasure here… But this is clearly cursed ground… I've seen things like this before…"

"Something tells me we should listen to the Admiral…" said Francesca.

"Well, what choice do we have?" asked Stan.

They walked through the hole in the ship, and found that it was pitch black inside.

"Anyone have a light?" said Andy.

Then, to everyone's shock, lights came on. Old-fashioned oil lanterns lit up around them.

They seemed to be in a storage room of the ship, where old barrels that may have once held rum were strewn about, most of them broken. A stairway led up.

Stan took a deep breath, and led them up the stairway, their feet causing it to creek. He slowly opened the door.

The room they entered was lit up far more brightly… But not from lanterns…

Rather it was from what the room held… Clearly, Cortez's great treasure was no myth…

Piles of gold and silver coins were all around them, along with gemstones, jewelry, and gold, gem-encrusted art objects like cups, scepters, and even crowns. The three duelists stood spellbound for a minute at the sight of the incredible wealth in front of them…

Andy was about to step forward, but then Stan shouted.

"Don't touch it!" he shouted.

Andy stepped back.

"Oh…" said Andy. "Yeah… Probably booby trapped…"

They looked around.

"Good lord…" whispered Francesca. "This is a practical king's ransom…"

Andy inched towards a pile of coins, but Stan held out his hand again.

"More than you think…" said Andy. "If these coins are really a thousand years old, their value as antiques is a _lot _more than their value as gold…"

He looked around at the gold cups, the gem-encrusted jewelry, and the fancy artwork.

"There isn't a museum in the world that wouldn't sell its soul for this haul… There could be more money here than Howard Hughes had…"

Then there was a loud, spooky, ghostly moan. Koops appeared next to Andy.

"Oh…" said the shy Koopa, shivering. "I just knew a place like this would have pirate ghosts…"

Indeed, that seemed to be the case, as a spectral apparition walked through the wall in front of them. They recognized him instantly… He looked exactly like the statue in the center of Keelhaul Key, except that his clothes were ragged and torn and his hair was disheveled. He was translucent, a spiritual version of the likeness they had seen. He held a glowing cutlass that he pointed menacingly at them.

"So…" said the ghostly pirate, in a hollow voice, "after all this time, someone has finally come…

"Well… If you want my treasure…"

He pointed the weapon at them menacingly.

"…you're going to have to try to _take _it from me."

"Cortez, wait!" pleaded Stan. "Uh, I assume that's who I'm taking to?"

The phantom didn't say anything to deny it, so Stan went on.

"If your treasure is so important to you, you can keep it!" he said. "Well… Most of it… We just want the Sapphire Star!"

The ghostly pirate looked at him. Then he turned to the side. His eyes fell on a large blue gemstone.

"This thing, ya mean?" he said, picking it up. "Bah…"

He threw it back on the pile.

"The treasure_ isn't _important to me," he said. "The sight of it sickens me, _that _bauble worst of all… It was the very thing that doomed me to this accursed place…

"But I couldn't just give it you, no matter how much I hate it…"

"What do you mean?" asked Francesca.

"I stole that gem from the black witch who rules this island one-thousand years ago…" muttered Cortez. "I thought I had escaped, but a nightmare the next night told me otherwise. She spoke to me in my dreams, placing a dark curse on my ship and my crew…

"I placed this gem and the rest of what I had taken from her here, and took another ship with another crew… But that was no solution. Before I knew it, my whole crew was sick with scurvy. Those who survived were no match when a militia ship found us.

"As I was led to the gallows to be hanged, the whore appeared to me again, telling me that I wouldn't escape her curse by dying. She said that even in death, I would guard my treasure until someone challenged me for it and won.

"That's why I goaded the crowd who had come to watch, filling their minds with the dreams of riches beyond compare if they ever found this horde. But you three are the first to find it… I hid my spoils too well…

"So I've been here ever since… I've been guarding this pile of gold, which for all its value, is practically worthless to me. It can't exactly buy me a cure… Or even something to help pass the time in this dark pit…"

"You don't say…" said Stan.

He activated his Duel Disk.

"Well, Cortez, I'm no fan of the Shadow Queen either… So if defeat is what you need… I challenge you for the treasure!"

"Duel Monsters, eh?" said the pirate ghost.

His sword vanished.

"Very well… I was able to teach myself a few things to keep my sanity while down here, and that was one of them…"

A Duel Disk made of black metal appeared on his arm. Then there were more ghostly moans… Then a chorus of them.

"Come forth!" shouted Cortez. "Your captain commands you!"

Then they came. Ghostly wisps with agonized faces entered the room through the walls. The three duelists covered their heads as they flew towards Cortez and then encircled him. Then, one by one, each of the specters transformed into a card, and then every card flew into the deck holder of his Duel Disk, forming a forty-card deck.

There was a long pause.

"Well?" said Cortez.

Stan was trembling. He slowly turned the cap on his head backwards.

He had a feeling that Cortez's Monsters weren't going to be _nearly _as pleasant as the Madolche were…

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (Cortez: 8,000)**

"The first move belongs to you…" said Cortez.

"All right…" said Stan, nervously.

_Best defend for now… _he thought, as he set a Monster. _No telling just what I'm up against…_

_I mean, he's a pirate ghost… Does that mean he plays Water Monsters? Zombies? What?_

"I end my turn…" he said.

Cortez made a draw, and chose two of his cards.

"I summon Evil Shade Cutlass to the field," he said.

There was a haunting laugh, and a very unfriendly-looking ghost sword appeared in front of him, hovering in mid-air and glowing with eerie, blue light. Sinister yellow eyes appeared over it. (500 ATK)

"Okay that's… Disturbing…" said Stan, "but only 500 Attack Points?"

"If you think that the advantage is yours, then attack it," said Cortez. "In the meantime…"

He set the other card in his Disk, and a set card appeared behind the Cutlass.

"Next, I'll play a Continuous Spell Card that defines this place perfectly," he said, as he fit a card into his Disk. "Cursed Gold…"

The Spell appeared on his side of the field.

"And I end my turn…"

_This seems to be a rather obvious Trap… _thought Stan as he made a draw. _But…_

"I use my Trap Card…" said Cortez, as his set card lifted up.

"Deep Sea Summoning?" asked Stan, looking at the odd card.

"Yes," said Cortez. "You see, _because _my Monster's Attack Score is so low, I can use this card. When I have a Water-Attribute Monster with 500 Attack Points or less on the field, this Spell Card lets me pay 1,000 Life Points to summon two more copies from my deck."

Two more of the haunted swords appeared, these ones clearly in Defense Mode. (300 DEF)

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,000)**

Stan looked at the three swords.

_Seems I was right on both counts, _he thought. _He's using Water Monsters AND Zombies. _

_I don't know what he intends to do with those things… And frankly, I don't wanna know…_

"I summon Trident Warrior!" he shouted, as the bearded Warrior appeared, flashing his weapon. (1,800 ATK)

"By using his effect, I'm able to summon Mataza the Zapper to the field!"

There was a loud shout, and Mataza leapt onto the forefront, brandishing his katana. (1,300 ATK)

"Then, I'll flip Magician's Valkyria into Attack Mode!"

His set card flipped forward, and Valkyria leapt into position. (1,600 ATK)

The two Warriors and one Spellcaster stared Cortez in the eye, and he stared back with a look that could crack stone.

"Mataza, you first!" shouted Stan. "Attack one of the defending Evil Shade Cutlasses!"

Mataza dashed across the field, bringing his sword down on the haunted weapon and smashing it into little pieces.

"When Evil Shade Cutlass is destroyed, I gain 800 Life Points," said Cortez.

"Well Mataza gets a second attack, and he's going after another one," replied Stan.

The ronin slashed his blade again, destroying the other defending Cutlass.

"Again, I gain 800 Life Points," said Cortez.

"Your third Cutlass is in Attack Mode," said Stan, as Valkyria aimed her staff. "So you're gonna lose 1,100 before gaining them this time…"

Valkyria cast her spell, and the small ghost shattered.

"Trident Warrior, attack him directly!" shouted Stan. "Wrath of Poseidon!"

Trident Warrior's eyes glowed, and lightning flashed as he shot a bolt of energy at Cortez.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,500)**

"Those attacks didn't seem to hurt Cortez at all…" said Andy.

"Is it even _possible _to hurt him?" asked Francesca. "He's already dead!"

"Your move, Cortez," said Stan.

"Then I draw…" said Cortez, as he drew a card.

"Each time you destroyed one of my Water-Attribute Zombie Monsters, Cursed Gold gained a Gold Counter…"

Three howling specters rose out of the floor, and floated around the Continuous Spell.

"Now I can destroy it, and make one draw per Counter."

The phantoms dragged the card under the floor, and Cortez drew three times.

"Now I'll summon Evil Shade Buccaneer," he said.

There was another moan, and a humanoid Zombie appeared, an undead pirate wearing a torn and ragged jacket with a pirate's cap over silver, tangled hair. He carried two flintlock pistols that looked rusted and in bad shape. (1,400 ATK)

"And it gains 300 Attack Points for each additional Evil Shade Buccaneer in my Graveyard."

Three more ghostly phantoms flew out of the ground, and flew into the Zombie's chest. It glowed with shadowy energy. (2,300 ATK)

"Wait just a minute!" shouted Stan. "You don't have ANY of those guys in your Graveyard!"

"Yes I do," replied Cortez. "Those three Evil Shade Cutlasses have the same name as this Monster while in my Graveyard.

"Now my Buccaneer attacks your Spellcaster!"

The Zombie aimed its flintlocks and fired; despite their decrepit looks, the weapons seemed to work perfectly, because Valkyria screamed and tumbled over before shattering.

Stan felt like a cold blade had stabbed into his chest…

_Figures… _he thought, as he started to sweat. _Cortez is a ghost… So this is naturally a Shadow Duel…_

_And if only taking 700 points of damage hurt that much, it's likely going to be a _very _deadly one…_

**(S: 7,300) - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,500)**

"Your turn…" said Cortez.

Stan cautiously drew a card.

It was Magic Cylinder. He put it aside, and took a Spell Card from his hand.

"I activate… Star Changer!" he shouted, as he played it. "I'll use it to increase Mataza's Level from 3 to 4.

"And now that I have two Level 4 Monsters…"

Mataza and Trident Warrior turned into shadowy orbs as the Overlay Network appeared. There was no music this time. Maestroke simple emerged from the vortex with a stern look on his face. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I use the Equip Spell, Xyz Unit," continued Stan, as he played the card.

(2,600 ATK)

"It not only gives my Xyz Monster 800 more Attack Points, it serves as an extra Overlay Unit.

"So Maestroke is more than a match for your Buccaneer!"

The Symphony Djinn swung his sword, cutting the Zombie pirate down.

**(S: 7,300) - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,200)**

He took the Trap Card, and set it in his Disk. It materialized in front of him in a flash of light.

"And it's your move…" said Stan.

"I draw…" said Cortez, as he made a draw.

"I activate the Foolish Burial Spell Card…"

He played the card, and a phantom flew screaming out of his deck, and flew into his Graveyard slot.

"Then, I summon Anchor Cut Throat," he said.

The Monster that appeared looked like Zombie Master… Sort of. It wore a torn and ragged pirate's outfit, covered with chains, with an anchor strapped to its back. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, I use its effect," he continued, "by discarding one card, I can Special Summon a Water-Attribute Zombie from my Graveyard."

He discarded a card, and an Evil Shade Cutlass slowly rose onto the field. (500 ATK)

"Then, I use the effect of my Dead-Eye Lookout," he said.

"Your what?" asked Stan.

"The Monster I just discarded…" replied Cortez.

A decayed undead parrot with messy green feathers with glassy eyes floated out of the floor and let out a hideous squawk.

"By banishing it and another Water Monster in my Graveyard," he continued, as another Evil Shade Cutlass appeared next to it, "I can destroy one set card… So be gone!"

The two Zombies vanished, and Stan's set Trap Card shattered.

_Uh… oh… _he thought.

"Now, prepare to meet Davy Jones!" exclaimed Cortez. "And I mean that literally…"

Anchor Cut Throat and Evil Shade Cutlass started to dissolve into spooky vapor.

"Because the Monster I sent to my Graveyard with Foolish Burial was indeed Davy Jones, and by sacrificing two Water-Attribute Zombies, I can Special Summon him _from_ my Graveyard…"

Slowly, a dark, shadowy shape with one piercing, yellow eye started to appear…

The creature was a shadowy, hooded, cloaked, skeletal thing, with chains wrapped around its cloaked body and an anchor on its back. Sea water dripped from its cloak, and a single, glowing eye that gave a look of madness peered out of the hood. (2,750 ATK)

"Now…" said Cortez, "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon…"

He played the card, and the fierce wind blew across the field, blowing Xyz Unit to pieces. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack his Djinn with Sea of Sorrows!" shouted Cortez.

A stream of filthy, foul water shot at Maestroke, and he sputtered and struggled against it…

"I use Maestroke's effect!" shouted Stan, as he discarded Mataza's card. "By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, I can protect Maestroke!"

The Symphony Djinn caught his breath as water dripped from his now-soaked uniform. Stan felt his chest… His heart was beating fast.

**(S: 6,350) - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,200)**

"You know, Cortez…" said Stan, "for someone who wants to lose, you sure seem to being doing your best to win…"

"The wench who condemned me to this hellhole told me that if I lost on purpose, it didn't count!" cursed Cortez, as he shook his fist. "She may have been lying… But I've been down here too long… I can't take chances…

"My only chance is to lose after I've tried as hard as I can… I've prayed all these years that the one who finally found this place would be a better fighter than I was… But I didn't have much faith that it would happen…

"When a pirate fights another one-on-one, he gives no quarter and expects none from his opponent… So he only gets to lose once… The one time he does is the fight where he dies."

"So you never lost…" said Stan. "Not to someone who fought you on equal terms…"

"Yeah…" said Francesca. "And I wouldn't call a ship full of sick and dying pirates against a ship full of strong militants 'equal terms'…"

"You didn't even bring a sword with you…" said Cortez. "But… The world has changed in ten centuries, and this way may be the only way…

"My turn is over…"

Stan made a draw.

_Let's see here… _he thought. _Davy Jones has only 800 Defense Points… So, if I used Maestroke's effect to switch it into set position, Maestroke could defeat it easily…_

_However… If Cortez had two Zombies again – and we all know how easy they are to Special Summon – he would likely just use its effect to summon it again, and then I'd really be up the creek…_

He looked at the three cards in his hand. Then he set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared. Then Maestroke knelt, and assumed a defensive position. (2,300 DEF)

"Your move…" said Stan.

Cortez made a draw.

"I use the Shield Crush Spell Card," he said, as he played a card.

Stan's heart leapt into his mouth.

"I choose to target… Your Symphony Djinn!" exclaimed Cortez.

Stan breathed a sigh of relief.

"I use Maestroke's effect again!" he shouted, as he discarded Trident Warrior.

The bolt of energy shot towards Maestroke, but it bounced off.

"I summon Cursed Cannoneer…" continued Cortez.

Another ghostly phantom appeared, and it formed into a phantom pirate who was literally chained to the ground by bindings that clung to it. A large cannon was mounted on its back. (1,000 ATK)

"I don't think your Djinn is going to be able to withstand my Monster's attack this time!" he shouted. "Sea of Sorrows!"

The foul stream of water shot at Maestroke again, and Cortez was right… He _couldn't _withstand it. He shattered into pixels.

Cursed Cannoneer aimed its weapon at the set Monster.

"You know, Cortez?" said Stan with a smirk. "If you had used Shield Crush on _this _Monster, I don't know what I would have done!"

"Eh?" said Cortez.

The cannon fired, and a screaming, ghostly cannonball shot at the card. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and exploded.

"Hmm…" said Cortez.

Stan discarded the two cards in his hand, while Cortez also discarded two (they were My Body as a Shield, and Burial from a Different Dimension). They both made five draws.

Stan lifted an eyebrow. He had managed to draw both Vivian _and _Yoshi… All of a sudden, he felt his chances getting better…

"Make your move…" said Cortez.

Stan drew a card, and looked over the six cards in his hand.

_No way to summon two Monsters in one turn… _he thought. _But… If I destroy that thing, at least he'll have to swap two Monsters to summon it again…_

"You're not the only one who has a Monster that can activate its effect from the Graveyard, Cortez," he said. "I'm banishing A/D Changer…"

The portly Warrior appeared, and held its D flag up.

"This moves Davy Jones to Defense Mode."

The demon knelt and crossed its bony arms over its chest. (800 DEF)

"Now, I can summon Frontier Wiseman…"

He threw the card on his Disk, and the Spellcaster in a royal robe and a crown appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Obliterate Davy Jones!" he shouted. "Sacred Lightning!"

The Wiseman lifted his hand, and lightning flashed, blowing the creature into globs of foul liquid.

"That's all I can do for now…" he said.

Cortez drew a card.

"I sacrifice my Cursed Cannoneer…" he said.

The sea Zombie turned into an orb of water.

"…to summon the dreaded Captain Dem Bonez."

Another dark shadow crept across the field, and there was a chilling laugh. A skeletal pirate appeared, his bones covered by a ghostly, translucent skin. His face could almost be considered handsome, and he had long, black hair. He wore a ragged pirate's outfit, and held a cutlass in his right hand and a wheellock pistol in his left. (2,000 ATK)

"Next, I use his effect, which I can use once per turn," said Cortez. "By banishing one Level 4 or lower Water-Attribute Zombie from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon another one _from _my Graveyard."

Another Evil Shade Cutlass appeared, and then vanished. Then Cursed Cannoneer appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"Eh?" said Stan. "Why _that _guy?"

"I have my reasons…" replied Cortez. "Attack his Wiseman, Captain Dem Bonez!"

The undead pirate lunged at the Spellcaster with his sword, and with one deep cut, blew him to pixels.

Then Cursed Cannoneer aimed its cannon at Stan.

"Attack him directly!" shouted Cortez.

The ghostly cannonball fired at Stan, and he screamed as it literally shot through him, sending an unearthly chill through his whole body.

**(S: 4,950) - - - - - - - - - (C: 6,200)**

Andy looked with worry…

_Something's wrong here… _he thought. _Not only did Cortez not summon Davy Jones again, but both Anchor Cut Throat and Evil Shade Buccaneer might have been better choices than Cursed Cannoneer…_

_Unless… Unless Cursed Cannoneer has an effect that is vital to a bigger strategy…_

"That will end my turn…" said Cortez.

Stan drew.

"Time for you to meet Vivian!" he shouted.

He played the card, and Vivian appeared out of the shadows, still smiling, albeit nervously. (1,800 ATK)

"I… I don't know about this Stan…" she said.

"Calm down, Vivian," said Stan. "What's one of the traditional weaknesses of creatures that are hard to kill, like undead beings? Fire, right?"

"Oh!" said Vivian. "Good point…"

"All right!" shouted Stan. "Attack Cursed Cannoneer! Fiery Jinx!"

Vivian pointed, and her wave of flames shot at the Zombie. It groaned before turning into a cloud of steam.

**(S: 4,950) - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,400)**

"You may have deep-sixed one Cursed Cannoneer," said Cortez, "but when it's destroyed, I get to bring out another one."

"Oh, crap…" said Stan, as another Cursed Cannoneer appeared. (1,000 ATK)

_All right, don't panic… _he though, as he looked at the cards left in his hand. _He's probably planning to summon something big, and if all goes well, I'll be able to take it down next turn…_

"It's your move…" he said.

Cortez made a draw…

Then, the room they were in seemed to literally fall apart…

The next thing they knew, they were all standing in a dark, fog-enshrouded area, with the dank smell of seawater.

"Where are we?" said Francesca.

"Somewhere else…" said Cortez. "The room we were in… It was too small for what I'm about to do…"

He thrust a Spell Card forward.

"I play Deep Sea Fusion!"

"Don't like the sound of that…" said Andy.

"Deep Sea Fusion lets me Fusion Summon a Monster," said Cortez, "so long as it's a Water-Attribute Monster. And for the one I want to summon, I have to fuse Captain Dem Bonez and two other Water-Attribute Zombies."

"A _triple _Fusion?" shouted Andy. "Now I _know _I don't like it!"

"So I fuse together Captain Dem Bonez, Cursed Cannoneer, and from my hand, Ghostly Lantern…" said Cortez.

A large, rusty lantern held up by a ghostly hand with blue flames around it appeared on the field, and then all three Monsters were drawn into a spiraling vortex.

"I summon… _Dead Sea Ship – The Flying Dutchman!"_

The three teenagers watched with horror as the fog behind Cortez parted and a _huge _apparition started to emerge. It was a ship… A ghost ship. A large, ghostly frigate.

But what _really _made it different from the typical ghost ship – if _any_ ghost ship could be called "typical" – was the fact that it seemed to be a combination of a ship and a skeletal dragon-like creature. The dragon's neck and skull protruded from the ship's bow, its claws extended from the starboard and port, while its bony tail trailed from the stern. It was like the huge skeleton was using the ship like a turtle would a shell.

The creature let out a hoarse roar... (3,000 ATK)

"How did _that _happen?" gasped Francesca.

"The dragon was what wrecked the ship," replied Cortez. "But as you can see, the ship got its revenge… The dragon didn't survive either… And both share the same curse.

"But anyway… Deep Sea Fusion has another effect… So long as it's in my Graveyard, all of my Water-Attribute Fusion Monsters gain 200 Attack Points for each Water Monster that's also there…"

Then, a mob of phantoms – eight in all – flew out of the mist, and towards the Flying Dutchman. The dragon snapped them up in its jaws, and the cursed ship glowed with unholy energy. (4,600 ATK)

Vivian was shivering like a leaf.

"Attack that creature!" shouted Cortez. "Grand Blue Cannon!"

Then the beast roared, and every artillery on the phantom craft opened fire, sending a lethal barrage of ghostly cannonballs at Stan and Vivian.

"I've got your back, Vivian!" shouted Stan. "I'm using her effect… I discard one card, and she can protect herself using her Veil!"

He threw Gagaga Magician into his discard slot, and Vivian vanished into the darkness. The cannonballs all fell short, dissipating into the mist.

Vivian reappeared, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I set two cards facedown," said Cortez, as two set cards appeared in front of him, "and I end my turn…"

"Man, Stan is never gonna sink that thing!" shouted Francesca.

"Never say never," said Stan. "Here goes!"

He drew a card.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

The holy symbol appeared, and Gagaga Magician rose out of the ground. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, I summon Yoshi the Loyal Steed!"

He played the card, and Yoshi leapt up, a big smile on his face. (1,400 ATK)

"I activate a Trap Card," said Cortez, as one of his facedown cards lifted up. "The dreaded Just Desserts."

"No…" gasped Francesca. "That will deal 500 points of damage for each Monster Stan has!"

Three phantoms flew out of the card, flying into Stan's chest. His eyes bugged out… He felt like his heart had been doused in cold water.

**(S: 3,450) - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,400)**

Yoshi and Vivian looked at him with worried expressions.

"I'm fine…" he groaned.

He took a card from his hand.

"I use Gagaga Magician's effect to increase his Level to 8," he continued. "Then I play the Equip Spell, Bound Wand."

The scepter appeared in Gagaga Magician's hand, and his Attack Score rose to 2,300.

"Then, I Union Equip Yoshi to Gagaga Magician…"

Yoshi bent down, and Gagaga Magician mounted him.

"By doing so, Gagaga Magician gains 500 more Attack Points…"

(2,800 ATK)

"And that's not all!" said Andy, getting excited. "Because The Flying Dutchman was Special Summoned and Gagaga Magician is Level 8 now, Yoshi's effect will reduce it to zero Attack Points when he attacks it!"

"You're so right!" said Stan, as Gagaga Magician aimed the wand at the huge craft. "Attack! Scuttle that ship!"

A powerful blast of energy shot from the wand. The ghost ship's Attack Score dropped to zero, and a huge explosion erupted on its starboard hull, sending a shiver through the craft. Cortez grunted a little…

**(S: 3,450) - - - - - - - - - (C: 2,600)**

To Stan's surprise, however, the cursed frigate was still afloat…

"How…" he gasped.

"It isn't easy to sink a ghost ship…" replied Cortez. "It has a powerful effect of its own… I can banish one Water-Attribute Zombie from my Graveyard to prevent it from being destroyed.

"And that's not all… The Monster I banished was my Ghostly Lantern… Because I did that, all banished Monsters except that one return to the owners' decks."

Three ghosts flew into Cortez's deck, while a card – obviously A/D Changer – appeared on Stan's deck, and it reshuffled.

"Of course, now that your Monster's effect has worn off, The Flying Dutchman has 200 less Attack Points…"

(4,400 ATK)

"But so long as Cortez has even _one _Water Zombie in his Graveyard…" gasped Francesca, "that thing is practically indestructible!"

**(S: 3,450) - - - - - - - - - (C: 2,600)**

Stan paused for a minute.

He set one card, and a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I end my turn," he said slowly, as Gagaga Magician fell to an Attack Score of 2,400.

"Draw…" said Cortez, as he drew a card.

"I remembered that Spellcaster's effect," he continued, "so I'll have to get rid of her without attacking…"

He played a Spell Card.

"Offerings to the Doomed."

A bolt of energy shot out of the card, and Vivian screamed.

"Vivian!" shouted Stan.

It was too late. She shattered.

"Now that that's out of the way," said Cortez, as his other face-down card lifted up, "I use Call of the Haunted to summon Anchor Cut Throat from the Graveyard…"

The chained phantom appeared again in a dark mist. (1,500 ATK)

"Once again, I use its effect," said Cortez, as he discarded another Cursed Cannoneer. "I'll summon one of the first two Cursed Cannoneers…"

Again, the chained, cannon-wielding ghost appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Then I summon… Captain Phantasm…"

There was another spooky moan, and a new ghost pirate appeared. It was a dark, shadowy one, dressed in torn, red clothes, holding a rusty cutlass. (1,300 ATK)

Stan made a nervous twitch. He had a feeling he knew what was coming… And his feeling was confirmed when Captain Phantasm and Cursed Cannoneer dissolved into shadowy darkness.

He shivered as Davy Jones appeared again… (2,750 ATK)

"I may have taken three Water Monsters out of my Graveyard," said Cortez, "but I subsequently added three, so The Flying Dutchman's Attack Score remains unchanged."

"Destroy Gagaga Magician! Open fire!"

The Flying Dutchman's guns blasted, honing in on the Spellcaster. Stan screamed as the impact threw him backwards…

Fortunately, Gagaga Magician was still standing. (1,900 ATK)

"My Monster survived…" panted Stan. "He was Equipped with a Union Monster… So Yoshi took the hit for him…"

"So what will protect him from Davy Jones?" asked Cortez.

The demon cast its watery doom, and Gagaga Magician struggled against the onslaught until he shattered.

"I use the effect of Bound Wand!" shouted Stan.

Gagaga Magician appeared again in a flash of light. (1,500 ATK)

Cortez paused.

"Anchor Cut Throat…" he said.

The Zombie tensed.

Cortez paused again. He looked at the two cards in his hand he had left.

"On second thought," said Cortez, "I'll end my turn there…"

**(S: 600) - - - - - - - - - (C: 2,600)**

"He didn't want to attack?" said Andy.

"I think he realized that he couldn't draw next turn because he used Offerings to the Doomed," said Francesca. "Anchor Cut Throat's effect would let him Special Summon another Zombie next turn, so he figured letting it be destroyed this turn when he couldn't draw on his next wouldn't be worth it.

"Still… Anchor Cut Throat is the least of Stan's problems… Unless he can find some way to get rid of that ship, he's had it…"

Stan looked at the one card that he had, Level Warrior… It wasn't all-too good right now…

He made a draw.

He played it, and the Pot of Avarice appeared in front of him. He took Vivian, Yoshi, Valkyria, Trident Warrior, and Mataza the Zapper, and shuffled them into his deck.

He made two draws.

Then his face lit up.

"You know…" he said. "I've never been one to believe in Fate…"

His face-down card lifted up.

"But if he does exist, then he might just have smiled on me just now! I use Xyz Reborn!"

In a spiraling aura of energy, Maestroke reappeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!"

In a dark aura, the scarred monk appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, the Spell Card, Gagagabolt!" he shouted, as he played the other card.

Gagaga Magician started to cast a powerful spell, and thunder started to rumble overhead.

"With a Gagaga Monster on the field, I can destroy one of your cards… I choose…"

He pointed to The Flying Dutchman.

"…_that _one!"

A bolt of lightning crashed out of the sky, striking the huge frigate. The undead dragon let out a screech…

"I use my Monster's effect!" shouted Cortez.

"Actually, you can't," replied Stan.

"Eh?" said Cortez.

"You have to banish one of your Monsters to use that Monster's effect," said Stan, as flames started to erupt on the phantom vessel. "And because I have Kycoo on the field, you can't do that…"

Cortez watched, as explosions started to erupt on giant Zombie. The dragon let out a loud moan…

"Think it's time to abandon ship…" said Francesca, ominously.

All four of them covered their heads and ducked as a deafening explosion blew Dead Sea Ship – The Flying Dutchman out of existence, and fiery residue fell from the sky like burning rain…

"GAH!" screamed Cortez.

"You've got him on the ropes, Stan!" shouted Andy. "Now bring this thing home!"

"You got it!" replied Stan. "I use the Overlay Unit that Maestroke got from Xyz Reborn to use his effect, and switch Davy Jones from Attack Mode to set Defense Mode!"

A shadow enveloped the sea zombie, and he vanished, transforming into a reversed Monster.

"Then, I build the Overlay Network once again, and Overlay the Level 4 Kycoo and Gagaga Magician…"

The vortex of energy appeared again, consuming the two Spellcasters…

Kachi Kochi Dragon leapt onto the field with a snarl. (2,100 ATK)

"Maestroke, sink Davy Jones!" he ordered. "Send him back to his Locker!"

The Symphony Djinn made a rush at the set card, and Davy Jones appeared briefly before the Djinn's sword fell, cutting it in half.

"Now, Kachi Kochi Dragon will handle Anchor Cut Throat…" said Stan.

The Dragon fired its blast of energy, blowing the pirate ghost into a splattered glob of ectoplasm.

"Then I can use its effect," said Stan, as he discarded Gagaga Magician. "Kachi Kochi Dragon, attack directly and finish him off! Surging Shockwave…"

Cortez didn't move…

As Kachi Kochi Dragon prepared to attack, he let out a sigh… A sigh of relief that, it seemed, he had wanted to make for a very long time…

Then the attack hit, and it was over…

**(S: 600) - - - - - - - - - (C: 0)**

Stan looked around, and they were back in the room with all the treasure.

"Cortez?" he said.

Cortez was still there, searching through his pocket for something.

"Come on, where the devil is it?" he muttered. "Ah, here we go…"

He pulled out something that looked like a very old key.

"What's that?" said Stan.

"It's a key," said Cortez.

He tossed it to Stan, and Stan caught it.

"A magical one… One that I paid a wizard to make a long time ago, to make sure no-one ever stole my treasure.

"I'm not stupid, lads… I knew all these years that the whore who cursed me would send someone down here to loot this place if my curse was ever lifted…

"That's why I never let that key out of my sight. She'll need it if she wants anything from here… Even her magic can't break the spell that wizard put on this place. Only someone who has the key can take even a brass ring of my wealth.

"I don't care what you do with it all… But promise me one thing…

"Never… _Never _let that bitch have it…"

"I promise…" said Stan.

Then Cortez started laughing hysterically.

"Hear that, witch!" he cackled to the ceiling. "Seems I got the last laugh after all!"

And then, he simply faded away.

They looked in the spot where Cortez had been. Only his Duel Disk remained as proof that he had been there at all.

Stan shivered for a minute. He held his heart, which was still beating fast.

"A week ago I didn't even believe in ghosts…" he muttered. "Now I'm fighting them…"

Then he noticed the Sapphire Star, what he had come here to get. He walked over to it and picked it up.

"Stan…" gasped Francesca. "His treasure… He… He gave it to us?"

"Reality check, Francesca…" said Stan. "We have a huge pile of treasure, but transporting something this size to the States isn't exactly going to be easy for three teenagers. In fact, it's going to be impossible for as long as the Shadow Queen rules Arcadia.

"And what are we going to tell our parents if we survive this?"

"Yeah…" said Andy. "Telling them we found a pirate king's horde would be kinda hard to swallow…"

Stan placed the key in his backpack, followed by the Sapphire Star.

"Let's just keep quiet about this for now…" he said.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen was watching, with Grodus at her side.

"Seems Mr. Mason is the first to succeed…" said Grodus. "Technically, he could come here any time he wants…"

"True," replied the Queen, "but he won't just yet…"

She waved her hand, and scintillating colors started to move in the crystal ball.

"I know how people like him operate… He'll wait until either his two friends succeed, in which case they'll go as a team…

"…or they fail, in which case he'll make it a rescue mission. Either way, we have to wait and see what happens with Andy and Francesca."

A recorded image appeared on the orb, showing the three duelists' conversation shortly after they left the Wonky Circus.

"I know just what to do…" she said. "This is going to be a little crude, but… No-one ever said it would be pretty."

**0000000000**

**EVIL SHADE BUCCANEER (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect:** This card gains 300 ATK and DEF for each 'Evil Shade Buccaneer' in either player's Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**EVIL SHADE CUTLASS (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl2/500ATK/300DEF**

**Effect:** This card's name is treated as "Evil Shade Buccaneer" while in your Graveyard. If this card is destroyed, increase your life points by 800 points.

**0000000000**

**CAPTAIN DEM BONEZ (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl5/2,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: ** Once per turn, by banishing one Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard, you may Special Summon one Level 4 or lower WATER Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all Monsters that have been Special Summoned with this effect.

**0000000000**

**ANCHOR CUT THROAT (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,500ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: ** Once per turn, by discarding 1 card from your hand, you may Special Summon 1 WATER Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, you may add 1 WATER Zombie-type Monster from your Graveyard to your hand, except an "Anchor Cut Throat"

.  
**0000000000**

**DEAD-EYE LOOKOUT (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl1/300ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: ** Once per turn, by banishing card and 1 other WATER Monster in your Graveyard, you may select and destroy one set card on the field.

**0000000000**

**GHOSTLY LANTERN (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl2/100ATK/200DEF**

**Effect: ** When this card in your Graveyard is banished, you may return all banished Monsters to their owner's decks other than this card.

**0000000000**

**CURSED CANNONEER (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl3/1,000ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: ** When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you may Special Summon one "Cursed Cannoneer" from your deck.

**0000000000**

**CAPTAIN PHANTASM (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,300ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Normal Summoned and you control no other Monsters, you may Special Summon a Level 3 or lower WATER Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**DAVY JONES (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl8/2,750ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except via its own effect. When this card is in your Graveyard, you can Tribute 2 WATER Zombie-Type Monsters you control to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**CURSED GOLD (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Several ghostly spirits flying around a large treasure chest.

**Effect: **When a WATER Zombie-Type Monster is destroyed, place 1 "Gold Counter" on this card (max. 3). During your Main Phase, you may destroy this card. When this card is destroyed, you may draw one card from your deck for each "Gold Counter" on this card.

**0000000000**

**DEEP SEA FUSION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Similar to "Polymerization", but with the dragons replacedenergy forms shaped like Daedalus and Cyber Shark.

**Effect: **Send Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a WATER Fusion Monster Card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck (this is considered a Fusion Summon). As long as this card is in your Graveyard, increase the ATK and DEF of all WATER Fusion Monsters on the field by 200 points times the number of WATER Monsters in your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**DEEP SEA SUMMONING (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Several scrolls underwater with several fish swimming around it.

**Effect:** Pay 1000 life points. This card can only be activated by selecting one WATER Monster on your side of the field with 500 or less ATK. Special Summon up to 2 Monsters from your deck that have the same name as the selected Monster.

**0000000000**

**DEAD SEA SHIP – THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Fusion/Effect/Lvl10/3,000ATK/2,500DEF**

_Captain Dem Bonez + 2 WATER Zombie-type Monsters _

**Effect:** This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this card would be destroyed (either through battle or card effect), you can negate its destruction by banishing 1 WATER Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard.

_As previously stated, all fanmade cards in this chapter were created by Lux-Nero. Credit goes to him._

**0000000000**

_**With the Sapphire Star in his possession, it seems that Stan is safe… For now. Still, abandoning his allies and trying to invade the Palace of Shadow on his own would be a fool's game… So his part in this leg of the quest isn't over…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca: The Queen's attacks are getting a lot more brazen. That might mean she's getting nervous, which is a good thing, but I don't like this at all. **_

_**Another Duel Spirit has challenged me, not giving me much choice in the matter at all. I've more or less been waylaid and dragged to this place. I don't recognize this guy, but just from the look of him, I don't like him at all… And now I have to duel him without Stan and Andy to back me up…**_

_**Something tells me this may be downright ugly…**_

"_**Vengeful Bog Spirit" is coming soon. **_


	32. Vengeful Bog Spirit

_**Phobias are funny things. They are described by psychologists as irrational, disabling fears that some people have. A person can be completely fearless most of the time, but have a phobia that makes him tremble in one situation.**_

_**Those same psychologists say you can develop a phobia over virtually anything. They range from common ones like acrophobia (fear of heights) to bizarre ones like pognophobia. (Fear of beards? Not sure I've ever met someone with that…) In fact, some people make a word game out of it… Take the Greek word for something, add "phobia" to it, and you have a phobia. **_

_**The Shadow Queen has already demonstrated her willingness to play dirty, using these irrational fears against her victims. She clearly knew that Andy had coulrophobia when she sent Saggi after him. **_

_**It seems like she's had the same idea now, and I'm the target… Thing is… I'm not sure if the thing I'm afraid of even **_**has **_**a Greek name…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-TWO**

**0000000000**

**Vengeful Bog Spirit**

**0000000000**

**00000**

While Stan, Andy, and Francesca were doing their best to leave that creepy grotto, another tournament contestant had gained eight Crystal Stars, and as a result, was trying to do the same thing that Stan had done.

The instructions that Kyle had received brought him to the Fahr Outpost, where he was told to look for someone named General White. He wasn't hard to find. White was an old man with grey hair, clean shaven with a weather-beaten, slate-grey face. He claimed to be a veteran of the Arcadian Guard, the small group that passed for the island's armed forces these days, and Kyle could believe that.

As most of the town's population watched, the duel for the Agate Star began outside the longhouse where Cindy dueled Stan just hours earlier. Kyle quickly learned that, despite his age, White was no pushover…

**0000000000**

Kyle glared at his opponent.

**(Kyle: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (White: 3,000)**

White was ahead on points, but Kyle seemed to have the advantage right now… He had a Mine Golem (1,000 ATK), Hieracosphinx (2,400 ATK), and Guidance to Ore on his side of the field, while White had nothing. However, it was White's turn.

The veteran made a draw.

"I'm sending Machina Cannon from my hand to the Graveyard," he said, as he discarded a card. "And because that's Level 8, it means I can Special Summon _this!"_

There was a loud rumble, and the ground started to shake. A huge Machine that looked like a cross between a robot and an armored tank with a huge laser gun mounted on its left shoulder rolled onto the field. (2,500 ATK)

"Machina Fortress…" gasped Kyle.

"I figure you think this can't get worse," said White. "Well, it can…"

He discarded two more cards.

"Because I'm discarding two more Level 4 Machines now…"

Again, the ground started to shake, and a second mechanical behemoth rolled onto the field alongside the first one. (2,500 ATK)

"_Two _of them?" shouted Kyle.

"That's right," said White. "Now pulverize his Hieracosphinx with blitzkrieg blast!"

The first Machina Force fired a bolt of burning plasma at the statue, blowing it into little pieces of rock.

Then the second one fired at Mine Golem, and Kyle screamed in pain as it was turned to dust.

"I use Mine Golem's effect!" he shouted. "When it's destroyed, it dishes out 500 points of damage!"

White grunted as the explosions erupted around him.

"That all you got?" he asked.

"No," replied Kyle. "I use Guidance to Ore to summon another Mine Golem…"

A glob of light flew out of the cave behind him, turning into a second Mine Golem, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,900 DEF)

_But unless I do something fast, _he thought, _that heavy artillery is going to turn me to soup…_

**(Kyle: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (White: 2,500)**

He drew a card, and looked over the four cards in his hand.

"I banish one Rock Monster in my Graveyard to summon Gigantes…" he said.

The bulky, log-wielding ogre appeared in front of him. (1,900 ATK)

"Then, I sacrifice Gigantes and Mine Golem…"

The two Rocks turned into orbs of light…

With an even louder rumble, the huge, intimidating form of Ancient Gear Golem rose over the field. (3,000 ATK)

"Interesting…" said White. "Don't see what good it will do you…

"It can crush one of my Monsters sure, but Machina Fortress has a powerful effect… If it's destroyed in battle, it takes the attacking Monster with it."

"I know that," said Kyle, taking a Spell Card from his hand. "But that's hardly gonna matter…

"I play Double Spell!"

He played the card, and discarded his Miracle Rupture.

"Now I can use a Spell Card in your Graveyard," he said, as White's discard slot started to glow. "And I know just which one I want…"

A card appeared in his hand.

"My Limiter Removal…" said White, as he started to tremble.

"Uh huh…" said Kyle, as he played it.

Ancient Gear Golem's gears and pistons started to pound out of control… (6,000 ATK)

"Attack his Fortress!" shouted Kyle. "Mechanized Melee!"

The huge Machine's fist flew forward, smashing one of the two Machinas flat and throwing White on his back.

**(Kyle: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (White: 0)**

"I'm _really_ getting too old for this…" groaned the old general.

Kyle looked at the Agate Star, which had been placed on a bench.

_Seems I made it, _he thought, as he went to reach for it. _So what happens now?_

**0000000000**

Meanwhile…

Stan, Andy, and Francesca had finally crawled out of the grotto. Dirt covered their clothing and they all were in need of a shower. Rowing back to where they came had been easy enough, but climbing out of the sinkhole they had fallen through had been harder. After a lot of scraped knees and sore hands, they had finally managed it.

The sun was slowly starting to set. They realized it had been a long day, and the thought of a hot meal and a warm bed in Keelhaul Key seemed very appealing.

"Come on, people," said Andy. "Bet Hank will be happy to see us…"

As they started to walk through the swamp, a frightening-looking creature rose out of a pool of water behind Francesca. It quickly grabbed her, covering her mouth with a claw.

Still, Stan and Andy stopped short. They didn't need to hear a scream to realize something was happening.

They spun around… But Francesca was gone.

**0000000000**

Slowly, Francesca came to.

She held her head as she sat up in a dark, dank cavern. A stagnant pool of water took up one half of it.

"The Shadow Queen is starting to lose her subtlety…" she muttered, as she stood up.

As she did, a card appeared in mid-air in front of her. She plucked it out of the air and looked at it.

It was an ugly Monster that she didn't recognize, an alligator-like creature standing on two legs with tangled, black hair. It seemed to be a Level 8 Dark-Attribute Fiend, and when she saw its Attack and Defense Scores, she at first thought it seemed rather weak considering its Level.

Then she read the card text… It seemed rather powerful indeed…

"Ruklamba the Spirit King?" she said aloud. "What in the world?"

Then the card flew from her hand, and fell into the pool of water. The pool started to bubble.

Slowly, a flesh and blood version of the creature on the card rose out of the water, and it was even more hideous in person than it was in card form. Francesca made a grimace.

"_You're finally awake…"_ said a sinister voice in her head that seemed to come from the creature. _"I was thinking for a minute I might have been a little too rough…"_

"Listen, ugly…" said Francesca, "I've never heard of any 'Ruklamba the Spirit King'…"

"_My card isn't a very common one," _replied the Fiend.

"Yeah, well…" said Francesca. "The three of us are quickly learning not to trust Duel Spirits around here… Especially since they're getting more aggressive by the day…"

"_Oh, sure," _said Ruklamba, _"blame the interdimensional kidnap victims…"_

"I don't follow…" said Francesca.

"_You think we all wanted to be in your world?" _asked Ruklamba. _"This place is so poor in magical power, it gives us headaches! We were all just minding our own business in our own home dimensions when the Shadow Queen uses her dark magic to summon us and bind us to her will. _

"_Not that I don't personally mind the chance to help her… I'm not a big fan of humans… At least ones that are uncooked…"_

Francesca's eyes opened in fright.

"_Kidding!" _he said. _"Still, I'll give it to you straight… I'm here to defeat you and deliver you to the Shadow Queen… And I won't lose any sleep over it…_

"_But… If by some chance you prevail, you can certainly benefit… You're one Crystal Card short of the amount you need, I believe…"_

"I suppose I don't have a choice here?" asked Francesca.

The creature shook its head.

Francesca sighed, and activated her Duel Disk.

_No problem, Francesca, _she thought. _You don't need Stan and Andy to back you up… You dueled on your own for a long time before meeting them, and now is no different…_

She so much wanted to believe those words, but after all the three of them had been through, she doubted them.

Ruklamba held out its long, rubbery left arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on it.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ruklamba: 8,000)**

"_You go first," _said the creature.

Francesca made her opening draw.

She was very surprised that she had drawn this Monster… She hadn't used it in a very long time…

Still, she couldn't summon it right now, so she put it aside and took another one. She fit two cards into her Disk, and two reversed cards appeared, one a Monster, one in her Spell Zone.

"I'm done…" she said.

The Spirit King drew a card.

"_I summon __Rai-Mei,"_ he said.

There was a surge of electricity, and a young girl in a purple spandex suit with a yellow lightning bolt design, with her black hair tied in a ponytail, appeared on the field. (1,400 ATK)

_Rai-Mei? _thought Francesca. _There's a card you don't see every day… What does she do again?_

"_Attack her Monster," _ordered Ruklamba.

Rai-Mei shot bolts of lightning from her hand, and Key Mouse appeared briefly on the card before shattering.

"Key Mouse's effect activates…" said Francesca. "I get to take a Level 3 or lower Beast from my deck…"

She quickly took a card from her deck, and then reshuffled.

"_Then it's your move…" _said Ruklamba.

Francesca drew a card, and then played one.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted, as the shining unicorn appeared in a shimmer of light. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I use her effect…" she said, as she picked the top card up off her deck.

"It's Mage Power!" she shouted, as she flipped it forward.

Then her set card lifted up.

"I activate Limit Reverse to summon Key Mouse back from the Graveyard…"

The small mouse with the key on its tail reappeared. (100 ATK)

Then Key Mouse flew towards the ceiling, and Sunlight Unicorn followed. They both flew through the shimmering rings.

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

As Thunder Unicorn appeared, she snarled at the Spirit King, clearly not liking him one bit. (2,200 ATK)

"I use Thunder Unicorn's effect," said Francesca, "which means Rai-Mei loses 500 Attack Points!"

Rai-Mei groaned a little, and held her chest. (900 ATK)

"Then," said Francesca, as she played Mage Power, "I Equip this to Thunder Unicorn, which increases her Attack Score by 500 points for each Spell and Trap I have…"

(3,200 ATK)

"Attack Rai-Mei!" she shouted. "Thunder Spear!"

The Unicorn galloped towards the Thunder Monster, impaling her and causing her to shatter.

"_I use Rai-Mei's effect," _said Ruklamba. _"I now get to take a Level 2 or lower Light Monster from my deck…"_

A card appeared in its hand alongside the other five.

"Uh, yeah…" said Francesca. "Your move…"

_Level 2 or lower Light Monster? _she thought. _What is he planning?_

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,700)**

Ruklamba made a draw. Then he set two cards, and a reversed Monster and a reversed card in his Spell Zone appeared.

"_Your move…" _he said.

"Not much for small talk, are you," replied Francesca, as she drew a card.

"I summon Hypnocorn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the ewe-horned Beast appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"How tough can that thing be?" she asked. "Attack!"

Hypnocorn charged at the card…

A small blue thing appeared on it, and shattered upon impact.

A look of horror appeared on Francesca's face…

"That Monster…" she stammered.

"_Not tough at all, I would say…" _replied Ruklamba, _"but when Ojama Blue is destroyed by battle, I get to take any two cards with the word 'Ojama' in their names from my deck._

"_And by the way, I mean 'cards', not just Monsters…"_

Two cards appeared in his hand, and it quickly put them with the others.

"Y-you use Ojamas…" gasped Francesca.

"_Oh, that's right…" _replied Ruklamba, _"you don't like Ojamas… Well I like them… And they just LOVE me…_

"_I mean, who can blame them? You saw what my card can do, didn't you?"_

Francesca thought back. Her opponent who had used Ojamas in that awful duel had never used this guy's card… But now that she thought about it, such a card would be _very _useful for a bunch of Monsters that had zero Attack Points…

"It's still my turn!" she shouted. "Thunder Unicorn! Attack him directly!"

The Unicorn charged at the Fiend, and he hollered in pain as the charger's horn stabbed into him.

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,500)**

"_Not bad…"_replied the creature._ "But now it's my move…"_

It drew a card.

"_I activate the Field Spell, Ojama Country…"_ it said.

He fit the card into the Field Zone of his Disk, and the dark cave faded away. A strange looking town rose around them, made up of funny-looking houses, the type that you might expect to find gnomes living in. Oddly-shaped trees accompanied the odd buildings.

"_This Field Spell has two benefits," _continued Ruklamba. _"First, I am able to discard a card with the word 'Ojama' in its name to Special Summon an Ojama from my Graveyard._

"_So I'll discard this one to Special Summon Ojama Blue."_

He discarded a card, and a blue gremlin with a rectangular head, wearing the signature red shorts that the more familiar Ojamas wore, appeared in front of him. (0 ATK)

"_This leads to the Field Spell's second benefit," _he continued. _"When I have an Ojama Monster on the field, the Attack and Defense Scores of all Monsters switch."_

(Thunder Unicorn: 2,800 ATK, Hypnocorn: 600 ATK, Ojama Blue: 1,000 ATK)

"_And the card I discarded to summon it was Ojamagic…"_

"Meaning you can take the three original Ojamas from your deck…" said Francesca, nervously.

"_Precisely," _said Ruklamba, as three cards appeared in his hand.

"_Next, I summon Ojama Red to the field."_

Another Ojama appeared, this one a tough-looking one colored red, wearing a yellow bandana around its neck. (1,000 ATK)

"_Its effect lets me Special Summon as many Ojamas as I can from my hand…"_

Francesca grit her teeth as three more Ojamas appeared. The first was Ojama Black, a thick-bodied one with sharp teeth. Then, Ojama Green, a one-eyed gremlin with a lolling tongue. Then, Ojama Yellow, a thin one with eyes on stalks. (1,000 ATK x3)

She knew what was coming next… But she couldn't do anything to stop it…

Ruklamba's set card lifted up.

"_I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf," _he said. _"Now I gain 300 Life Points for every Monster on the field… I see seven of them."_

The Spirit King took a Spell Card from his hand. He snarled a little as he did so… He would have preferred a different one, but things had taken a strange turn lately, not for the better, in his opinion…

"_I activate Ojama Delta Hurricane!" _he shouted.

As it played the card, Ojamas Black, Green, and Yellow flew into the air above Ojama County, and started flying in circles, turning into a maelstrom of flashing, colored lights, Francesca covered her eyes as both her Monsters shattered into bright shards.

Ruklamba looked at her as the three Ojamas landed again. Francesca was sweating.

"_Get her…" _it said.

Francesca couldn't help but scream as the five Ojamas made a rush at her. Ojama Red kicked her in the shins, while Ojama Blue stomped on her foot. Green elbowed her in the thigh, while Black head-butted her in the stomach. Yellow's attack was the worst of all – it actually slammed into her face with its behind.

She fell over.

**(F: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)**

She looked up, and saw the five little creeps giggling at her evilly.

"She doesn't look so good…" said Ojama Blue.

"Yeah…" said Ojama Yellow. "A little green at the gills."

"So what's wrong with _that?" _asked Ojama Green.

And then they all burst out laughing.

"_Your move…"_ said Ruklamba.

Francesca's hand was trembling. She didn't know if she could make it reach her deck…

_This feeling… _she thought. _This… Is this what panic is like?_

**0000000000**

"Oh, this is just great!" said Andy. "Something grabs Francesca, she could be anywhere in this swamp, and the one person we have who could track her down lives in her deck!"

Stan sighed.

"Aren't you going to say something?" asked Andy.

"You kinda summed it up pretty well…" replied Stan, as he shook his head. "I don't know _what _to do."

Then Stan's deck started to glow. In an aura of shadow, Vivian appeared.

"Vivian?" gasped Stan. "Don't tell me you can find Francesca?"

"Maybe I can…" replied the Shadow Siren. "Something weird is happening around here…

"There are two conflicting magical auras somewhere… Dark and Light in the same place…"

"Vivian, I hate to state the obvious," said Andy, "but in Duel Monsters, Dark and Light are not 'conflicting'. They can combine quite well. It's called a Chaos."

"And it might be very bad news for Fran," added Stan. "She barely survived Melissa's Lightsworn Deck… If someone upgraded to a Twilight version..."

"True, true, but this is different…" replied Vivian. "I don't think it's truly Chaos… I think a powerful Duel Spirit that represents one of the two Attributes is using a deck full of the other one, and _that's _a contradiction in their nature.

"I might be able to track them down…"

She closed her eyes.

"We'd better hurry…" said Stan. "A powerful Dark Duel Spirit is probably trouble… And any powerful Light one that would work for the Queen is probably worse."

"Follow me!" exclaimed Vivian.

She hurried through the swamp, as the two duelists followed.

**0000000000**

"_Well?" _asked Ruklamba.

Francesca shivered again.

"Is she even going to stand up?" asked Ojama Red.

"Maybe she has a weak back…" said Ojama Green.

"I had a weak back," said Ojama Black. "About a week back!"

Then they all laughed again, and it was almost too much for poor Francesca. Just like before, she was not only losing to these cretins, they were doing their best to mock her in the process.

"_Francesca darlin'?" _said another voice. _"Calm down, baby…"_

"Flurrie?" whispered Francesca.

"_I'm still here, darlin'," _said Flurrie. _"This is bad, yes, but you have to look at it another way…_

"_Look… The Field Spell may make it hard to make an attack, given what you have… But then again, it might make defending much easier…"_

Francesca stopped shivering.

_Maybe she's right… _she thought.

She drew the top card off her deck.

_Ojama Country switches the Attack and Defense Scores of all Monsters on the field… Meaning that a Monster can defend using its Attack Score… So a Monster with 1,000 Attack Points or more can, in theory, bring that whole mob to a halt…_

…_so long as he doesn't manage to use a second Hurricane… It's all a question of whether my luck is better than his._

"I set a Monster and a face-down card," she said, as two reversed cards appeared in front of her.

"Bring it on!"

"_Oh, I will…" _said Ruklamba, as he made a draw.

"_I'm not stupid Francesca, I realize that even with my Field Spell, my Ojamas have rather weak Attack Scores, and likely couldn't defeat that Monster you set…_

"_So I have this…"_

He played a Spell Card.

"_The Equip Spell, Ballista of Rampart Smashing, which I'll Equip to Ojama Red."_

A spear with a very large head appeared in the red Ojama's hands.

"Neat!" squeaked the creature.

"_This Equip Spell gives my Monster 1,500 extra Attack Points whenever it attacks a set Monster, meaning that Ojama Red can now defeat any Monster you set with an Attack Score less than 2,500._

"_There's only one Level 4 or lower Monster with an Attack Score that goes that high… I doubt you have it…"_

Ojama Red pointed the lance, and charged at the set Monster… A large squirrel appeared on the card…

"_Nimble Momonga?" _shouted Ruklamba.

The small creature shattered.

"Yes!" said Francesca, as she felt some of her courage returning. "Now I gain 1,000Life Points, and get to set two more Momongas."

Two more set Monsters appeared in front of her.

"Too bad that none of your other Ojamas have that Equip Spell," said Francesca, "because thanks to your Field Spell, these two Monsters have 1,000 Defense Points, just enough to keep them at bay."

"_I end my turn…" _hissed Ruklamba, clearly annoyed now.

**(F: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)**

Francesca drew a card.

_Time to bolster my defense even more… _she thought. _And pray that he doesn't get another copy of Hurricane…_

"I'll banish one Spell Card in my hand," she said, as she pocketed a card, "to Special Summon Monocerous in Defense Mode."

The bulky, long-horned unicorn appeared, sitting on its hindquarters. (1,000 DEF)

"It couldn't care less about your Field Spell, because its Attack Score and Defense Score are exactly the same.

"And I'll end my turn…"

Ruklamba growled a little as he drew a card.

Then it grinned.

"_Heh, heh, heh…" _it chuckled. _"I just drew Banner of Courage!"_

He played the card, and a Continuous Spell appeared in front of him.

"_Now all my Monsters gain a 200-point bonus during my Battle Phase only…_

"_Black, Green, Yellow, destroy her Monsters!"_

The three original Ojamas jumped across the field, their Attack Scores rising to 1,200. Yellow drop-kicked Monoceros, and it shattered. Then Black and Green rammed the two Momongas, smashing them to pieces.

"Don't forget," said Francesca, "I gain 2,000 more Life Points!"

"_I don't care!"_ cursed Ruklamba.

Ojama Blue kicked Francesca in the shins again, and then Red jabbed her in the stomach with the Ballista. Francesca groaned and held her gut.

**(F: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)**

"I activate… My Trap Card…" she moaned.

Her face-down card lifted up.

"Miracle's Wake…" she said.

In an aura of light, Monocerous appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"_Amusing," _said the Spirit King, _"but you're defenses are quickly running out… It's your move…"_

Fran made a draw. And then she smiled.

"Then I'll just have to go on the _offense!" _she shouted.

"But first thing's first… Because I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn, I recover it this turn, and we both draw twice."

She took the Spell Card from her pocket, and made two draws, while her opponent also drew two.

"Now, I sacrifice Monocerous…"

The Beast turned into an orb of light…

Then, with a gust of wind, Flurrie appeared in front of her.

"_You think I'm scared of her?"_ asked Ruklamba. _"You forget, my Field Spell causes her Attack and Defense Scores to switch."_

(1,200 ATK)

"And people say _we _look ridiculous…" said Ojama Yellow, looking at Flurrie.

"Don't you little creeps have anything to do other than insult people?" shouted Francesca.

"Hey, can you blame us?" asked Ojama Black, sounding annoyed. "You ever see cards like Power Filter, Eliminating the League, Harpie's Hunting Ground, and Man-Thro-Tro? The folks who make this game _never _get tired of making us the butt of one joke after another!"

"You'd think we'd be paid more for it…" said Ojama Green.

"Maybe," said Francesca, with a sigh. "How much should a good butt be paid these days?"

She waited for a response, but that seemed to shut them up.

"For the moment…" said Francesca. "I'm using her effect…"

She discarded Card from a Different Dimension and Chain Dog. Flurrie took a deep breath, and started to blow, causing a powerful gale to erupt over Ojama Country.

"Hang on!" shouted Ojama Green.

"To what?" asked Ojama Black. "Each other?"

Then they screamed as the wind swept them up, and they all burst into explosions of colored stars.

"Good riddance," said Francesca, "and now that you have no Ojama Monsters, Flurrie's Attack Score returns to normal."

(1,800 ATK)

"However… I can't attack this turn because I did that… So it's your move…"

"_You think you're so smart…" _said Ruklamba, as he drew a card.

"_I activate my Pot of Avarice…"_

He played the card, and took all five of the Ojamas from his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and drew twice.

He quickly set two cards, and they appeared in front of him, one of them a Monster, one of them in his Spell Zone.

"_It's your move…"_

Francesca drew, and her eyes lit up again.

"I use Heavy Storm!" she shouted.

She played the card, and an even fiercer wind erupted over the small town. The buildings and trees crumbled into dust, then the Banner of Courage card shattered, and then the set Spell Card – yes, Spell Card – lifted up and was blown apart.

"That card…" said Francesca.

"_My second Ojamagic," _said Ruklamba, as three cards appeared in his hand again. _"So thanks…"_

Francesca looked nervously at the set Monster. Was it another Ojama Blue?

_Maybe I should just end my turn… _she thought.

Then she shook her head vigorously.

_No! _she thought. _I can't chicken out!_

"Flurrie, attack with Merciless Gale Force!"

Flurrie took another deep breath, and her powerful breath blew towards the card. Sangan appeared on it, and shattered.

"_Thanks again," _said Ruklamba, as another card appeared in its hand.

"Fran!" shouted Andy's voice. "Fran!"

"Andy?" gasped Francesca.

Stan and Andy rushed in, with Vivian floating in beside them.

"Francesca!" shouted Andy. "And you're dueling…"

He looked at Ruklamba.

"Who the Hell are _you?"_

"_How did you two get in?" _hissed the Spirit King. _"The entrance to this cave was warded by shadow magic!"_

Vivian smirked.

"We had someone who specialized in such things," said Stan.

He held up his Duel Disk, and Vivian retreated back to his deck.

"He's called Ruklamba the Spirit King…" sighed Francesca.

Stan and Andy looked at the Duel Spirit.

"_That's _a Spirit Monster?" asked Stan.

"_I am NOT a Spirit Monster!" _screamed Ruklamba. _"Is The Rock Spirit a Spirit Monster? Is Spirit of the Breeze? Spirit of the Harp?"_

He seethed in anger. Clearly that had _not _been the first time someone had made that assumption.

"_Fine, fine…" _he hissed. _"You may have gotten in here, but your friend can't escape this duel… And you'll not only know my name once I drag her away, you'll dread it for a long time…_

"_I believe… It's my move…"_

He drew a card.

"_First, I use the Monster I got from Sangan, King of the Swamp. By sending it from my hand to the Graveyard, I get to take Polymerization from my deck…"_

He discarded the card, and a card appeared in his hand.

"_Then I play Polymerization,"_ it said.

Ojama Green, Ojama Black, and Ojama Yellow appeared in front of it, and then burst into colored stars.

"Here it comes…" muttered Francesca, as a huge creature started to take shape.

The Ojama King appeared in all its glory. It was huge, chalk-white, and combined aspects of the three Monsters used to Fusion Summon it: Ojama Yellow's eyes, Ojama Black's body shape and nose, and Ojama Green's mouth. It wore the same red briefs as the other Ojamas, a green cape, and a crown-shaped beanie.

It let out a deep, throaty laugh. (0 ATK)

"_And it has the ability to classify up to three spaces in your Monster Zone as occupied," _continued the Fiend.

Francesca looked at her Duel Disk, and a tiny Ojama King appeared with a magic marker, drawing two X's on two spaces in her Monster Zone. It giggled, and then vanished.

_That's… not good… _she thought.

"_Next, I pay 1,000 Life Points to play Ojamandala," _said the Spirit King, as he played a Spell Card.

There was another flash of light, and Green, Black, and Yellow appeared again. (1,000 DEF x3)

"We're back!" they cheered.

"_Not for long, you aren't!" _snapped Ruklamba, as he played another Spell Card. _"I use Ojamuscle!"_

"Huh?" said Ojama Black.

The three regular Ojamas exploded, and Ojama King started to sweat and strain.

"_This powerful Spell Card destroys all Ojamas on the field except the King," _continued Ruklamba, _"and then increases his Attack Score by 1,000 for each."_

Ojama King flexed its muscles, causing its biceps and pectorals to bulge. (3,000 ATK)

"_Attack her Monster!" _ordered Ruklamba. _"Flying Belly Flop Drop!"_

Ojama King leapt into the air, hung there for a few seconds, and then crashed into Flurrie, crushing her with a body slam that shook the whole room. It may have been funny if not for the stakes that Francesca knew were in place here.

**(F: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,600)**

"_I'm not done…"_ said Ruklamba.

He played a card, and discarded another.

"_I activate A Feather of the Phoenix," _he said. _"By discarding one card, I can take any card I want from my Graveyard, and place it on top of my deck…"_

A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it on his deck.

"_Then I'll set this face-down, and end my turn…"_

A set card appeared in is Spell Zone.

Francesca nervously looked at the field. She slowly made a draw.

"_Trap Card activate…" _said Ruklamba.

As Francesca dreaded, it was Ojama Trio. The three original Ojamas appeared in front of her. (1,000 DEF x3) She glared at them in disgust as they shook their behinds at her.

"Oh, this is _really _bad…" said Stan. "This is an Ojama Lock!"

_And his plan couldn't be more obvious… _thought Francesca. _That card he recovered with A Feather of the Phoenix is Ojamuscle, I'll bet my life on it…_

_My Monster Zone is practically out of commission because of his lock, and on his turn, he'll play it, destroying these three Tokens, dealing 900 points of damage, and increasing his King to 6,000 Attack Points!_

She looked at the cards in her hand, which were Forest Sanctuary, Double Spell, Electromagnetic Turtle, The Big March of Animals, and the Monster she had drawn on her first turn.

_If only I could summon HER… _she thought.

She reached for the Double Spell card.

_Gonna be a long shot… But it's my only chance…_

"Okay, ugly," she said, as she played the card, "I'm using Double Spell…"

She discarded The Big March of Animals, and Pot of Avarice appeared in her hand.

"Now, let's see what we get…"

She played the card, and took Key Mouse, Chain Dog, and the three Nimble Momongas from her Graveyard. She shuffled them into her deck, and made two draws.

"Time to turn this around!" she shouted.

She held a Spell Card forward. Ruklamba looked at it in shock.

"_That… That's Ritual Spell!" _he gasped.

"You got it…" said Francesca, as an ancient, vine-covered shrine appeared behind her. "It's called Forest Shrine. And this ceremony requires six Levels worth of Monsters as sacrifices, meaning your Ojama Tokens fit the bill perfectly."

She pointed to the three imps, who now looked much less confident than before.

"So beat it, freaks!"

The three gremlins vanished into grains of light, and the shrine glowed. There was a loud neigh, and the most beautiful, most majestic unicorn yet, with a horn that seemed to be made of gold, galloped out of it.

"Meet Unicorn Princess," said Francesca.

(2,100 ATK)

"Whoa…" said Andy, looking at the gorgeous creature.

"_Yeah, yeah, very pretty," _said Ruklamba. _"And just how is it going to beat Ojama King?"_

"Actually, _she _isn't," replied Francesca.

She opened the Field Zone on her Disk, and placed a card in it.

"I activate Forest Sanctuary!" she shouted.

Trees, shrubs, and ferns started to sprout up, and in a matter of seconds, the cave had been transformed into an ancient, unspoiled forest. Birds chirped from the trees, while a small fawn watched from behind with curious eyes.

"Next, I use the secondary effect of Forest Shrine," she continued. "When it's in my Graveyard, I can banish it to Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Light-Attribute Beast from my Graveyard…"

She pocketed the Spell Card, and Thunder Unicorn leapt out of an aura of light. (2,200 ATK)

"_Uh…" _said Ruklamba.

"Next we get to Unicorn Princess's effect," said Francesca. "On her own, she increases the Attack Scores of all Beast-Warrior, Winged Beast, and Beast-Type Monsters I have except her own by 300 points.

"And this bonus increases to 800 when I have the Forest Field Spell in play, which Forest Sanctuary is, due to one of its effects."

Thunder Unicorn glowed with holy light. (3,000 ATK)

"Let's not forget Thunder Unicorn's own effect…"

Ojama King groaned as electricity coursed over its huge, egg-shaped body. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack!" shouted Francesca. "Destroy that big lug!"

Thunder Unicorn snarled as she charged forward, ramming the Ojama monarch with her horn. The huge Beast let out an "OOF!" and then shattered into thousands of pixels.

"Boy, that was theraputic…" said Francesca, as she took a deep breath. "My turn is over."

**(F: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,600)**

Now Ruklamba was the one who was nervous. If he had been a mammal, he might have been sweating a little.

He drew a card, which naturally, was Ojamuscle, a card that was completely worthless at this point…

"_I play Silent Doom,"_ he said, as he played another card.

Ojama Green appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

It looked around.

"Uh, what's going on now?" it said.

"_Shut up!"_ snapped the Spirit King, as he played another card, causing a set Monster to appear next to the Ojama.

"_I end my turn…"_

Francesca drew a card.

She quickly set it in her Disk, and a reversed card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"Wipe out his Monsters!" she shouted. "Unicorn Princess, the freak is yours!"

Ojama Green screamed as the unicorn ran towards it. She quickly trampled it with her hooves, crushing it.

Then Thunder Unicorn charged towards the other Monster. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

Francesca smirked. She discarded Electromagnetic Turtle, while Ruklamba discarded Ojamuscle. Both drew five times.

"That's all for now…" she said.

Ruklamba chuckled a little as he made a draw.

"_I play… The dreaded Dark Hole!"_ it shouted.

"Aw, crap!" shouted Andy, as the dark vortex appeared overhead. "Saggi used that against me! I _hate _that damn card!"

The two unicorns shattered.

"Don't panic, Andy!" shouted Francesca.

_He may have got my two Monsters, _she thought, _but I still have the Field Spell…_

Ruklamba played two Spell Cards in quick succession.

"_I activate Fusion Recovery AND Dark Factory of Mass Production!" _it exclaimed.

Four cards appeared in its hand.

"_Between both, I'm able to recover Polymerization and all three of the regular Ojamas._

"_Then, I'll play Polymerization again…"_

The three Ojamas appeared, and flew into a vortex once more. Ojama King appeared again, still grinning, but crouching in Defense Mode this time. (3,000 DEF)

"_This time I'm using its effect to block off THREE of your spaces," _continued Ruklamba.

Francesca snarled as she looked at her Disk and three X's appeared on spaces in her Monster Zone.

"_Next, I'll set a Monster and a face-down card," _said Ruklamba, as two more reversed cards appeared, _"and I'll end my turn…"_

"Here goes…" said Francesca, as she made a draw.

"Because you destroyed my Beast-Type Synchro Monster with a card effect last turn, I can use the effect of Forest Sanctuary, and give up 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon her this turn…"

Thunder Unicorn appeared again in a flash of light. (2,200 ATK)

"With her effect negated, however… Next, I send Elephun in my hand to the Graveyard…"

She discarded a card.

"…to Special Summon Egotistical Ape…"

The small monkey appeared next to Thunder Unicorn, and then its huge, spooky shadow appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Then I use its effect to decrease its Level by Elephun's Level, meaning it's now Level 3…

"Now… I play Wild Nature's Release!"

She threw the card into her Disk, and Thunder Unicorn glowed with bright flames… (4,000 ATK)

"Destroy Ojama King!" she shouted.

"Uh… oh…" said Ojama King as the furious unicorn charged towards it.

Ruklamba covered its head as little pieces of what was once the King scattered all over its side of the field.

"_Big deal!" _it shouted. _"It was in Defense Mode!"_

Francesca ignored him as Egotistical Ape's shadow reached forward with a huge, shadowy claw towards the set Monster. Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu appeared on the card, and the claw made a grab, crushing him.

"_I use my Monster's Flip Effect," _said Ruklamba, with a chuckle.

Another card appeared in its hand.

"Shield Attack, right?" asked Francesca. "And your set card is something that will Special Summon Ojama King from the Graveyard, I assume?

"That would be a sound strategy, if I ever gave you a chance to use it…"

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Urgent Tuning!"

Egotistical Ape and Thunder Unicorn flew into the sky of Forest Sanctuary, and the glowing rings appeared.

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*3 + *5 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, and Lightning Tricorn emerged. (2,800 ATK)

"Attack him directly!" shouted Francesca. "Giga Volt Blast!"

"_I… will… NOT be defeated!" _cursed Ruklamba.

His face-down Call of the Haunted lifted up, and Rai-Mei appeared in front of him. (1,400 ATK)

"Sorry, ugly," said Francesca, "but this is over now…"

She threw a card into her Disk.

"I activate Battle-Tuned…"

Egotistical Ape appeared behind her, and then vanished.

"By banishing a Tuner, Lightning Tricorn gains Attack Points equal to its Attack Points…"

(4,000 ATK)

The lightning flashed, and Rai-Mei was atomized. Ruklamba the Spirit King screamed…

**(F: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

Francesca took a deep sigh of relief. It was over. Nothing remained of Ruklamba and his awful Ojamas except a Crystal Card hovering in the air… It seemed that the Shadow Queen had kept her end of the bargain, despite resorting to dirty tricks once again.

"Fran!" screamed Andy.

He rushed up and hugged her. Francesca was confused for a minute. Her usual first response to someone who hugged her without permission was to slug him.

This time… She felt like hugging him back…

And after a few seconds, she did…

"It's okay, Andy, I'm fine…" she said.

She picked up her backpack on the floor, and took out the deck case that contained her storytelling deck.

"So many years, I've been afraid of the Ojamas…" she said.

She looked at the three cards.

"Hard to say it, but now I despise them even more… I think it would be better at this point if I didn't keep them here to remind me.

"Goodbye…"

She chucked the three cards into the pool of water.

Then she walked over to the Crystal Card, and plucked it out of the air.

"You did it, Francesca!" exclaimed Andy. "Eight Cards!"

Francesca put the eighth one with her other seven.

"So…" she said. "Let's see what the Queen has in store for me now…"

As she said that, the cards glowed, and then flew from her hand. Like before, they arranged in a circle.

"_Congratulations, contestant!" _said the Shadow Queen's voice. _"You have completed the first leg on your quest in the journey to greatness on Arcadia."_

"_Your next goal is to find the __Citrine__ Star and wrest it from its Guardian._

"_You may have heard rumors of the Creepy Steeple outside of Twilight Town. What you need can be found there._

"_What will be waiting inside? I'm afraid I can't tell you… But whatever is there will be expecting you…"_

A card appeared, and lowered into Francesca's hand. Like before, it was Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

"_Use it whenever you are ready… Be warned, however, you only have one chance._

"_Good luck…"_

"The Creepy Steeple?" groaned Andy. "We have to go _there _again?"

"If we do, then we'd best get dinner and some sleep first," said Francesca. "She said 'whenever I was ready'…

"And frankly, I'm exhausted. We'll go first thing in the morning."

She put the card in the pouch that held her Extra Deck, and the three teenagers walked out of the cave.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Ruklamba was in the Queen's throne room. She was looking at him, while Grodus and Crump stood nearby.

"Ruklamba the Spirit King…" sighed the Queen. "Such a grandiose name for such an abysmal failure…

"Your deck was a great deal better than the Ojama Deck used by the opponent she lost to that gave her nightmares about Ojamas… But as Damien once said, a finely made sword is as worthless as a plowshare in the hands of someone who can't use it right."

Ruklamba growled…

"No wonder none of them recognized you," said Crump. "It's like the old song goes… 'I know the game, and you'll forget my name, and I won't be here in another year if I don't stay on the charts…'

"Who sang that, Billy Idol?"

"Billy Joel, Crump…" said Grodus, with a scowl, "and it sounded much better coming from him…"

"Nonetheless, Crump makes a good point," said the Queen, looking at Ruklamba again. "It's no wonder you're so forgettable…"

"_ENOUGH!"_ Ruklamba roared slamming his tail down and baring his fangs at the Queen. Crump and Grodus exchanged panicked looks and hid behind the Queen's throne while she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"_How many would-be rebels have I defeated in your name?"_ shouted the Spirit King. _"Have I not proven myself a capable assassin? Yet when you send me to defeat that brat Francesca you strip me of my strongest card and still you have the gall to place the blame squarely on me!"_

"Uh, d-do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Crump said poking his head out a few inches from where he was hiding.

"_Ojama Delta Thunder,"_ Ruklamba hissed, his tail lashing again in frustration. _"If I had been allowed to keep that card in my deck, they would have remembered me… They would have remembered me for a LONG time… _

"_I could have searched it out easily with Ojama Blue, and instead of leaving Francesca with only 3,000 life points I would have defeated her in ONE TURN!_

"_But instead you forbid me to use it, saying it would give me an unfair advantage. Unfair? UNFAIR? Out of all the times I've used that very same card to crush anyone your Spawn might not have been able to stop in time before spreading discontent, how is it now you choose to develop a conscience, woman?"_

"Has he lost his mind?" hissed Grodus, who despite being a great deal braver then Crump was nonetheless trying to stay out of the line of fire. "Nobody talks like that to the Queen! She'll be using his carcass for a purse by the end of the night!"

"_I couldn't care less at this point,"_ Ruklamba snapped, having apparently overheard Grodus_. "I know what the punishment for failure is, I'm done for either way, but I _refuse_ to cower on my hands and knees and beg for mercy from this hypocrite. So go ahead, punish me, but know I'll be praying for you to burn in the deepest pits of Hell for your stupidity from now until the gods take my soul!"_

The Shadow Queen looked at Ruklamba for a long time. Then she stood up.

"No need to concern yourself, Grodus…" she said. "I actually admire his nerve…

"…as much as I'm disgusted by his utter stupidity…"

She took two cards out of her dress, a Trap and a Spell.

"_This _is Secret Barrel," she said, holding up the Trap. "When activated, it does 200 points of damage for every card your opponent has on the field and in his hand…

"Now, if we change it a bit… Add the condition that you need all three Ojamas in play to use it, rather easy to do with the support that the Ojamas have… But then increase the damage it does to 500 per card… AND make it a Spell, meaning that it can be played from the hand and is thus harder to counter, AND give it an effect wipes out every card your opponent has, AND make it searchable with Ojama Blue, like the man said he could have done… In fact, make it so you're able to search for two copies at once with that Monster…

"…and you get this…"

She held up Ojama Delta Thunder.

"Seems like a card that would be legal in a tournament, wouldn't you say, gentlemen?"

"Uh…" said Crump. "Honestly… I… wouldn't think so…"

"That's probably why it isn't!" shouted the Queen. "Which means that using it in a tournament, like _this _one, is grounds for disqualification. I told everyone that this was a tournament, Ruklamba, and I'm sticking to what I said…"

Then she tore the Spell Card in half, making Ruklamba gasp.

The Queen sighed, threw the pieces aside, and sat back down.

"But like I said, I admire someone with such nerve…"

She pointed her scepter at Ruklamba.

"Of course, once he finds out that the punishment is for insulting me is very, _very _different than the punishment for failure, he may rescind his claim that he doesn't care…

"I just admire it…"

**0000000000**

**RUKLAMBA THE SPIRIT KING (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl8/1,000ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **If you take 1,000 or more points of damage from 1 attack, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. During either player's turn, you may Tribute this card to Special Summon any number of Monsters from your hand whose combined ATK totals 2,000 or less.

_Note: "Ruklamba the Spirit King" was first used by Oshita in the original anime episode "Isolated in Cyber-Space (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**OJAMANDALA (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The three original Ojamas as figures on a Buddhist painted mandala.

**Card Description: **Pay 1,000 Life Points. Special Summon 1 "Ojama Yellow", 1 "Ojama Green", and 1 "Ojama Black" from your Graveyard.

_Notes: "Ojamandala" was used frequently by Manjyome in "Yu-Gi-Oh GX", originally in the episode "Champion or Chazz-been". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SHIELD ATTACK (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **A cartoonish picture of a drunken old man hitting a Japanese soldier on the head with a beer keg.

**Card Description: **Switch the base ATK and DEF of the Equipped Monster.

_Note: "Shield Attack" was first used by Judai in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Blinded by the Light (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**FOREST SHRINE (Spell Card)**

**Ritual Spell**

**Image: **An ancient, vine-covered shrine deep within a primeval forest.

**Card Description: **This card is used to Ritual Summon "Unicorn Princess". You must offer Monsters from your side of the field or your hand whose combined Levels equal 6 or more. You may banish this card from your Graveyard to Special Summon a Level 5 or lower LIGHT Beast-Type Monster.

**0000000000**

**UNICORN PRINCESS (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Light/Ritual/Effect/Lvl6/2,100ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Forest Shrine". All Beast-Warrior, Winged Beast, and Beast-Type Monsters you control except this card gain 300 Attack Points. If you control a face-up "Forest", all applicable Monsters instead gain 800 Attack Points.

_Note: "Forest Shrine" and "Unicorn Princess" first appeared in "City of Souls". (The former card has an updated effect.)_

**0000000000**

**FOREST SANCTUARY (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **Lady of Unicorns affectionately holding her arms around Thunder Unicorn's neck in a peaceful forest clearing.

**Card Description: **This card's name is treated as "Forest". If a Beast-Type Synchro Monster is destroyed by the opposing player's card effect, the Monster's owner may pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon it from his or her Graveyard during his or her Standby Phase. Its effect is negated.

**0000000000**

_**Francesca claims her eighth card, and now what? The Creepy Steeple is the next goal, it seems… What waits in that forsaken haunted church?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca: We've heard stories of many of the minions of the Shadow Queen that our ancestors fought, like Hooktail, General **__**U'ulgan, and even Vivian, who's our ally now. We haven't had to fight any original members of the Queen's army for an obvious reason… If they survived the battles with the Three Heroes, they likely died of old age centuries ago. She may be immortal, but her servants weren't.**_

_**Now… For the first time, I'm face-to-face with someone who my ancestor did, indeed, fight personally one-thousand years ago. It clearly didn't go well for him, and to say he's bitter about it is an understatement. **_

_**I don't think the Three Heroes knew what to expect when they saw this guy… Frankly, I don't either.**_

"_**Physical Double" is coming soon. **_


	33. Physical Double

_**We've returned to the Creepy Steeple… I didn't expect a warm reception, but at least Saggi isn't here.**_

_**I'm confronted by someone who claims to be the true lord of this structure. He doesn't seem to be all-that intimidating… In fact, he doesn't seem very scary at all.**_

_**Still, if there's one thing life has taught me, repeatedly, it's that appearances can deceive. I don't for a minute think that he's harmless.**_

_**Especially since he not only admits to being a servant of the Shadow Queen, but one from her original group, one-thousand years ago. **_

_**Farfetched? Right now, anything is possible…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-THREE**

**0000000000**

**Physical Double**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As Francesca and her two friends slept soundly, another battle for a Crystal Star was underway.

When Aesop gained his eighth Card, the instructions told him to go to Poshley Heights and look for Pennington. When he found the old man, Pennington simply nodded, and led him to a very old structure that he called Poshley Sanctum. After wishing him "good luck", he unlocked the door and let him in.

After exploring the dark and dusty place that may have been a fancy church a long time ago, Aesop found himself face-to-face with the Guardian of the Emerald Star – a huge, monstrous phantom that claimed to be King Boo. Merlow had told Stan, Andy, and Francesca that the Three Heroes had vanquished this creature… But whether they had or not, he had clearly survived, and was working for the Queen again.

Aesop could clearly tell that he meant business…

**0000000000**

Aesop was in trouble.

**(Aesop: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (King Boo: 5,000)**

He currently had Fabled Valkyrus (2,900 ATK) and Fabled Grimro (1,700 ATK) on his side of the field, but in stark contrast to his Light-Attribute Fiends, Boo had a powerful Dark-Attribute Fairy, Darklord Asmodeus. (3,000 ATK)

Aesop drew a card. It seemed his luck had just changed.

"Nice…" he said. "First, I summon Fabled Gallabas…"

In a beam of light, the ugly, armored Fiend holding the ball and chain appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Then, I play the Ego Boost Spell Card!" he shouted.

Valkyrus flew at Darklord Asmodeus, and his Attack Score rose up to 3,900. A bolt of energy blasted from the Fabled's hands, and the Darklord burst into shadowy gibbets.

"Your Darklord is vanquished!"

**(A: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (KB: 4,100)**

King Boo chuckled.

"Not completely…" replied the phantom, as two shapes started to form. "He left something behind…"

Two Monsters that looked somewhat like Asmodeus appeared, only smaller. One was dressed in red, (1,300 DEF) and the other was dressed in blue. (1,200 DEF)

"As you can see," chuckled King Boo, "I now have an Asmo Token and a Deus Token… The Asmo Token can't be destroyed by battle, while the Deus Token can't be destroyed by card effects…"

"Let's see if I can guess which is which…" said Aesop. "Grimro, attack the Deus Token!"

Grimro stretched out her arms, and razor-sharp feathers shot from her wings, piercing the Deus Token. It shattered into pixels.

"You made a lucky guess, fellah…" growled King Boo.

"Ain't it funny," said Aesop, as he set a card in his Disk.

A face-down card materialized in front of him.

"I'll end there…"

King Boo's eyes glowed, and a new card materialized next to the five he already had.

"I sacrifice my Token…" said the ghost.

The Asmo Token shattered into shards.

"…to summon Darknight Parshath!"

There was a dark shadow with glowing, red eyes, and a dark, grim parody of Airknight Parshath stepped onto the forefront, holding a nasty sword made of black metal. (1,900 ATK)

"I have five Dark Monsters in my Graveyard," continued King Boo, "and it gains 100 Attack Points for each…"

(2,400 ATK)

"So it's going to go postal on Fabled Grimro!"

The evil Fairy swung its blade, cutting Grimro in twain.

"Now I can banish one dark Monster from my Graveyard to draw one card…" continued Boo.

Darknight Parshath's Attack Score fell to 2,200 as the phantasm made one draw.

"But I'm not done… With exactly four Fairies in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon _this!"_

_This is bad… _thought Aesop, as a huge eruption of light started to form next to Parshath.

To his horror, it was one of the greatest enemies of duelists who used Synchro-oriented decks… Archlord Kristya. (2,800 ATK)

_Calm down… _thought Aesop. _He's done attacking and Valkyrus is stronger…_

King Boo's played a Spell Card.

"I activate Surprise Attack from Beyond!" he laughed. "Now I get to use my End Phase as a second Battle Phase!"

Kristya rushed at Valkyrus, light enveloping her hands.

"What…" said Aesop.

Then Boo activated another Spell Card

"I have an Ego Boost too," he cackled, as Kristya's Attack Score went up to 3,800.

Valkyrus grunted, and shattered into bright shards of light.

"Fortunately for you," said Boo, "only Monsters that I Special Summoned this turn can attack during this second Battle Phase, so you're safe from Parshath."

"And my turn is over…"

**(A: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (KB: 4,100)**

Aesop made a draw, and looked over his five cards.

"I move Gallabas to Defense Mode…" he said, as the Fiend knelt. (800 ATK)

"And then summon The Fabled Rubyruda."

With a screech, the demonic half-hawk-half-monkey Tuner appeared. (1,100 ATK)

"I don't think I need to tell you," said Boo, "when Kristya is here, no Special Summoning allowed."

"I know…" said Aesop. "Move."

Boo laughed as he drew a card.

"Darknight Parshath, destroy that thing!"

The Dark Fairy lifted it sword and rushed towards the Tuner.

"You fell for it!" shouted Aesop. "When Rubyruda is face-up and targeted for an attack, I can discard another Fabled to negate the attack."

He discarded a card.

"No big deal…" said Boo.

"But it IS a big deal!" replied Aesop. "The Fabled I discarded was The Fabled Catsith, and because I did so, I now get to destroy one of your cards!"

Boo let out a shout as Kristya burst into pixels.

He growled… Then two of the four cards in front of him vanished and appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"Make… your… move…" he hissed.

"Gladly…" said Aesop, making a draw.

"I discard two cards from my hand to Special Summon Fabled Soulkius from my Graveyard…"

He discarded two of his four cards, and the well-dressed, masked Fiend appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Then, I summon Fabled Topi."

A small imp appeared that looked much like Fabled Lurrie, except female. She had pigtails, and a mask like the other Fableds. (500 ATK)

"And because I have less cards in my hand than you do, I can reveal one Fabled in my hand…"

He flicked his last card forward. It was The Fabled Krus.

"…to sacrifice Topi and destroy two of your Spell or Trap Cards."

Topi laughed, and flew at the two set cards. She collided with them, and they burst into flames.

Aesop quickly switched a card on his Disk, and Gallabas stood up into Attack Mode. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, I Tune my Level 4 Rubyruda with my Level 6 Soulkius…" he said.

The two Monsters flew to the roof of Poshley Sanctum, and flew through the glowing rings. Eerie mist rose from the floor around Aesop as they vanished, and eerie music started to play…

**(*4 + *6 = *10)**

The most intimidating Fabled yet appeared in the center of the mists. He was tall and clothed in decorated armor that seemed to be made of gold. He had red hair, a mask over his pale face, and large, demonic wings. An aura of bright flames surrounded him. (3,000 ATK)

"Uh…" said King Boo.

Then Aesop's Trap Card lifted up.

"I use Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

Fabled Valkyrus appeared again in a flash of light. (2,900 ATK)

"Impossible…" said King Boo.

"Face it, King," said Aesop, as a blazing sword of flames appeared Fabled Leviathan's hands. "You're about to be given a royal pounding…"

The burning sword fell, and Darknight Parshath was blasted out of existence. Then King Boo screamed as Valkyrus blasted a bolt of burning energy and Gallabas threw its ball and chain…

**(A: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (KB: 0)**

Aesop looked around. King Boo had vanished.

But the Emerald Star was in front of him, hovering in mid-air.

He sighed, and reached for it.

_To the victor goes the spoils… _he thought.

Then he turned to leave. The sooner he could get out of this creepy place, the better…

**0000000000**

The morning sun rose over Keelhaul Key, marking the seventh day of the Tournament.

In the restaurant, Stan and Andy could only watch spellbound as Francesca scarfed down her second helping of waffles and sausages and drank her third glass of orange juice in large gulps.

"You sure have a sharp appetite all of a sudden…" said Andy.

"Yeah, well…" said Francesca, "it's clear that I'm the Shadow Queen's target at the moment…"

She finished the orange juice.

"…and if we're going to that Steeple again, I want to be at full-strength…"

She took the last bite of waffles.

"So…" she said.

She took the Trap Card out of her Side Deck.

"Shall we?"

"No time like the present…" said Stan.

They walked out of the restaurant, and Francesca activated her Duel Disk, slipping the card into the Spell/Trap Zone. Like before, the weird machine appeared, and a portal opened.

They took a deep breath, and stepped through it…

**0000000000**

The transition from morning light to the dark of night came upon them suddenly. They were in Twilight Woods…

And the ominous form of the Creepy Steeple was looming in front of them.

"Well, that's convenient…" said Francesca.

Before they could do anything else, it hit them. The Steeple's terrible bell started to toll.

"WHAT?" shouted Andy, as he covered his ears. "I thought we broke that stupid thing!"

"You think _that's _weird?" said Stan.

He looked at his watch.

"It's eight-forty-five… Even if someone fixed it, it shouldn't be ringing for another fifteen minutes…

"Seems someone fixed the front door too…"

Indeed, the front door showed absolutely no sign of having been forced open by Stan and Francesca's Monsters the last time.

The doors slowly swung open.

"Someone is clearly expecting us…" said Andy, nervously.

"Well, we're in a group this time…" said Francesca. "So… Maybe we can find out what _really_ makes the Creepy Steeple tick."

They walked inside, and the doors slowly closed behind them.

They looked around, half expecting some ghostly Duel Spirits to emerge from the walls to challenge them. None did, so they quickly made their way to the spiral stairway that led up to the belfry.

"Cripes…" said Stan, as they walked up the stairs. "Can't a bad guy ever make his lair on the ground floor? It's always the top floor of a tower or a dark basement…"

"It's a mystery to me why they always choose scary places," sighed Andy. "Never nice places like shopping malls or bar and grills…"

"Would you pay ten bucks to see _Indiana Jones and the TGI Fridays of Doom?" _asked Francesca.

"I guess not…" sighed Stan, as they continued to walk up the stairs.

They slowly entered the belfry, and saw that the damage that Bobbery had done was now completely undone. The bell was overhead once again, and all the mirrors were still intact.

"They certainly cleaned this place up since I dueled Saggi…" muttered Andy.

"Saggi…" growled a voice. "_There's _a name you won't hear around this place again! I leave for one day and leave that lunatic in charge, and when I come back, the place looks like a hurricane hit it!"

They noticed that the voice came from a chair at the far end of the room, with its back towards them.

"Grodus was able to fix most of the damage…" sighed the voice, "but some damage needs something _special _before it can be remedied…

"Hello, Francesca… So glad to finally meet you… I've been waiting a long time…"

The chair slowly turned around.

"…a long, _long _time…"

Francesca looked with disbelief at the creature on the chair. He (she assumed it was male from the voice) looked like a sheet with a face, kind of like a child wearing a poorly made ghost Halloween costume. To top it off, he was wearing a tall, pointy hat on the top.

It was all Francesca and Andy could do to keep from laughing, although Stan looked a little more worried…

"YOU?" said Francesca. "_You're _the demon who's been scaring Twilight Town all this time?"

"That's right," said the creature.

Then she and Andy really did start to laugh.

"Oh, everybody run!" laughed Francesca. "I'm so scared of sheets!"

"Especially ones that wear funny hats!" laughed Andy.

"Uhm, my name is Doopliss…" said the creature, with a frown.

"Listen to that, Fran!" laughed Andy. "He even has a dumb name!"

"GUYS!" said Stan.

They stopped short and looked at him.

"A word?" he said.

They turned towards him.

"There was a guy like this in the video game…" he said, slowly. "If this guy is anything like him, he may well be a _lot_ deadlier than he looks…"

"Point taken…" replied Francesca.

She turned back to Doopliss.

"Alright, Spooky," she said, "I'm here for the Citrine Star, and I suppose I have to duel you for it…

"Assuming you can even get a Duel Disk on that thing that passes for your arm…"

"Oh, but I can…" said Doopliss, as he hopped down from his chair.

"Just as soon as I make a slight… Adjustment…"

As he said this, dark shadows started to fill all the mirrors in the room…

"What's going on?" said Francesca.

Then the Steeple's bell rung again, much softer this time, and Francesca's reflection appeared in one of the mirrors. Then again, and the same thing happened to another of the mirrors.

Again and again the bell rung, until her reflection was in all the mirrors. An eerie, supernatural glow surrounded the mirrors and Doopliss.

Then, Doopliss seemingly pulled the reflections _out _of the mirrors, drawing them into himself…

"This is creepy…" said Andy.

Finally, Doopliss grabbed hold of the bottom of his sheet and threw it aside…

To Francesca's shock, she was looking at… Herself.

"Nice…" said Doopliss, speaking in Francesca's voice. "I could really get used to this…"

A Duel Disk appeared on "her" arm.

Francesca glared at him.

"So… what exactly are you?" she asked. "My negative qualities come to life? Or some dark twin from a parallel world?"

"Afraid I'm neither," replied Doopliss. "I'm… complicated…"

"Uh, Fran…" said Andy.

Francesca looked at her clone, now not so sure that Doopliss was quite the joke she had thought he was.

"It's okay, Andy…" she said slowly. "I can take her… him… it… Uh… Good lord, what pronoun do I use?"

Doopliss chuckled.

"You wouldn't believe how many times that problem has driven even my allies crazy!" he laughed. "Truth be told… I don't even know myself sometimes… For now… Duel…"

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Doopliss: 8,000)**

"_Doopliss?" _said the Shadow Queen's voice in the duplighost's mind. _"I take it you know the terms of our bargain?"_

"Yes, your majesty…" he whispered.

"_Good…" _replied the Queen. _"Because I can't guarantee another chance to truly restore the Steeple's power – and yours – if this doesn't work…"_

"I'll make the first move…" said the duplighost, as he drew a card.

"I'll set a Monster, and that will do it for now…"

A reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

_Don't trust this guy at all… _thought Francesca, as she drew. _But I think I can go on the offensive here…_

She played a card, and Hypnocorn appeared in front of her. (1,400 ATK)

"Attack… _his _Monster!" she shouted.

The Beast flew at the set Monster. Francesca was shocked to say the least to see Nimble Momonga appear on the card before shattering.

Doopliss smirked as two more set Monsters appeared in front of him.

_Is his deck a copy of mine? _she thought.

She set a card in her Disk, and a set card appeared behind Hypnocorn.

"End…" she said.

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 9,000)**

Doopliss drew. Then he set a card, and a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone. He smirked and then nodded.

"This is creepy…" said Stan. "Do you think Doopliss can duplicate the deck of anyone he duels?"

"Would be kind of hard to believe…" muttered Andy. "What if Kaiba were his opponent? Could he duplicate Kaiba's Dragons?"

"Stranger things have happened…" replied Stan.

Francesca drew, and then her face-down card lifted up.

"I activate the Roaring Earth Trap Card!" she shouted. "This gives every Beast-Type Monster I have a piercing effect.

"And that's not all… When one of my Beasts inflicts piercing damage because of it, one of your Monsters loses 500 Attack and Defense Points!"

"I'm in trouble now…" chuckled Doopliss.

"Tell that to Lady of Unicorns," said Francesca, as she played the card, causing her Duel Monsters lookalike to appear. (1,400 ATK)

"And since she's considered a Beast and a Warrior at the same time, she benefits from Roaring Earth just as much as Hypnocorn does. You may gain 1,000 Life Points each time I smash those Momongas, but then you'll lose 1,300."

Lady of Unicorns rushed at one of the set Monsters with her scimitar held high, and cut it in half with one swipe. Doopliss groaned and held his chest. Then Hypnocorn charged the other one, and crushed it.

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 8,400)**

"Ugh…" said the duplighost. "Uh… Been a long time… Kind of forgot what it was like to be human…"

He shook his head. Then his set card lifted up.

"I use Miracle's Wake…"

In a flash of light, a Nimble Momonga appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

"You're weirding me out, fellah," said Francesca. "I end my turn…"

Doopliss made a draw, and then played a card.

"I summon Key Mouse!" he shouted.

The small Tuner with a key on its tail appeared. (100 ATK)

"Then, I use the Double Summon Spell Card…" he continued, as he played a Spell. "With my second Normal Summon…

"I summon Bicorn Re'em!"

There was a low growl, and what looked like a large cougar with two long horns appeared next to the other two Beasts. (800 ATK)

"Okay!" shouted Francesca. "_That _one is definitely _not _in my deck!"

"I never said my deck was a complete copy of yours…" said Doopliss.

He took the remaining four cards in his hand, and threw them into his Disk's Spell Zone. Four set cards appeared in three flashes of light.

"In fact… MY deck is _better…_

"It's your move…"

"_Four _face-down cards?" asked Stan. "This guy is kinda reckless…"

_Very true, Stanley… _thought Doopliss, _but it's not like I have anything to lose…_

Francesca looked at Doopliss and the cards he had set.

_This is weird… _she thought, as she made a draw. _He had the Monsters he needs to Synchro Summon a Level 7 Monster…_

_And if I remember correctly, Bicorn Re'em has an effect that activates when it's used for a Synchro Summon…_

_But instead, he chose to just leave those three weak Monsters on the field, completely defenseless…_

"I activate a Trap Card…" said Doopliss, as one of his face-down cards lifted up.

"Summon Dare?" asked Francesca, looking at it.

"This is a little complicated, so listen closely…" said Doopliss. "I first name a Monster that is kept in the Extra Deck. If you don't have one, I lose 2,000 Life Points.

"But, if you do, and you summon it this turn, then you get to draw three times… If you don't, then I get to draw three times? Sound like fun?"

Francesca frowned.

"Card I name…" said Doopliss. "Voltic Bicorn…"

"You're playing with fire, fellah, and you're gonna get burned," said Francesca. "I summon Hyena!"

She threw the card on her Disk, and the small Beast appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"I'll accept your dare…" she said with a grin.

"Francesca…" said Andy, with a worried look.

Lady of Unicorns and Hyena flew towards the ceiling, through the shimmering rings…

"_Where lightning does indeed strike twice, a Beast of incredible power and twice the ferocity is born!"_

**(*4 + *3 = *7)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Voltic Bicorn!"_

The double-horned unicorn leapt onto the field, electricity flashing over her fur and mane. (2,500 ATK)

"Now I can use Lady of Unicorn's effect to make Voltic Bicorn impervious to destruction by card effects," continued Francesca. "And because of your Trap Card, I believe I get to draw three times…"

She made three draws.

"And because you now have a hand of seven cards and I have no hand," replied Doopliss, "I get to activate this…"

Another of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"Gamble?" shouted Francesca. "Someone actually uses that?"

"I sure do…" replied Doopliss.

A gold coin appeared in his hand, and he tossed it into the air.

"It's heads!" he shouted.

It fell to the floor. Francesca sighed, and covered her face with her hand. It was indeed heads.

"Seems I get to draw five cards…" said Doopliss, as he snatched the top five cards off his Disk.

_He still has two set cards,_ thought Francesca, _but this guy is seriously getting under my skin..._

"Voltic Bicorn, attack Bicorn Re'em!" she shouted.

"Not so fast!" shouted Doopliss, as a third Trap Card lifted up. "I activate… Urgent Tuning!"

Key Mouse, Nimble Momonga, and Bicorn Re'em flew towards the ceiling, and _they _flew through a set of glowing stars.

**(*1 + *2 + *4 = *7)**

"Because I used Bicorn Re'em for a Synchro Summon," continued Doopliss, "you lose two cards from your deck…"

Francesca looked at her deck as two cards flew off and disappeared.

"And now for my Monster…" said Doopliss, with a sinister smile.

To Francesca's shock, a Voltic Bicorn appeared to confront hers. A sinister red glow was in its eyes, but there was no mistaking it… (2,500 ATK)

"Bicorn, stop your attack!" she shouted.

Her Voltic Bicorn looked its twin in the eye, clearly not liking it one bit.

"She called off her attack?" asked Andy.

"Andy, don't you remember what happens if Voltic Bicorn is destroyed?" asked Stan. "Both players lose seven cards from their decks…

"If two opposing Voltic Bicorns were destroyed simultaneously…"

"Oh yeah…" said Andy. "Both Fran and Doopliss would lose fourteen cards! What in the world is Doopliss up to?"

"I'll end with this…" sighed Francesca, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone.

Doopliss grinned evilly as he made a draw.

"I use Pot of Avarice…" he said.

He quickly took all three Momongas, Key Mouse, and Bicorn Re'em from his discard slot, reshuffled, and made two draws.

"Not bad…" he said. "I activate the Forbidden Lance Spell Card… It lowers my Monster's Attack Score by 800 points, but makes it immune to all other Spell and Trap Cards…"

(1,700 ATK)

"Attack her Voltic Bicorn, my servant!"

The wicked-looking Bicorn neighed, and charged at Francesca's Bicorn. She grit her teeth as her Monster blasted lighting from its horns, blowing the enemy Bicorn to shards.

"I believe you heard what your friend said…" chuckled Doopliss.

Seven cards flew off of Francesca's deck, and vanished, but the same thing happened to Doopliss' deck. Doopliss didn't seem to care, and activated his last face-down card.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

In a flash, the evil Voltic Bicorn appeared again. (2,500 ATK)

"Now attack again!"

"No…" gasped Francesca.

Simultaneously, two bolts of electrical energy blasted, and both Monsters were incinerated.

"Good lord…" said Andy. "Francesca just lost… Twenty-one cards! How many does that leave her with?"

"I think… six!" exclaimed Stan. "Clearly, I see what Doopliss is doing here… His deck is similar to Fran's, but his strategy is quite different. He's focusing on Voltic Bicorn's mill effect, and he tricked Fran into helping him with _her _Voltic Bicorn!

"But… His plan seems to have a fatal flaw in it…"

"Stan is right!" snapped Francesca. "You lost as many cards as I did with that move, and because you used Nimble Momonga and Gamble, you now have only five cards in your deck, one less than I do. You'll be decked out before me!"

"Maybe, maybe not…" said Doopliss, with a sly smile. "It's still my turn, by the way…"

"I activate Monster Reborn…"

He played the card, and Bicorn Re'em appeared in a flash. (800 ATK)

"Not _that _again…" muttered Francesca.

"Fear not…" said Doopliss, "I'm only going to sacrifice it…"

The horned Beast vanished.

"…to summon Crusted Norg."

A creature appeared that Francesca had never even heard of, much less had in her deck. It was an ugly, muscular ogre, with tangled, red hair, and shards of bone protruding from its shoulder joints. It wore a loincloth, and held a huge stone mallet that was covered with spikes. (1,500 ATK)

"Okay, I _really _do not like that!" shouted Francesca.

"That's a shame…" said Doopliss.

Crusted Norg vanished… And then reappeared on Francesca's side of the field!

"…it seems to _love _you!"

"What?" gasped Francesca. "Why is it on my side of the field?"

"That's what happens when Crusted Norg is summoned," replied Doopliss. "I should probably add that is you try to move it to Defense Mode, it moves right back to Attack Mode, and that you have no choice but to attack with it.

"Now, to end my turn…"

He set a card in his Disk, and a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"There…"

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,600)**

Francesca drew a card.

It was _her _Pot of Avarice.

She looked at it, then at the rest of her cards, then at Crusted Norg.

_This has got to be a trick… _she thought.

She played the card, and took five Monsters from her Graveyard. She combined them with her remaining cards, and drew twice.

_A little more to work with… _she thought.

She played a card, and Lock Cat appeared. (1,200 ATK) Then Key Mouse appeared next to it. (100 DEF)

Then Key Mouse flew above the arena, with Lock Cat and Hypnocorn following…

**(*1 + *3 + *4 = *8)**

There was a flash of lightning, and Lightning Tricorn appeared, bucking on her hind legs. (2,800 ATK)

_This is clearly a trap, _she thought, _so I'll attack with Lightning Tricorn first!_

Tricorn blasted her bolt of energy at Doopliss, and the duplighost screamed…

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 4,800)**

Francesca paused, waiting for Doopliss to use his Trap Card. He didn't…

"Crusted Norg, attack him directly!" shouted Francesca.

The Beast-Warrior charged at Doopliss, and slugged him with its mallet…

"I activate… Savage Pyre!" he shouted.

"What the…" said Francesca.

"This card is so powerful, I can only use it when it's the only card in my Spell Zone," said Doopliss, "and only when I'm attacked by a Level 6 or higher Beast-Warrior. "The first thing it does is reduce the damage from the attack to zero and end the Battle Phase…

"So you attacked with Tricorn first… You're real smart…

"But… The true effect is to banish _every _card from my Graveyard."

"WHAT?" shouted Francesca. "Why the Hell would you do THAT?"

"I have my reasons…" said Doopliss.

Francesca grunted.

"I set one card," she said, as a reversed card appeared behind her two Monsters, "and I end my turn…"

Doopliss grinned evilly as he drew a card.

"The time is right…" he said. "I summon… THIS!"

He played the card, and a dark shadow rose on his side of the field. A hideous Zombie that looked like a decayed infant's head with ugly tendrils growing out of it appeared hovering in mid-air. (1,200 ATK)

"Holy shit, that's Necroface!" screamed Stan.

"Huh?" said Andy.

"Doopliss had this whole thing planned perfectly…" gasped Stan. "He knew he'd lose most of his cards, so he purposely banished them all…

"And now that he's summoned that thing, all of his banished cards are returned to his deck… He'll _never _deck out now!"

Doopliss chuckled as he shuffled his deck.

"And as a bonus," he added, "Necroface gains 100 Attack Points for each card that was sent back to my deck…"

(4,700 ATK)

"Eradicate her Lightning Tricorn with Doom Necro Blast!"

Bolts of pure darkness fired from the Zombie's eyes, and Francesca felt a wave of pure cold rip through her as Tricorn was blown to pieces.

"I choose…" she gasped, "_not _to use her effect…"

"A pity…" said Doopliss. "But, you still have Crusted Norg…

"Of course, I guess I should remind you… It has no choice but to attack on your turn…

"I'll set this, and end my turn…"

A new face-down card appeared behind Necroface.

**(F: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 4,800)**

_This is really bad… _thought Francesca. _I'm down to just seven cards, and very few of the Monsters I have would be strong enough to defeat Necroface…_

She drew a card.

_What… _she thought. _The card I found on Maria's ship!_

One of her two face-down cards lifted up.

"I use Call of the Haunted!" she shouted. "I'll summon Lock Cat!"

The sassy cat appeared again. (1,200 ATK)

"Next I'll play… Showstopper!"

She played the card, and loud music started to play. Colored spotlights started to shine from the ceiling.

"What's going on?" shouted Doopliss.

"Showstopper lets me sacrifice any number of Monsters to destroy an equal amount of your cards," said Francesca, "and deal 1,000 points of damage for each one! So I'll sacrifice Crusted Norg and Lock Cat to destroy Necroface and your set card!"

The two Monsters vanished, and both the hideous Zombie and Doopliss' set Tuning Collapse exploded.

"I can't Normal Summon or attack this turn," said Francesca. "So I end my turn… Seems I got rid of two potential problems…"

**(F: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,800)**

"Oh, I'm so smart…" said Doopliss in a mocking tone.

He sighed.

"You have so much of the real Unicorn Princess in you…"

He looked at her.

"You know, Francesca…" he said, now speaking in his normal, male voice. "There was once a time when I would have been able to do more than just mimic your appearance…"

"Why do they love talking about themselves so much?" sighed Andy.

"Quiet…" said Stan. "We may learn something…"

"I was once able to _steal _a victim's appearance," continued Doopliss. "Along with his name, identity… Everything that made him himself. The victim was left a shadowy shell of what he once was, and I _became _that person in all regards…

"My theft was so complete, that after time, even the victim began to doubt just who was the real deal.

"It was all because of the Creepy Steeple… It had far more powers in those days, and I was able to draw my own power from it…"

"I assume something happened…" replied Francesca. "I still seem to know who I am…"

Doopliss frowned.

"The Three Heroes were starting to become a serious thorn in the Shadow Queen's side," replied Doopliss. "She ordered me to use my power on one of them, to stop them from stirring thoughts of insurrection in Twilight Town. I chose your ancestor…

"Worst mistake of my life…

"It seemed to work at first… I fooled all the people of Twilight Town, I fooled their Companions, I even fooled the other two Heroes…

"But there was one creature that was not fooled, it seemed… Her unicorn. After I used my power, the beast was confused, and fled into the woods surrounding Twilight Town.

"Hoping to make my disguise complete, I convinced the Dark Sorcerer and the Dragon Master to help me look for it, and we found the frightened creature. I was able to approach it… But when I tried to mount it, it realized I was an imposter, and threw me in rage.

"Almost immediately, her two friends became more suspicious than ever. They had never known that beast to reject her.

"Then the real Unicorn Princess appeared, and offered her hand. It hesitated at first, but then it slowly recognized its mistress, and went to her. It seemed that the bond between them was one thing I could _not _steal. My cover was truly blown.

"A battle ensued, and I lost. She took back what I had taken from her, and they used their powers to defile the dark magic of the Creep Steeple. And as a result, I lost most of my powers, and the Steeple had never been able to regain more than a fraction of its former might. Ever since then, I've never been able to become anything more than a copy."

The duplighost grinned evilly.

"But… The Shadow Queen can give me my full powers back, and restore the Creepy Steeple to full glory… A simple sacrifice is needed, using a victim that is blood-related to one of those who stripped it of its powers in the first place…"

"Heh…" said Francesca. "For a minute there, I was thinking you simply had revenge on your mind…"

"The thought did pop in there once or twice!" he shouted. "As a bonus, your body can be the first one in a thousand years that I'll be able to keep!

"I kind of like it, actually… Looks kind of good on me…"

"Probably a matter of opinion…"

"Now then…" said Doopliss, speaking with Francesca's voice again, "I draw!"

He drew a card.

"I'll set a Monster, and two face-down cards," he said, "and my turn is over…"

Three reversed cards appeared, two behind the first one.

"My move…" said Francesca.

_Best play conservatively for now… _she thought, as she set a card.

A reversed Monster appeared in front of her.

She nodded.

Doopliss laughed, and drew again.

His set Monster flipped up. Francesca and her two friends gasped as the Morphing Jar appeared. (700 ATK)

Francesca discarded the five cards she had, and made five draws.

"That leaves her with…" said Andy.

"_One _card left in her deck…" stammered Stan.

"Soon to be none…" chuckled Doopliss. "Melissa is going to be thrilled when she hears about this…

"I activate the Trap Card, Foolish Revival!"

One of his set cards lifted up, and Voltic Bicorn appeared in front of Francesca, sitting in Defense Mode. (2,000 ATK)

"Next, I summon Uni-Horned Familiar to the field," said Doopliss, as the small, Beast Tuner appeared. (0 ATK)

"Then," he said, as his other Trap Card lifted up, "I use Bone Temple Block. By discarding a card from my hand, both players Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster from her opponent's Graveyard."

Lock Cat appeared on Doopliss' side of the field. (1,200 ATK)

Francesca scowled. There was only one Monster in Doopliss' Graveyard that fit the bill; she didn't want it, but she didn't seem to have a choice.

Necroface appeared in front of her in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"Now, I Tune my three Monsters together…" said Doopliss.

Uni-Horned Familiar, Morphing Jar, and Lock Cat flew towards the ceiling…

**(*2 + *2 + *3 = *7)**

Stan and Andy watched with horror as Doopliss' Voltic Bicorn appeared again. (2,500 ATK)

"If his Bicorn destroys hers, her deck will be wiped out!" shouted Andy.

"That's the idea!" laughed Doopliss. "Attack, my minion!"

The evil Bicorn shot its bolts of lightning at the defending one…

But to everyone's shock, it was halted by an aura of crackling energy.

"What?" said Doopliss.

"You came close…" said Francesca. "But… When you used Morphing Jar's effect, you made me discard Electromagnetic Turtle… So I was able to end the battle before it started."

Doopliss chuckled, and fit another card into his Disk. Another face-down card appeared.

"Maybe so," he said. "I guess I end my turn… That means, the Monster you summoned with Bone Temple Block's effect is now destroyed."

Necroface shattered.

"You have one card left… Just what can you do with one card, eh?"

Francesca looked at the one card. Then she drew it.

"Offhand…" she said, looking at it, "I'd say, a lot…"

Her facedown card lifted up.

"I use Limit Reverse!" she shouted, as Key Mouse appeared again. (100 ATK)

"Then," she said, as she played a Spell Card, "I play Shining Rebirth!"

Key Mouse flew towards the ceiling, with Voltic Bicorn following…

**(*1 + *7 = *8)**

There was a flash of lightning, and Lightning Tricorn appeared, very angry this time. (2,800 ATK)

"And thanks to Shining Rebirth, she can't be destroyed by card effects this turn!"

Doopliss looked nervously at his set Synchro Deflector.

"Bah!" he said. "So what? Your Tricorn may destroy my Bicorn, but I'll only lose 300 Life Points!"

"She's not gonna attack your Bicorn…" said Francesca.

She held up a card.

"_This _was the card that was at the bottom of my deck… Want to know what it was?"

She played it.

"I activate Wings of the Tempest!"

Lightning flashed again, and a pair of glorious, feathered wings sprouted from Lightning Tricorn's back.

"What's going on?" shouted Doopliss.

"Wings of the Tempest is a powerful card that can be used with Thunder Unicorn, Voltic Bicorn, OR Lightning Tricorn," said Francesca. "By paying half my Life Points, she can attack directly!"

Lightning Tricorn spread its wings and started to fly towards the imposter.

"No, no, NO!" screamed the duplighost. "I was so close!"

Then he screamed as the attack struck him…

**(F: 3,050) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)**

Doopliss screamed again. All the mirrors in the room shattered into piles of broken glass.

Doopliss collapsed, transforming back into his true form, the weird sheet-like creature.

"Think he's dead?" asked Stan.

Francesca noticed the Citrine Star on the floor in front of Doopliss.

She picked it up.

"Does it matter?" she said.

"Uh, Fran?" said Andy, nervously.

"Uh… Pretty good duel… I was kinda worried there… A little… You were kinda…"

"Oh, for the love of…" said Francesca.

She grabbed Andy by the collar, pulled him towards her, and gave him a deep kiss on the lips.

After about a minute, she let go, and the two looked each other in the eyes…

"Well!" said Andy, getting excited. "Let's get to Twilight Town, eh? There's got to be a duelist or two around here for me to handle…"

They left the room, just as their watches read ten o'clock.

Not a sound came from the Creepy Steeple's bell. Had its dark power been completely extinguished this time? Perhaps… Only time would tell…

**0000000000**

Meanwhile… At the Wonky Circus, another Crystal Star was in reach for someone else. In front of a crowd of spectators, Raven was intent on gaining the Garnet Star.

Her opponent called himself the Shy Guy General, although exactly what he was a general of was hard to say. He seemed to be little more than another circus performer. He was a tall creature (whether he was human or not was hard to say) wearing a long, red robe and hood, with a white mask over his face.

**(Raven: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Shy Guy General: 4,000)**

Raven wasn't going to let someone like this intimidate her, nor was she going to let The Masked Beast he had just summoned. (3,200 ATK) She had Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe. (2,600 ATK)

"My move…" said Raven, as she made a draw.

"I set this card," she said, as a reversed card appeared in her Spell Zone, "then I use Hawk Joe's effect to Special Summon Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn from my Graveyard."

The Tamer lashed his whip, and another Blackwing appeared, spreading its large, feathered wings. (2,000 ATK)

"Then, by using Sirocco's effect, Hawk Joe gains Attack Points equal to all other Blackwings on the field…"

(4,600 ATK)

"Fortunately for you, he's the only one who can attack this turn," said Raven, as the Blackwing Tamer flew towards the Masked Beast, "but your Monster is history…"

The General grunted as his Monster was blown into thousands of shards.

**(R: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (SGG: 2,600)**

"Ready to throw in the towel?" asked Raven, as Hawk Joe's Attack Score fell back to 2,600.

"No…" replied the Shy Guy, as he drew a card.

"I summon Sangan…"

He played the card, and the small critter appeared.

"Then, I use Silent Doom to summon Melchid the Four-Face Beast from my Graveyard…"

He played the card, and a spherical creature with four ugly masks placed around its body appeared. (1,200 DEF)

"Then, I sacrifice both Monsters…"

The two Monsters evaporated.

"…to call forth the Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

With a loud roar, a huge, hulking creature with sharp claws and armor on its torso made up partially of bone rose up on his side of the field. It had three masks, one of its face, and two on its shoulders. Several children in the crowd cried in fright. (3,300 ATK)

"Man, that is ugly…" said Raven.

"I'll use Sangan's effect…" said the Shy Guy, as he took a card from his deck. "And then my Monster will destroy Blackwing Tamer!"

The demon lunged at Hawk Joe.

"Go, Shrink!" shouted Raven, as her set card lifted up, and Des Gardius fell to an Attack Score of 1,650.

Hawk Joe lashed his whip, and Des Gardius shattered, its three masks falling to the ground with a clatter.

Raven looked strangely at her opponent… Even though he was wearing a mask, it was easy to see that he was grinning from ear to ear…

"I use Des Gardius' effect!" he giggled. "When it goes to the Graveyard, I get to use The Mask of Remnants!"

A horrible mask shaped like a demon's face flew at Hawk Joe, and latched over his face. Then Hawk Joe was yanked over to the Shy Guy's side of the field.

"HEY!" shouted Raven.

"Still my turn, I believe…" said the General. "Attack Sirocco the Dawn!"

Hawk Joe struck with his weapon again, and Sirocco shattered into an explosion of feathers.

**(R: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (SGG: 1,650)**

"Thank you, Hawk Joe…" chuckled the General. "You make an excellent pawn…"

"Okay, fellah…" said Raven, with a frown, "now you've done it…"

She made a draw.

"Time to bring out my inner bitch… I play De-Synchro!"

"Eh?" said the General.

The Mask of Remnants shattered, and Hawk Joe vanished.

"Now Hawk Joe is back in my Extra Deck, but that's not all…" said Raven.

Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (1,300 ATK) and Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn (1,900 ATK) appeared in front of her.

"I get to Special Summon the Monsters I used to Synchro Summon him…"

Then Gale and Kris flew towards the sky again.

"Just for fun, I think I'm going to summon Hawk Joe again…"

**(*3 + *4 = *7)**

The Blackwing Tamer appeared, and glared angrily at the Shy Guy. (2,600 ATK_

"Look, look…" stammered the Shy Guy. "I was only joking, fellah!"

Then he screamed as the whip slashed into him, knocking him over.

**(R: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (SGG: 0)**

The crowd stood up and cheered as Raven walked forward and picked up the Garnet Star.

_Thousand Year Door, here I come… _she thought.

**0000000000**

**SURPRISE ATTACK FROM BEYOND (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **An Orichalcos Mirror Knight emerging from a dark portal behind another one in an ambush.

**Card Description: **Activate during your Main Phase 2, after you have conducted your Battle Phase. Treat the End Phase of the turn as a Battle Phase. During this second Battle Phase, only Monsters that were Special Summoned this turn may attack.

_Note: "Surprise Attack from Beyond" was first used by Marik in the original anime episode "The Final Face-Off (Part 4)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**TUNING COLLAPSE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **The man who appears on "Tuner's Scheme" on his knees, crying out in anguish, as white cards flutter to the ground around them. (Presumably, these are Synchro Monster cards.)

**Card Description: **Activate when a Synchro Monster is destroyed by battle. Your opponent sends one card from his deck to the Graveyard times the Level of the destroyed Monster.

_Note: "Tuning Collapse" was first used by Breo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Edge of Elimination (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**SUMMON DARE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Succubus Knight embracing a nervous duelist wearing a Duel Academy Obelisk Blue uniform from behind.

**Card Description: **Name 1 Monster that is kept in the Extra Deck. If your opponent does not have the named Monster in his or her Extra Deck, you lose 2,000 Life Points. If your opponent does have the named Monster in his or her Extra Deck, and he does not Summon it this turn, you draw 3 cards; if your opponent does Summon it this turn, your opponent draws 3 cards.

**0000000000**

**CRUSTED NORG (Monster Card)**

**Beast-Warrior/Dark/Effect/Lvl6/1,500ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Tribute Summoned, switch control of this card to your opponent. If this card is in face-up Defense Position, switch it to Attack Position. The controller of this card must attack with this card, if able.

**0000000000**

**SAVAGE PYRE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Sengenjin in the middle of a wildfire.

**Card Description: **You can only activate this card if it is the only card in your Spell/Trap Zone. Activate when you are attacked directly by a Beast-Warrior-Type Monster that is Level 6 or higher. Reduce Battle Damage to zero and end the Battle Phase. Then, banish all cards in your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**WINGS OF THE TEMPEST (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Lady of Unicorns mounted on a winged Thunder Unicorn, flying through stormy clouds.

**Card Description: **Pay half your Life Points and select 1 "Thunder Unicorn", "Voltic Bicorn", or "Lightning Tricorn" you control. This turn, the selected Monster is the only Monster that may attack, and may attack your opponent directly.

**0000000000**

**SHOWSTOPPER (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Three shadowy figures blasting the Gate Guardian with magical energy.

**Card Description: **Offer any number of Monsters (except Tokens) as Tributes. For each Monster offered as a Tribute, destroy 1 card your opponent controls and inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent. You cannot Normal Summon or conduct your Battle Phase this turn.

**0000000000**

_**Three Crystal Stars have been claimed in the space of one chapter. Only two remain, and Andy's chance to get one may run out soon…**_

_**But he will have an opponent for that crucial eighth Card next chapter. Who will it be?**_

_**I'm afraid it has to remain a secret… But, if you're a fan of my work and the works that it has generated, this person **_**may **_**just be familiar to you…**_

_**And that's ALL I'm gonna tell you…**_


	34. Call of the Grave

_**How does a hero get his start?**_

_**Well, some of them start out like Captain America does, volunteering for the part, but this is very rare. Most heroes never signed up for the role.**_

_**Some, like Thor, got the position due to a birthright, and others, like Buffy Summers, were heeding a call from a higher power that gave them little choice. Most of the time, they start out like Spider-Man did, gaining whatever abilities they have completely by accident, and then become heroes after some tragic event or terrible mistake convinces them that they have to be heroes. **_

_**Basically, most heroes don't set out with the intention to become them. I'm not one to believe in fate or destiny, but things tend to turn out that way. **_

_**I sure didn't wake up two weeks ago thinking I would ever be a hero…**_

_**And from what my opponent tells me, I think it was the farthest thing from his mind at the time too…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-FOUR**

**0000000000**

**Call of the Grave**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The door of the Twilight Tavern flew open, and Andy burst inside.

"All right, people!" he shouted. "Who wants a piece of Andy Markova!"

"Good lord…" muttered Francesca, as she and Stan walked in behind him. "If I'd known that one kiss would have made him _this _much more confident, I'd have done it sooner!"

There didn't seem to be any immediate takers, so they sat down at a table.

"Wonder when they start serving lunch?" asked Stan, remembering fondly those Twilight peaches.

Then they heard a very angry woman's voice from another table.

"Get away, get _away!" _she shouted.

Then she stood up from the table, and left with a scowl on her face.

They looked at the man she was shouting at, a man in his twenties with black hair that was a little lighter in the front, and tanned skin. A long, thin scar was on his face. He wore a blue jacket over a black shirt and grey cargo pants.

He looked at the thing that had apparently made the woman mad: a cigarette that he had been smoking.

His look changed to disgust as he crushed it out in an ashtray.

"Story of my life…" he sighed.

"You know, fellah," said Andy, walking up to the table, "I can't say I blame her…"

"Tell me something I don't know…" the man sighed. "You should have seen how much they yelled at me when I was at the Great Tree…

"You know the old sci-fi horror show called _The X-Files?"_

"I've heard of it…" said Andy.

"The show was unbelievable, but not for the reasons most people think," said the smoker. "UFOs I can fathom might be real. Mutant viruses, sure, I can believe they might be real.

"But what truly pushed the bounds of believability on that show too far was that no-one ever bothered the Cigarette Smoking Man, no matter where he lit up!"

"I guess you have a point…" replied Andy.

"Hyde Vayne…" said the man, holding out his hand.

"Uh, Andy Markova…" said Andy, shaking.

He noticed a Duel Disk on the table.

"So, are you a contestant?" he asked.

"Well… sort of…" replied Hyde.

"Sort of?" asked Andy.

"Well, technically…" he replied. "The thing is, I wasn't really invited… A friend of mine was…

"But he got sick… So he gave me his deck, and I ended up going for him, after making a few adjustments… I figure, what the Hell, it's a free vacation…"

"So, how far along are you?" said Andy.

"Uhm…" said Hyde.

He took a set of Crystal Cards out of his jacket pocket. There were seven.

"That many using a borrowed deck?" gasped Francesca.

"If I may get a word in here…" said a voice.

The voice came from Charlene, the waitress, who had apparently been eavesdropping.

"Word just came in that six Crystal Stars have been won…" she said. "Anyone who wants one of the remaining two had better hustle…"

Andy looked at his two friends nervously, and then looked at Hyde.

"Okay… Andy was it?" replied Hyde. "I'll duel you…"

_But I do intend to win… _he thought. _I may not have been invited, but since I got here, I came to realize it wasn't quite the vacation I expected…_

**0000000000**

Andy and Hyde stood on the street outside the Inn, facing each other.

"Here goes!" said Andy, as he put his sunglasses on. "I'm more fired up than I ever was before!"

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Hyde: 8,000)**

"Well don't get too excited…" said Hyde. "I'll make the first move…"

He made his first draw.

"I summon Mezuki…"

With a growl, a muscular, bare-chested demon with a horse's head, holding an axe, appeared in front of him. (1,700 ATK)

"Then, I'll play Inari's Charity…" he said, as a Continuous Spell appeared in front of him.

"Inari?" asked Andy.

"One of the most popular gods in Shinto, I believe…" replied Hyde. "I'll end my turn there…"

Andy looked closely at the Spell Card, and then drew.

It was Koops' card.

_Think I'll save him for later… _he thought.

"I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, the beautiful Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"Destroy Mezuki! Blinding Blast!"

The powerful ray of light shot towards the demon. Mezuki covered its eyes, and then simply vanished, like mist dissolving in the morning sun.

"Weird…" said Andy. "It's your move…"

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,700)**

Hyde drew.

"I summon Gozuki," he said.

There was another growl, and another creature appeared, this one a potbellied, bull-headed demon holding a huge hammer. (1,700 ATK)

"This creature's effect lets me send a Zombie from my deck to the Graveyard once per turn…" continued Hyde.

He discarded a card.

"Then, by banishing Mezuki, I'm able to Special Summon the Monster I just sent there… Crow Tengu."

There was a squawk as a man with the head, legs, and wings of a crow, holding the Goblin Fan, appeared next to Gozuki. (1,400 ATK)

"And when Crow Tengu is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, it destroys one Monster…"

Alexandrite Dragon shattered.

"_That's _a Zombie?" asked Stan.

"I've heard of these things…" said Francesca. "Yōkai… Creatures based on demons from Japanese folklore, like that weird horse-thing Aesop had. I'm not sure why I2 made them Zombies… Maybe it was because nothing else fit…"

"I would have called them Fiends, myself," replied Hyde, "but what you gonna do?

"Attack him directly."

Andy grunted as Gozuki's hammer crashed into him. Then Crow Tengu took to the air, and sank its talons into his shoulders. He fell over.

"Ow…" he said.

"Of course, whatever they are," said Hyde, "they aren't very nice… It's your move…"

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,700)**

Andy grunted a little as he made a draw.

_Okay, now's the time… _he thought, as he reached for Koops' card.

"I summon Koops the Bashful!" he shouted.

Koops leapt onto the field, still looking as timid as ever. (1,800 ATK)

"And Koops can attack all of your Monsters in one turn," continued Andy, "meaning he can plow right over both those things."

Koops retracted into his shell.

"Go! Mow those Yōkai down with Shell Slammer!"

Koops shot at Gozuki, blowing it to shards, then into Crow Tengu, blasting it into dirty feathers.

The Koopa skidded back to Andy's side of the field, and emerged from his shell.

"I have to skip my Battle Phase next turn, unfortunately," he said, "so I'll end my turn now…"

**(A: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,200)**

Hyde drew a card, and looked at it for a minute.

"First thing I'm going to do…" he said, "is use the effect of Inari's Charity…

"You see, every time a Zombie I had was destroyed, it gained a Yōkai Counter… It now has the maximum, two…

"That means I can send it to the Graveyard to make two draws…"

The card vanished, and he drew twice.

"However, I then have to banish the same number of cards from my deck."

He took two more cards from his deck and placed them inside his jacket.

"I'll set a Monster, and that will end my turn," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

Andy drew, and quickly played a card.

"I'll set one too," he said, as a hidden Monster appeared in front of him.

"Like I said, I can't attack… So I'll end my turn…"

Hyde closed his eyes, and made a draw.

"I flip Yuki-Ona into Attack Mode…" he said.

The card flipped up, and a chilling wind covered the street as a ghostly woman of cold, evil beauty appeared. She had glowing eyes, blue hair, and was dressed in a white kimono with blue trim. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I play Monster Reborn," he continued, as he played the Spell Card.

Andy groaned as Crow Tengu appeared again. (1,400 ATK) His set Monster – Twin-Headed Behemoth – shattered.

"Now, I sacrifice Crow Tengu…" said Hyde, as the winged Yōkai turned into an orb of darkness, "to summon Samebito."

The Yōkai that appeared this time was large and hulking. It had a shark's head with a long shark's tail behind its head, with black and white skin. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, I can Tune my two Monsters together…" he said.

Yuki-Ona flew into the sky, and the now-familiar glowing rings appeared. She flew through them, with Samebito following…

**(*2 + *6 = *8)**

"I Synchro Summon… Blue Ogre!"

With a loud roar, a far bigger Yōkai than any Hyde had summoned thus far appeared. It was well-named… It was a huge, hulking ogre with blue skin and a mane of yellow hair, wearing armor of feudal Japanese style, holding a huge club in its clawed hands. (2,750 ATK)

"Well it's certainly… blue…" said Andy.

"Attack with kanabō crusher!" shouted Hyde, showing a sudden rush of enthusiasm.

The huge Yōkai slammed its weapon down, crushing Koops with a blow that made the very ground shake. Andy felt his teeth rattle from the impact.

**(A: 3,150) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,200)**

"Wait…" said Andy. "Why did I lose _that _many Life Points?"

"Blue Ogre deals out extra damage whenever it takes down a Monster," said Hyde. "It deals 200 more points of damage for every Level the defeated Monster has. Your Monster was Level 4.

"I'll end my turn there…"

"That means I get to summon the Monster you destroyed with your Crow Tengu's effect…" said Andy. "Twin-Headed Behemoth…"

The two-headed Dragon appeared in front of him in Defense Mode.

_But my Life Points are way down, _he thought, _and I'd better get my A-game started fast… _

_Man, if he does this good using a borrowed deck, I'm glad he didn't bring his own…_

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen had a stern look on her face as she walked down a corridor.

_This better be good, _she thought, as she approached the door to Magical Scientist's laboratory. _I really wish I didn't have to deal with this guy…_

_You tell _this _mad scientist that "There are some things that man was not meant to tamper with," and he takes it as a challenge._

As she approached the door, it swung upon, nearly hitting her.

"Never do that again!" she shouted at Magical Scientist, glaring daggers at the Duel Spirit.

"Sorry…" he said, "so sorry…"

Her look of anger quickly turned into one of repulsion.

"Out of curiosity…" she said, "when was the last time you bathed? Or even changed that lab coat? You've got things growing on it!"

"Well, uh…" he replied.

"You keep this up," said the Queen, "and you're going to end up like that idiot friend of yours, Kozaky."

"Yeah, yeah…" said Magical Scientist. "Kozaky was an idiot. His first mistake was trusting Invader of Darkness in the first place. His second mistake was thinking that what he did to Gagagigo couldn't be undone.

"If there's truly no way to lift a curse, it isn't really a curse at all."

"I know that too well," said the Queen. "Now, you said you had something?"

He handed her a small stack of cards.

"Some _things, _actually," he said. "A few things I was able to put together from a few of Smithy's blueprints I deciphered.

"On the plus side, they're a great deal stronger than those Magnet Monsters… However, unlike them, I doubt that all these cards can work in the same deck."

The Queen looked over them.

"That shouldn't be a problem…" she said.

"There is one final set of blueprints that I have yet to decipher…" continued Magical Scientist. "Once I do, I should be able to create a set of Dark Cards that will give life to Smithy's most notorious creations, and I believe I can design them in such a way as to have synergy in the same deck."

"Fine!" said the Shadow Queen. "Shower, change, get a few hours of sleep, and _then _get on it.

"The last thing I need is you falling asleep while a Bunsen burner is lit!"

Magical Scientist laughed nervously as she turned to leave.

"Yeah…" he said. "That would be… Pretty bad…"

**0000000000**

"My draw!" said Andy, as he drew a card.

_Hmm… _he thought.

He took two cards, and set them. Two reversed cards, a Monster and a card behind it, appeared in front of him.

"There…" he said.

Hyde drew a card, and then chose another one from his hand.

"I'll bring out Onagakokuba," he said.

Two sinister eyes appeared, and the rest of the body followed, a demonic-looking horse with flaming hooves. (1,400 ATK)

"And by discarding one Zombie from my hand," he said, as he discarded a card, "which I can do once per turn, it gains 500 Attack Points."

(1,900 ATK)

"Oh, brother…" said Stan. "Andy's Monsters are both in Defense Mode… Onagakokuba's effect must not wear off when the turn ends, or he wouldn't have bothered doing that…"

The demon horse spewed flames from its mouth, and Twin-Headed Behemoth was roasted to a crisp.

_Wait for it… _thought Andy, as Blue Ogre lifted its huge club.

The oni rushed at the card, and Masked Dragon appeared on it…

"Activate, Nitwit Outwit!" he shouted.

His Trap Card lifted up, and he took Lord of Dragons from his hand, and discarded it. Blue Ogre's Attack Score fell to 1,550.

"It's still strong enough to deal with your Masked Dragon," said Hyde, as the kanabō fell, crushing the small Dragon.

"And now you take 600 more points of damage."

"Fine!" said Andy. "But now I can summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

In a flash, the spiritual Dragon appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Uh, yeah…" said Hyde.

He glanced at the four cards left in his hand.

"Uh… Think I'll be ending my turn now…"

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,200)**

_I don't like the way he said that… _thought Andy, as he drew a card. _But I managed to set up what I need for a good opportunity, and now I gotta take it!_

"Because I sent Lord of Dragons to the Graveyard and summoned Divine Dragon Ragnarok with that move," he said, as he held Dragon's Mirror in front of him, "I can fuse them together…"

Lord of Dragons appeared, and then he and the Dragon vanished. Then King Dragun appeared with an aura of dark fire. (2,400 ATK)

"And by using his effect," said Andy, with a far more confident expression, I can summon Des Volstgalph to the field!"

With a loud roar, the armored Earth Dragon appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Blast that Blue Ogre!" shouted Andy. "Blazing Barrage!"

Hyde covered his head as the bolt of burning energy shot at the huge Yōkai, blowing it into a pile of rocky residue.

"And you take 500 extra points of damage from its effect," said Andy. "Now here's one for your horse. Attack with Twilight Burn!"

The stream of fiery doom blasted from King Dragun's scepter, incinerating Onagakokuba.

Unfortunately, before Andy or his two allies could celebrate, what could best be described as a small lightning storm sprung up on Hyde's side of the field. A huge white and blue wolf with sparks of electricity blasting out of it pounced out in front of Hyde. (2,600 ATK)

"What is THAT?" shouted Andy.

"Raiji," said Hyde. "I'm allowed to Special Summon it from my hand when two or more of my Zombies are destroyed in the same turn."

Andy sighed.

_This sure isn't getting any prettier… _he thought.

He threw a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind his Monsters.

"Done…"

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 5,550)**

Hyde drew. The card was a Trap Card, one with the image of Fox Fire on it vanishing into a cloud of leaves.

_Kitsune Trickery… _he thought. _That could work…_

"Raiji, attack King Dragon with Spirit Lightning!"

The wolf spirit howled, and then blasted electrical bolts at the Dragon lord, blowing it into black motes.

"I'll set this," said Hyde, as he set the Trap, and end my turn.

_If he attacks one of my Zombies, _he thought, _Kitsune Trickery can not only protect it, but send another Zombie from my deck to the Graveyard… And I've got quite a few that would be useful there…_

**(A: 2,350) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 5,550)**

Andy drew.

Then his face lit up again.

"I sacrifice Des Volstgalph…" he said.

The large Dragon disappeared.

Then Admiral Bobbery appeared in its place. (2,200 ATK)

"Eh?" said Hyde.

Then Bobbery exploded, blowing Raiji to pieces and throwing Hyde on his back.

"Man…" said Francesca. "I wonder if I'll _ever _get used to that…"

"We're using Monsters that are bombs now?" asked Hyde, holding his head.

"Uh, not exactly the first one…" replied Stan. "You've got Jigen Bakudan, Blast Sphere, Adhesive Explosive…"

"Good point…" muttered Hyde, as he slowly got up.

"It's your move…" said Andy.

Hyde drew, and looked at one card in his hand: a Monster with 1,200 Attack Points called Onmoraki.

_Should I go with this? _he thought. _Kind of weak…_

He looked at the Trap Card he had just drawn. Then he chose another Monster.

_Maybe a better idea would be to wait until I can bring out something better…_

He set the Monster and the Trap Card, and both appeared in front of him.

"That's my turn…" he said.

Andy drew a card. He held out his hand, and pixels of energy coalesced, forming into Bobbery. (2,200 ATK)

Then his Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, lifted up. King Dragun appeared again in an explosion of flames. (2,400 ATK)

"I use King Dragun's effect to summon Tyrant Dragon!" he shouted, as the huge Dragon appeared with a loud roar. (2,900 ATK)

Right now, Hyde was _very _glad he had decided not to summon Onmoraki…

"Bobbery, get that Monster!" shouted Andy, as the Admiral hopped towards the facedown Monster.

The strange Monster appeared briefly right before an explosion blew it to bits.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Forgive me if I'm wrong… but… Was that an _umbrella?" _

"It was a Karakasa," said Hyde. "It was a type of Yōkai called a Tsukumogami, spirits that inhabit and possess objects. In the case of Karakasa, they possess umbrellas.

"Its effect activates when it's destroyed, letting me take two more Karakasa and set them in Defense Mode."

Two more set Monsters appeared in front of him.

"Well, my Tyrant Dragon will just have to handle them…" said Andy. "Imperial Inferno!"

Tyrant Dragon breathed fire, burning the second possessed bumbershoot to ashes.

"Now I'll use its effect to attack a second Monster!"

It roared again, and a second wave of flames incinerated the last evil umbrella.

"Now King Dragun attacks directly! Ready or not!"

Fortunately for Hyde, he seemed to be ready. He had managed to brace himself about the time when Tyrant Dragon had made its first attack. Not that it made King Dragun's Twilight burn any more pleasant.

**(A: 2,350) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 3,150)**

"And that's all…" said Andy.

Hyde drew a card.

He put it aside, and one of his two set cards lifted up.

"I really should thank you," he said. "You see, with no Monsters on my field now, I can use Haunted Shrine to Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard…"

The chilling wind blew across the field again, and the coldly beautiful Yuki-Ona appeared. (1,000 ATK)

'I should probably add that she has an effect that I can use when she's Special Summoned. I can Special Summon another Zombie from my Graveyard…"

Crow Tengu appeared again. (1,400 ATK)

"That guy's effect isn't going to work this time," said Andy. "King Dragun's effect protects him and all other Dragons."

"But not _that _guy," replied Hyde, pointing to Bobbery.

"Damn…" said Andy.

Bobbery burst into shards.

_My fault… _thought Andy. _Been using a deck full of Dragons for so long, I'm not used to using any other Types…_

"I'll Tune together Yuki-Ona and Crow Tengu…" said Hyde, as the two Monsters flew into the night sky.

**(*2 + *4 = *6)**

"To Synchro Summon my favorite Monster! I summon… Inugami!"

There was a low howl, and another bestial Yōkai appeared. This one was a spooky, silver, ghost dog, with a large scarf around its neck with kanji written on it. (It was the symbol for "loyalty", but Andy didn't know that.) It had a sheathed katana strapped to its back. (2,600 ATK)

"Uh…" said Andy, looking at it.

"You'll be glad to know," said Hyde, "that you won't be seeing Crow Tengu again… Most likely… Because I summoned it with Yuki-Ona's effect, it has now been banished.

"Anyway… before Inugami he struts his stuff, I'm also going to summon Tanuki Spirit."

He played a card, and the Yōkai that appeared this time was actually kind of cute. It was a large raccoon dog with a collar around its neck and three golden bells attached to the collar. (500 ATK)

"Next, I'll Equip Tanuki Spirit to Inugami," said Hyde, as the small Zombie turned into a ghostly mist. It flew into the wolf-like creature, who glowed with an eerie light. (3,100 ATK)

"A Union Monster?" asked Andy.

"Exactly," replied Hyde. "Now Inugami will attack King Dragun! Spectral Howl!"

The wolf-spirit let out a low howl that made Andy's blood run cold. King Dragun strained, and then shattered.

"And because it was Equipped with Tanuki Spirit, I can destroy one card in your hand or from your deck…" continued Hyde.

Andy looked at the last card in his hand, and it shattered.

"Now I'll use Inugamai's effect," continued Hyde.

Another card fell out of his discard slot (this time it was Gozuki).

"By banishing another Zombie from my Graveyard," he said, "I can activate one of its two effects, and destroy one of your face-up Monsters."

Andy grit his teeth as Tyrant Dragon burst.

"And that will end my turn…"

**(A: 1,450) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 3,150)**

"This is not good…" said Francesca.

"I'd say it passed 'not good' a few turns ago," replied Stan. "It's gone past terrible and close to abysmal."

"Guys, I'm right here you know?" said Andy.

He made a draw.

"And hey… It's not over yet!"

He played the card, and the Pot of Avarice appeared. He quickly took Masked Dragon, King Dragun, Bobbery, Koops, and Twin-Headed Behemoth, and added them to his deck. He shuffled, and made two draws.

"I'll set these…" he said, setting both cards and causing a reversed Monster and a reversed card behind it to appear, "and then you go."

"All right…" said Hyde, as he drew a card.

"I'm using Inugami's _other _effect this time… By taking two of my banished Zombies and returning them to my deck, it can blow all Spell and Trap Cards off the field!"

Inugami howled again…

"I chain-activate Dust Tornado!" shouted Andy, as his Trap Card lifted up. "And my target is… Tanuki Spirit!"

The furious wind blew across the field. A spiritual Tanuki Spirit briefly appeared, struggling against the gale, and then shattered. Inugami fell to 2,600 Attack Points.

"Seems the only card your Monster's effect hit was your own," said Andy, as Hyde's Trap Card reappeared in his hand.

"Well, fine…" said Hyde, "I'll just reset it…"

He threw the card back into his Disk, and it appeared set again.

"…and then I'll summon Onmoraki."

He played the card, and an ugly, black crane with flames on its head appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Let's see just how tough that Monster is," he said. "Attack!"

The ugly bird launched a cone of fire at the card. Masked Dragon appeared sitting on it, and shattered.

"Not tough at all, really…" said Andy. "Fortunately, I sent another one to my deck when I used Pot of Avarice…"

Another Masked Dragon appeared in place of the first.

Hyde closed his eyes. Then he chuckled a little bit.

"You just never give up, do you?" he asked.

Inugami howled once again, and the Masked Dragon was blown to pieces. Ancient Dragon rose in its place. (1,400 ATK)

"Not very smart…" said Hyde. "You don't have a third one?"

"Well, yeah, I do…" said Andy. "It's really all or nothing at this point, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess so…" replied Hyde. "So then, it's your move…"

"Andy was lucky…" said Stan. "Inugami used its second effect, so Hyde couldn't use the first one."

_True… _thought Andy, as he looked at his deck. _But… I'm dead meat unless this card is a good one…_

He made a draw.

"I use Sweet Feast!" he exclaimed. "Now I get to make five draws!"

He drew five times.

"But I take 400 points of damage for each one that I can't actually use this turn…

"But that's not gonna happen… Here's the first one… Stamping Destruction!"

He played the Spell Card, and Ancient Dragon slammed its foot down, smashing Kitsune Trickery to bits. Hyde grunted.

"Now, for my big surprise…" he said, "I sacrifice Ancient Dragon…"

The golden Dragon vanished, and a powerful wind started blowing around the field.

"I summon… _Strong Wind Dragon_!"

The wind got fiercer, and a large, green-scaled Dragon standing on its hind legs appeared. It looked at Inugami with feral, reptilian eyes. (2,400 ATK)

"And due to its effect, it gains Attack Points equal to half the Attack Points of the Monster I sacrificed to summon it."

(3,200 ATK)

"Oh… Crap…" said Hyde.

"It's just gonna get worse…" said Andy, as he took a Spell Card from his hand. "I play… Monster Reborn!"

The glowing ankh appeared, and with a loud cry, Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared. (2,400 ATK)

"Hold on…" said Hyde. "When did I send _that _to your Graveyard?"

"Think about it…" said Andy, with a sly smirk.

"Uh…" said Hyde.

Then it hit him.

"_And because it was Equipped with Tanuki Spirit, I can destroy one card in your hand or from your deck…"_

"Oh… yeah…" he said.

"And now I'll play Polymerization!" shouted Andy.

He played the card, and Goddess With the Third Eye appeared. She and Red Eyes turned into spiraling orbs of light and darkness that flew into the sky.

The night sky turned red, and Meteor Black Dragon descended. (3,500 ATK)

"Crap… again…" said Hyde.

"Let's start with the small one," said Andy. "Strong Wind Dragon…"

The Dragon took a deep breath.

"Take it down with Strong Hurricane!"

The Dragon blasted a force of wind from its jaws that hit Onmoraki like a hammer, blasting it out of the sky.

"GAH!" shouted Hyde.

"Now for the bigger one…" said Andy.

The fused Beast fired its lethal stream of fireballs, blowing the Yōkai Synchro out of existence, knocking the Yōkai Duelist on his back and down for the ten-count.

**(A: 1,450) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 0)**

Andy took a deep breath as his Dragons slowly vanished.

"Whoa, Andy…" said Francesca. "That was…"

"Lucky…" said Andy, as he looked at the Sweet Feast card. "And I'm worried…

"I've lucked out so many times… How much luck can I have left?"

"Hopefully, a lot…" said Hyde.

He tossed a Crystal Card to Andy.

"Use it well, okay?" he said.

Andy looked at him strangely. He didn't say anything else so he, Stan, and Francesca slowly backed away.

Hyde watched them leave, and as he did, he slowly took another cigarette out of the pack in his shirt pocket, lighting it with a lighter.

_I didn't want to worry them… _he thought, _but I can tell that this is more than just a tournament…_

_The Shadow Queen is waiting behind those doors, and whoever gets through has to stop her… If not me, then someone else…_

_Because if she escapes… Smoking is going to be the least of my problems…_

**0000000000**

"Well," said Andy, as he held the eight Cards in his hand. "I'm waiting…"

Then, once again, they flew out of his hand. The same display happened again, and again, the Shadow Queen's voice spoke.

"_Congratulations, contestant!" _she said. _"You have completed the first leg on your quest in the journey to greatness on Arcadia."_

"Yeah, yeah…" said Andy. "Hear it before, get to the point…"

"_Your next goal is to find the Ruby Star and wrest it from its Guardian," _continued the Queen.

"_I don't know if you've been to Glitzville yet, but that is your destination now. Once you're there, go to the arena and talk to Jolene. She'll tell you what to do."_

"Not THAT again!" groaned Andy. "I swear she did that on purpose…"

A card appeared, and lowered into Andy's hand. Again, it was Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

"_Use it whenever you are ready…" _she continued._ "Be warned, however, you only have one chance._

"_Good luck…"_

"Well…" sighed Andy. "Let's get this over with…"

He fit the card into his Disk, and the weird machine appeared, along with the portal.

The three teenagers walked through.

**0000000000**

**CROW TENGU (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Wind/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, destroy 1 Monster your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

**GOZUKI (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,700ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn, you can select 1 Zombie-Type Monster in your deck and send it to your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**O****NAGAKOKUBA**** (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,700ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn, you can send 1 Zombie-Type Monster from your hand to the Graveyard to increase the ATK of this card by 500.

**0000000000**

**ONMORAKI (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Fire/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, draw 1 card.

**0000000000**

**HAUNTED SHRINE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Two howling ghosts flying out of a shrine in a dark woods.

**Card Description: **Activate when you control no Monsters. Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard.

_Note: The proceeding four cards were all used by Misawa at various times in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**KARAKASA (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Wind/Effect/Lvl4/800ATK/0DEF**

**Effect:** When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, you can Special Summon any number of "Karakasa" from your hand or deck in face-down Defense Position

**0000000000**

**YUKI-ONNA (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Tuner/Effect/Lvl2/1,000ATK/0DEF**

**Effect:** When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, you may Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard, except a "Yuki-Onna". A Monster Special Summoned with this effect cannot be Tributed and cannot declare an attack. If the Special Summoned Monster is removed from the field, banish it. During the End Phase of the turn where a Monster is Special Summoned by this effect, banish the Special Summoned Monster.

**0000000000**

**SAMEBITO (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Effect/Lvl6/1,900ATK/1,600DEF**

**Effect:** When a Zombie-Type Monster you control is destroyed by a card effect, you may Special Summon this card from your Graveyard by banishing 1 other Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned this way, this card gains the following effects:

* This card gains 600 ATK. When this card is destroyed, banish this card.

**0000000000**

**RAIJI (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Light/Effect/Lvl8/2,600ATK/2,100DEF**

**Effect:** When two or more Zombie-Type Monsters you control are destroyed in the same turn, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

**0000000000**

**TANUKI SPIRIT (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Earth/Union/Effect/Lvl2/500ATK/400DEF**

**Effect:** Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this Monster on the field you can Equip it to one Zombie-Type Monster you control as an Equip Spell card, OR unequip the Union Equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. When Equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, that Monster gains 500 ATK and DEF. When the Equipped Monster destroys a Monster in battle, your opponent must discard one card from the top of their deck or from their hand. (The controller of this card chooses which.) (A Monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped Monster would be destroyed, this card is destroyed instead.)

**0000000000**

**BLUE OGRE (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Fire/Synchro/Effect/Lvl8/2,750ATK/2,000DEF**

_Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Zombie-Type Monsters_

**Effect:** This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Synchro Summon. When this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle, inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent times the Level of the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

**INUGAMI**** (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Earth/Synchro/Effect/Lvl6/2,600ATK/1,250DEF**

_Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Zombie-Type Monsters_

**Effect:** This card can only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck. Once per turn, you may activate 1 of the following effects:

* Banish 1 Zombie type Monster in your Graveyard. Destroy 1 face up Monster.

* Select 2 of your Zombie-Type Monsters that have been banished and return them to your deck. Return all Spells and Trap Cards to their owners' hands.

**0000000000**

**INARI'S CHARITY (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Two beautiful fox maidens dressed in kimonos (one green, the other orange) wrapping their arms around a nervous duelist.

**Card Description:** When a Zombie-Type Monster you control is destroyed, place 1 Yōkai Counter on this card (Max: 2). During your Main Phase, by sending this card from your side of the field to the Graveyard, you may draw 1 card for each Yōkai Counters this card had. Then banish the same number of cards from the top of your deck.

**0000000000**

**KITSUNE TRICKERY (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image:** A small Fox Fire vanishing in a cloud of leaves.

**Card Description**: This card can only be activated when a Zombie-Type Monster would be destroyed as a result of battle. Negate that Monster's destruction (battle damage still applies). Then, send one Zombie-type Monster card in your deck to the Graveyard.

_The proceeding nine cards were all created by Lux-Nero and first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Risen Nemesis"._

_And special thanks to Lux for allowing the use of its protagonist, Hyde Vayne. Wonder if we'll see him again?_

**0000000000**

_**Seems like it's back to the city of sin in the sky for one more duel before our heroes can challenge the Palace of Shadow… What will it hold this time?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Andy: Most of the time, it's been easy to tell whether someone I'm dueling is working for the Shadow Queen or not… But this time, it's really hard to tell.**_

_**Sure, he's big, mean, intimidating, and talks like a maniac… But the thing is… He's a professional wrestler. That sort of behavior is kind of in his job description. **_

_**Anyway… If I have one thing in my favor, it's that we're playing my game, not his. Still, I'd be a fool to think that the Shadow Queen isn't involved with this at all. Even if she's the one who ultimately signs his paycheck, a lot is on the line for me here.**_

_**This chapter could only be called "Battle Mania", and it's coming soon. **_


	35. Battle Mania

_**Why is professional wrestling as popular as it is? There are very few people these days that don't realize that the fights are choreographed. I know a few people who say they like to watch it for the laughs. These are the same type of folks who say that they like to read **_**Playboy **_**for the interviews.**_

_**Here's the more likely reason for the allure of the genre: It's popular **_**because **_**it's fake. Folks get turned on by displays of senseless violence, and because it isn't real, the fans feel a little less guilty about enjoying it. Maybe that's the whole reasoning behind folks who promote it. **_

_**The problem is, it isn't as fake as one might believe. Yeah, the fights are all scripted, but when a wrestler picks up his opponent and throws him, he's **_**really **_**picking him up and throwing him. That can **_**hurt.**_** There have indeed been documented cases where wrestlers have actually been injured or even killed in the profession. Mick Foley (known as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind during different points of his long career) could have told you that; he wrote a book about his experiences. **_

_**Which is kind of why I'm glad this is Duel Monsters… There isn't much chance of a lasting injury here…**_

…_**maybe…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-FIVE**

**0000000000**

**Battle Mania**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The three teenagers stepped out of the portal, into the bright and gaudy lights of Glitzville. It was all that they remembered it, and they still didn't like it much.

"Well," said Andy, as they looked towards the large arena, which was pretty much visible from every part of the city, "it's only a short walk… We can…"

"FRANCESCA!" shouted a voice.

The three of them spun around to see a horribly familiar figure clothed in black with a mask leap down from a building above.

"Yuki!" screamed Francesca.

Yumi drew a katana blade from her belt, and glared at Francesca.

"It's over this time, Francesca," she said, grimly. "This time, you die…"

"Yuki, please!" pleaded Francesca. "Get ahold of yourself! You…"

Yuki stared her directly in the eye….

Then she closed her eyes and started giggling. Then laughing. Then she lowered the sword and took the mask off. The sigil that Merlow had put on her forehead was still in plain sight.

"You actually believed me!" she laughed. "Oh, you should have seen the look on your face!"

Francesca sighed and covered her head with her hand.

"Not funny, Yuki…" she said.

Stan shook his head.

"So what have you been up to while we've been gone?" he asked.

"Thinking mostly," replied Yuki. "Mostly wondering if there are any job opportunities back in the States for someone who was given a crash course in _Shinobi_…"

"I dunno…" said Andy. "Given the nature of the style, 'assassin' is the only one I can think of…"

"That's the problem…" sighed Yuki. "On the plus side, I have managed to score a few tickets to some major Glitz Pit events. Even one with Rawk Hawk…"

"Yeah, you mentioned that guy once or twice…" said Andy. "What's he like, exactly?"

"Ever watch professional wrestling?" asked Yuki. "If you have, then you have a pretty good idea what he's like."

"Yeah, well, I have to get to go to that place again and talk to Jolene…" said Andy. "I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to have to wear that dumb costume again before the night is over…

**0000000000**

Speaking of Jolene…

It was unusual for her to drink coffee at four in the afternoon, but she was on her third cup at the moment. She was very nervous.

She had also heard that six Crystal Cards had been claimed, and feared that very soon, her usefulness to the Shadow Queen would be at an end.

The door opened, and a man in a suit entered.

"Ma'am?" he said. "Mr. Markova is here… It's about the Ruby Star…"

Jolene let out a long sigh.

"I guess there's no stopping it…" she said. "Send him it…"

"Uh, ma'am…" said the man. "If I may make a suggestion… Aren't you designated by the Arcadian Parliament as an ambassador?"

"Yeah…" said Jolene.

"Couldn't you just…" said the aide, "you know, leave Arcadia and not come back? Ask some place for asylum?"

"Please, it would never work…" sighed Jolene. "The Queen's minions would find me and drag me back here.

"There isn't a waitress, cab driver, or bellhop in the world who wouldn't rat on me…"

"How come?" asked the aide.

"I under-tip," replied Jolene.

The aide sighed, and turned around.

"Come in," he said.

Andy walked in, followed by Francesca, Stan, and Yuki. Jolene made a nervous smile.

"You can't imagine how glad I am to see you again!" she said, standing up. "This time, I'm _not _going to have to refund the tickets!"

"I assume I'm dueling in front of an audience again?" asked Andy.

"That's right…" said Jolene.

She opened the closet.

"And once word spreads that the duelist who beat Tyson's ass is going to be dueling the Glitz Pit champion, I can almost guarantee a capacity crowd."

She took a box down from the top.

"I saved this just for this occasion…"

Andy rolled his eyes… The costume again.

"The Glitz Pit champion?" he asked. "Rawk Hawk?"

"Yep," said Jolene. "Usually, he's a wrestler… Duel Monsters is just a hobby that he happens to be very good at."

She handed him the box.

"The main event will be at nine. In the meantime, you and your friends can help yourselves to the buffet in the green room…"

As they left, Jolene collapsed in her chair.

She took her cellphone from her pocket, and clicked onto the note page where her list of appointments was written down.

Unless the main event lasted _very _long, she would likely still be able to get there…

**0000000000**

Meanwhile… Another battle for another Crystal Star was underway.

Drake's instructions for finding the Diamond Star had taken him to the Great Tree. Then told him where to go, and find someone named Petey Piranha. He had no idea who _that _was, but the directions took him to an out-of-the-way part of the Boggly Woods, where the cute Beast-Type Duel Spirits were replaced by not-so-cute Plant-Type ones, like Darkworld Thorns and Man-Eating Plants. They didn't bother him, however…

The reason why became obvious when he entered a large clearing and found out who – or rather _what_ – Petey Piranha was. It seemed to be a huge carnivorous plant; the best thing he could compare it to was Audrey II from _Little Shop of Horrors. _Whether it was capable of speech, he didn't know… All it made was a deep, throaty laugh.

Still, it did seem able to duel, and quickly initiated one…

**0000000000**

At the moment, things seemed to be looking up for Drake, sort of…

**(Drake: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Petey: 6,100)**

Despite the fact that he had less Life Points, he had D.D. Survivor (1,800 ATK) and one set card in his Spell Zone, while his opponent had nothing.

The huge flytrap chuckled, and a new card materialized in front of its other ones. This was how it drew cards from its unseen deck, apparently.

Then it played one, and a small plant with fiery red leaves and a spherical pod appeared in front of it. (500 ATK)

_CRUD! _thought Drake. _Lonefire Blossom… There's only one reason why anyone uses that Monster…_

Clearly, his assumption was right on the money, because the Blossom vanished, and a _huge _flower burst out of the ground. The blossom opened, and he was staring eye-to-eye with one of the most powerful Plant-Type Monsters in the game: the beautiful-but-deadly Tytannial, Princess of Camellias. (2,800 ATK)

She smiled sweetly at Drake… Then two thorny tentacles shot at D.D. Survivor, wrapping around the Warrior and crushing the life out of him.

"Well, so much for that guy…" sighed Drake.

Petey growled a little.

**(D: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,100)**

"I take it that means you want me to move…" said Drake, as he drew a card.

He fit two more cards into his Spell Zone, and two more face-down cards appeared.

"That should do it…" he said.

Petey burst out laughing as it drew a new card. One of its cards in front of it vanished, and a new Plant Monster appeared, a young girl covered with leaves, with a ponytail resembling a pitcher plant. (1,300 ATK)

_Botanical Girl… _thought Drake. _I know what he's up to…_

Petey pointed and Tytannial's vines shot at Drake this time…

"I activate… Dimensional Prison!" shouted Drake, as one of his three cards shot up.

Petey laughed again, and Botanical Girl vanished. The Trap Card shattered. Another card materialized in front of Petey.

"Sucker!" laughed Drake. "You used Tytannial's effect and sacrificed that Plant to negate my Trap…

"Now negate _this _if you want, but you'll have to sacrifice Tytannial herself to do it…"

Another face-down card lifted up.

"Rush Recklessly! Now I can increase the Attack Score of any Monster on the field by 700 points!"

He pointed to Tytannial, and a look of confusion appeared on what passed for Petey's face as her Attack Score rose to 3,500 and her vines hit Drake with the force of a hammer, knocking him over.

**(D: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,100)**

Drake pulled himself up on his hands and knees with a painful smile…

"Just… what I… needed…" he said.

His last face-down card lifted up.

"I use Inferno Tempest!" he shouted. "Because I took at least 3,000 points of damage from one attack, _all _Monsters in our decks and Graveyards are now banished."

The confusion on Petey's face now turned into shock.

"And now, it's my move…" said Drake, as he stood up.

He drew a card. Then he played a Spell Card.

"Because at least seven of my cards have been banished, I can use Chaos End to destroy all Monsters on the field!"

Tytannial shattered into mote shards.

"Then I'll play Fiend's Sanctuary!" he shouted, as he played another card, "and summon a Metal Fiend Token!"

The small metal stickman materialized. (0 ATK)

"Then, I'll sacrifice it…" he said, as it vanished. "I've got one Monster left, and here it comes… Golden Homunculus!"

There was a shimmering aura of pure gold, and a huge, hulking golem that seemed to be _made _of gold that was just as big as Petey loomed in front of Drake. (1,500 ATK)

"This big guy gains 300 Attack Points for each one of my cards that was banished," said Drake. "And because I just banished nineteen Monsters thanks to that Spell Card, he gains…

"Well… A_ lot_…"

(7,200 ATK)

"Attack directly with Gold Rush!" shouted Drake.

For a Monster so big, Golden Homunculus moved very fast, and slugged the huge plant in the stomach…

**(D: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 0)**

As Petey fell backwards from the punch, it literally coughed up a large gem. Drake caught it, and looked at it… Clearly it was the Diamond Star.

Petey was out cold. Drake didn't wait to see if the monstrous plant was going to get up or not. He turned tail and ran from the clearing without looking back.

**0000000000**

As the clock neared nine o'clock, Andy peaked out from where he was waiting to be introduced.

Clearly, it _was _a packed house. If he lost here, not only would the Queen probably do away with him, but it would be an embarrassment like none other.

His two allies had front-row seats, as did Yuki. A fourth seat near them was empty, presumably for Jolene.

He was wearing the awful costume again. He wondered again how the real Lord of Dragons could wear something like this.

"Come to think of it…" he muttered, "where do dark sorcerers and super-villains get their costumes? I mean, folks like Dr. Doom, I can understand they build armored suits themselves… But it's hard to believe that the guys that fight Spider-Man and Batman ALL know how to sew.

"Even harder to believe that there are tailors in comic book realities that cater exclusively to super-villains."

Koops and Bobbery appeared next to him.

"Don't dwell on it too much, lad," said Bobbery. "You start to dwell on one thing that doesn't make sense, you'll eventually question more things that don't make sense, and eventually, almost everything you see becomes confusing."

"Yeah…" said Koops. "Take a tip from Lewis Carroll… Be willing to believe impossible things…

"I mean, you thought that everything pretty much everything on Arcadia was impossible up until a week ago, right?

"Uh, I think that made sense… Kind of…"

"What you guys are trying to tell me," said Andy, "I should just concentrate on the matter at hand, right?"

"Exactly," said Bobbery. "We've come very far, and we're almost there!"

"That's usually the time when the ground gives way under your feet…" replied Andy.

Then the lights in the arena darkened, and music started to play. The music was "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

"How appropriate," said Andy. "Looks like it's showtime…"

A spotlight fell on the ring, and Jolene appeared on it.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" she announced. "It my pleasure to welcome you to the battle for one of the last…"

Then she paused. She tapped the earpiece on her ear.

"I stand corrected!" she said. "I welcome you to the match that may decide the _very _last finalist for the Thousand Year Door Tournament!"

"Did you hear that?" gasped Francesca. "The Ruby Star must be the last one left…"

"Making his triumphant return to the Glitz Pit…" continued Jolene. "I am pleased to welcome once again… Markova the Dragon Master!"

As Andy walked towards the ring, the crowd took note. Clearly, far more people cheered than they did the last time he was here.

"I'm guessing that a lot of folks here saw the duel with Tyson," said Stan.

Andy fidgeted as he climbed into the ring.

_I've got a bad feeling about this… _he thought.

"And now…" said Jolene. "The reigning champion of the Glitz Pit… The guy who invented many moves that later had to be outlawed…"

"And that's a _good _thing?" asked Francesca.

"…the winner of several…" continued Jolene.

"Oh, just introduce me already!" shouted an amplified voice.

Jolene sighed.

"It's Rawk Hawk, everyone!" she said.

As more people cheered, Andy watched his opponent walk towards the ring as even more lively music played. Yuki was right. The guy pretty much looked like you'd imagine the typical pro wrestler. He stood six-foot-eight, was very muscular, with long, blonde hair, and wearing a very loud outfit consisting of a vest, shorts, boots, and fingerless gloves (all of them gold except the gloves). A pair of fancy shades rounded out the ensemble.

_Talk about a ham, _thought Andy, as Rawk entered the ring.

The wrestler took off his sunglasses and looked at Andy.

"Nice monkey suit," he said. "Where'd you get it, K-Mart?"

"You should talk, fellah," said Andy.

"Yeah, step right up, chump!" said Rawk.

He lifted his left arm, which had a custom-made, oversized Duel Disk on it.

"I'm gonna smash you flatter than a freckle! Hit you so hard that your grandchildren will be feeling it!"

"Just don't get carried away, Rawk," said Jolene, lowering her voice. "Don't forget, this has quite a few more rules than what you're used to…"

Rawk growled a little, as Jolene moved to the edge of the ring.

"All right folks," she said. "This may be the final battle of the Tournament peliminaries, so let's make it count!

"Begin!"

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Rawk Hawk: 8,000)**

"Seniority rules around here, chump," said Rawk, "I'm goin' first…

"So prepare to be RAWKED!"

He punctuated the sentence by dramatically making his first draw. Then he took a card from his hand, and set it on his Disk. A reversed Monster appeared.

_Odd… _thought Andy. _This guy didn't strike me as the type who would play defensively…_

"Let's see what you've got," said Rawk. "Bring it on!"

"Oh, you bet I will," said Andy, as he made a draw. "I summon Ancient Dragon!"

He played the card and the beautiful golden Dragon rose onto the field. (1,400 ATK) Rawk looked at it with a smug look.

"I've flushed scarier things down the toilet," he said.

"I'll show you," said Andy. "Attack with Scorching Ray!"

Ancient Dragon blasted its lethal bolt… However, the defending Monster on the card was a muscular man with rocky skin and wild hair and a beard dressed in a martial arts _gi. _The energy beam just bounced off. (1,800 ATK)

"Sucker," said Rawk. "That's my Legendary Jujitsu Master. And not only is he too tough for your Dragon to crack, but because he was in Defense Mode, your Dragon goes to the top of your deck."

Andy's eyes opened wide as the Dragon vanished.

_Seems this guy is a little smarter than I gave him credit for… _he thought.

"I'll throw this face-down and end my turn…" he said, as a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone.

**(A: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 8,000)**

"Enough defending…" said Rawk, as he drew a new card. "Think I'll let Legendary Jujitsu Master really strut his stuff…"

The Rock Monster stood up and formed a fighting stance. (1,300 ATK)

"Think I'll let my Des Kangaroo join in too," he said, as he played another card.

A scrappy-looking kangaroo with green fur wearing a purple vest, red sneakers, and boxing gloves appeared. It looked at Andy and put up its dukes. (1,500 ATK)

"Let him have it, boys!" shouted Rawk. "Des Kangaroo, you first! Outback Uppercut!"

The marsupial hopped towards Andy, and hit him hard in the chin. Andy grunted a little, but it didn't seem to hurt as much as he expected.

_Well, at least it doesn't seem to be a Shadow Duel… _he thought. _Of course, Rawk is the last guy I'd expect to be a sorcerer…_

He grunted again as Legendary Jujitsu Master hit him with a powerful karate chop.

**(A: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 8,000)**

"Andy's off to a bad start…" said Stan.

"Maybe..." said Francesca. "Maybe not… That may have not been the wisest move on Rawk's part…

"Wouldn't it have made more sense to have kept Legendary Jujitsu Master in Defense Mode? In Attack Mode, its rather weak, and can't use its effect…"

_It is kinda weird… _thought Andy.

He drew a card, and looked at Ancient Dragon again.

Then he played the card, and summoned it again. (1,400 ATK)

"Must be summer," chuckled Rawk. "The reruns are starting!"

"Uh, Rawk, it's the middle of July," said Andy. "Of course it's summer."

This elected a few laughs from the crowd, and Rawk was clearly a little upset. Ancient Dragon blasted its bolt of energy, blowing Legendary Jujitsu Master into little pieces of stone.

**(A: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 7,900)**

"Big deal!" shouted Rawk. "You think you can beat me? I eat pieces of garbage like you for breakfast!"

"You eat pieces of garbage for breakfast?" asked Andy, making face.

Then the audience truly started to laugh.

"Come on, Rawk," said Andy, "if you're gonna trash-talk, at least try to make sense…

"It's your move…"

"Smart-ass…" growled Rawk, as he made a draw.

He looked at the female Monster on the card. His hand trembled a little.

_Uh… Think I'll save her for later… _he thought.

"I set a Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared, "then I attack Ancient Dragon with Des Kangaroo!"

"Sorry, but I can't let you this time…" said Andy, as the Beast threw a punch. "I use Draining Shield!"

His Trap Card lifted up, and Des Kangaroo's fist crashed into an invisible force.

"Okay, okay…" said Rawk. "I'll end my turn…"

**(A: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 7,900)**

Andy drew.

"All right!" he shouted. "Get ready for a _real _show, people!

"I'm playing Polymerization to fuse Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok together!"

What seemed to be an exact twin of Andy – in costume, anyway – appeared in front of him, followed by the spiritual Dragon. They disappeared, the Fusion portal opened, and then King Dragun lumbered out. (2,400 ATK)

"Next, I'm going to summon Masked Dragon," continued Andy, as the small Dragon with the metal Mask appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"King Dragun, the kangaroo is yours…" he said. "Twilight Burn!"

The Fusion Dragon blasted its dark spell from its scepter, and the bestial pugilist shattered.

"Aw, man…" said Rawk.

"Masked Dragon, you next…" said Andy.

The Dragon breathed a cloud of flames, and another Beast appeared on the set card. It looked sort of like Des Kangaroo, but with flesh toned skin, wearing a boxer's belt.

"What was _that?" _asked Yuki.

"Kangaroo Champ," replied Jolene. "Unfortunately for Rawk, King Dragun ruined any chance he had to use its effect."

Then Ancient Dragon blasted its white-hot beam, striking Rawk in the chest.

"Is that all you've got?" he cursed.

"Oh, I've got plenty more," said Andy. "For starters, because Ancient Dragon just attacked directly, it gains 500 Attack Points and one Level."

(1,900 ATK)

"And I'll end my turn there…"

**(A: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 5,600)**

"All right, chump, it's my move…" said Rawk, as he made a draw.

"And I'm summoning Karate Man now!"

He played the card, and a tall, dark-skinned man with a large afro haircut and a yellow _gi _appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"I'm starting to see a common trend here…" said Yumi. "Rawk's deck is full of Monsters that use contact sports… Boxing, Jujitsu, Karate… But otherwise, there's very little synergy connecting them. It's almost as if Andy were playing a guy using a Billy Deck."

"Now I use Karate Man's effect," said Rawk, "which lets me double his Attack Score…"

Karate Man sweated and strained and his biceps started to bulge. (2,000 ATK)

"You're really serious?" asked Andy.

"What?" asked Rawk.

"You do realize that Karate Man will be destroyed at the end of your turn because you did that, and then you'll be defenseless. It was a pretty amateurish move…

"I'd say you weren't even trying…"

"What are you implying, you runt?" shouted Rawk. "You think I'm trying to lose on purpose?"

"I don't know, _are _you?" asked Andy.

The remark caused the whole arena to fall into dead silence.

"Seriously, are you?" asked Andy. "I mean, with someone like you, Rawk, losing on purpose is part of your job description sometimes…"

Rawk was about to say something…

Then he stopped. He looked at the other five cards in his hand…

"You don't suppose…" said Stan.

Hawk growled a little. He looked at the female Monster again.

_Screw this… _thought Rawk. _I'm gonna start playing for real…_

_The _last _thing she'd want me to do is wimp out…_

"Karate Man, destroy Ancient Dragon with Savage Chop!"

The martial artist made a leap, and stuck at the much larger creature with his open palm. Ancient Dragon shattered.

"Now, I'll toss three cards face-down," said Rawk, as three set cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then I end my turn. Karate Man, get lost!"

The Warrior shattered.

**(A: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 5,600)**

Andy drew a card.

"I'm using King Dragun's effect," he said, "to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The crowd cheered as the famed Dragon appeared, spreading its wings over the center of the arena. (2,400 ATK)

"And now he attacks you directly! Inferno Fire Blast!"

The stream of super-hot flames honed in on Rawk Hawk, hitting him squarely…

Andy watched as the smoke cleared…

Rawk, however, was smirking, and standing in-between _two _activated Trap Cards.

**(A: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 7,200)**

"You _gained _Life Points?" asked Andy.

"That's right, sucker-chump," said Rawk. "Nutrient Z gave me a charge of 4,000 Life Points right before your attack hit. Better than Gatorade!

"And my Damage Gate lets me summon Des Kangaroo from my Graveyard."

The marsupial boxer hopped onto the field again, and then shielded itself in Defense Mode. (1,700 ATK)

"Yeah?" said Andy. "I have two more Monsters! King Dragun, destroy it!"

The Twilight Burn shot at the Beast, burning it to a crisp.

"I have another Trap!" shouted Rawk, as his third card lifted up. "Broken Blocker. Because my Monster was in Defense Mode and had more Defense Points than Attack Points, I can summon _two _Des Kangaroos!"

Like he said, two more Des Kangaroos materialized to take the place of the first. (1,700 DEF x2)

Andy gave a nervous laugh.

"I'll move Masked Dragon to Defense Mode…" he said, as his smallest Dragon folded its wings (1,100 DEF),

"Then I'll set this…"

A face-down card appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"…and my turn is over."

"Fran, you don't suppose Rawk is going to summon…" asked Stan.

"Master of Oz?" asked Francesca. "It wouldn't surprise me… And if he does, Andy is in _big _trouble. Of all the Monsters that have 4,000 Attack Points or more, that one is likely the easiest one to summon…"

Rawk drew a card. Then he smirked.

"I summon Bull Blader to the field!" he shouted.

It clearly wasn't what Andy had expected. The Monster that appeared was a minotaur-like creature, a humanoid with the head of a bull, armed with a sword. It snorted, blowing steam from its nostrils. (1,600 ATK)

_Three Level 4 Monsters? _thought Andy. _Ho boy…_

"With these three Monsters…" exclaimed Rawk Hawk, as the two Beasts and the Warrior turned into orbs of darkness, "I build the Overlay Network!"

The spiraling vortex appeared.

"I Xyz Summon… _Sumo King Dog!"_

A Beast emerged from the vortex that may not have been Master of Oz, but was just as big. It was a _huge _Doberman about twenty feet tall that looked partially mechanical. It wore something that might have passed for a Sumo's _mawashi, _only around its neck. (2,600 ATK)

"Never really understood Sumo myself…" muttered Rawk. "But I know a good Monster when I see one."

"Yeah, and I see trouble!" said Andy, as his set card lifted up. "I activate Threatening Roar!"

"Sorry, not gonna work!" replied Rawk. "You see, when you activate a Trap Card, all I gotta do is trash one of Sumo King Dog's Overlay Units, and boom!"

Threatening Roar shattered.

"Trap doesn't work! Now flatten King Dragun with Seismic Smasher!"

Sumo King Dog lifted it front paws, and brought them down with such force that the whole arena shook, knocking Andy down and blowing King Dragun apart.

**(A: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 7,200)**

"Ugh…" grunted Andy, as he tried to get up. "Damn costume…"

He pulled himself up.

"Aw, Hell with it!"

He undid the clasp that held the cape in place, and then threw it out of the ring. Then he took off the helmet, and threw that away too.

"You've clearly decided to face me like a true duelist, Rawk…" said Andy. "So I'm going to cut the baloney and do the same."

He put his sunglasses on.

"So… Let's duel for real… I think it's my move…"

He drew a card.

"I'll set this card, and then move Red-Eyes to Defense Mode…"

He fit the card into his Disk, and it appeared set in his Spell Zone. Then Red-Eyes landed and folded its wings. (2,000 DEF)

"It's your move…"

Rawk made a draw.

_About that time… _he thought.

"I'm summoning Glamazon…" he said.

"Who?" said Andy.

The Monster appeared. Rawk had finally summoned the female Monster he had been looking at for several turns. It was a tall, muscular, raven-haired beauty, dressed in a black, leather halter and trunks, both covered with sequins. In other words, she was a typical lady wrestler. (1,600 ATK)

"Come on, Rawk, I thought we were being serious here…" said Andy.

"Watch your tongue!" shouted Rawk.

For the first time, Rawk seemed genuinely angry. He even seemed a little sad.

"This card…" he muttered. "A person who was very, _very _close to me who looked just like her… Gave it me before…

"Oh, I'd rather not talk about it! Sumo King Dog, attack Masked Dragon!"

Again, the huge Beast's shockwave shook the field, and the Fire Dragon was blown apart.

"I summon a second Masked Dragon in Defense Mode!" shouted Andy, as another one appeared. (1,100 DEF)

"Yeah?" said Rawk. "Well, now Glamazon is going to attack your _bigger _Dragon!"

Glamazon smirked at Andy, and then ran towards the defending Red-Eyes.

"What?" said Andy. "Red-Eyes has 2,000 Defense Points!"

The vixen slammed her fist into the Dragon's scaly hide.

"But Glamazon has a special effect," replied Rawk. "When she fights a Monster in Defense Mode that would _appear _to be too strong for her, she not only wins the battle, but _you _take the damage!"

Andy grunted as Red-Eyes turned into small particles of darkness.

"There is one catch, however…" continued Rawk. "She _can't _defeat a defending Monster with a Defense Score that's _less _than her Attack Score."

He paused. He looked at Glamazon sadly, and she looked back at him.

"I end my turn…" he said, morosely.

**(A: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 7,200)**

"Jolene…" said Francesca. "The wrestler he's talking about… Was she…"

"Another one of Tyson's victims?" asked Stan.

"Maria's actually…" sighed Jolene. "Sylvia… She was the best lady wrestler we had, kind of the female equivalent to Rawk in the Glitz Pit… She and Rawk started out having an on-stage faux relationship… But it turned into a _real _relationship.

"The worst part is, she never did anything wrong. What got the Shadow Queen's attention was when Rawk publically said that Sylvia was more beautiful than the Queen…

"She wouldn't stand for that… And apparently, she felt that punishing Sylvia for the insult would hurt Rawk far more than actually punishing him…

"She was right… Ever since then, the only person Rawk hates more than the Queen is himself…"

All this time, the whole crowd had been dead quiet, and Andy had clearly heard them. All of a sudden, he felt awful at the jokes he had made at this guy's expense. Right now, _he _was the one who wanted to lose on purpose.

But he knew he couldn't.

_If I'm going to rescue anyone who the Queen has hurt, _thought Andy, as he drew a card, _including this guy's girlfriend, I have to get to the Thousand Year Door, and to do that, I have to win this duel…_

He looked at the card.

_It's a start, _he thought, _but I can't use it right now…_

"I'm going to pass this turn…" he said. "Your move, Rawk."

"Gladly…" said Rawk.

He drew.

Then Sumo King Dog smashed its fists down for the third time, and the second Masked Dragon was blown to shards.

"Once again, I use Masked Dragon's effect," said Andy, "and this time I'm summoning Spirit Ryu in Defense Mode."

The weird Dragon appeared in an aura of light. (1,000 DEF)

"It only has 1,000 Defense Points," he said, "which means, if what you said is true, Glamazon can't destroy it."

"Yeah, yeah…" replied Rawk. "So it's your move…"

_Okay, need a good one here… _thought Andy.

He drew a card.

Tyrant Dragon.

_That will do!_

"Spirit Ryu, move to Attack Mode!" he shouted

The weird Dragon "stood" up. (1,000 ATK)

"And now… Attack Sumo King Dog!"

"Eh?" said Rawk, as the Dragon opened its jaws.

"When Spirit Ryu attacks a Monster," said Andy, "it gains 1,000 Attack Points for each Dragon I choose to discard…"

He discarded Cave Dragon and Tyrant Dragon, and Spirit Ryu's Attack Score shot up to 3,000 as a bolt of eldritch energy shot at the huge canine. It howled, and then dissolved into formless mist.

"Now that it's gone, I can use this…" said Andy, as his face-down card lifted up.

"Call of the Haunted… However, to Special Summon _this _Dragon from my Graveyard, I have to sacrifice another one."

Spirit Ryu vanished, and Tyrant Dragon appeared over the field with a large roar. (2,900 ATK)

_I hate to do this… _thought Andy, as he looked at Glamazon. _But it's for his own good… And hers too…_

"Attack Glamazon with Imperial Inferno!"

A blast of flame shot from the Dragon's jaws, incinerating the virago. Rawk let out a long sigh.

"Glamazon has one other effect…" he muttered. "When she's defeated, I can get rid of her card, and she leaves one parting gift… I get to make one draw…"

He drew a card.

Tyrant Dragon glared at Rawk.

**(A: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 5,500)**

"My move now…" said Rawk.

He made another draw.

He played it, not saying a word. The Pot of Avarice appeared, and he took all three Des Kangaroos, Kangaroo Champ, and Legendary Jujitsu Master from his Graveyard. He reshuffled his deck and drew twice.

Then he simply set two cards, and a set Monster appeared, then a set card behind it.

He looked at Andy, and then nodded.

Andy drew a card.

_Nice… _he thought. _I drew Mirror Force…_

"I'll set this…" he said, as he set it into his Disk, "and then attack with Tyrant Dragon!"

Tyrant Dragon blasted its flame again. A second Karate Man appeared on the card, and was burned up.

"Thanks!" shouted Rawk.

His Trap Card activated.

"Now I can use The Grave of Enkindling. That means both players are allowed to Special Summon a Monster from the Graveyard in Defense Mode."

Sumo King Dog appeared, in a sitting position. (2,100 DEF) Andy looked at it for a second… Then he took Red-Eyes from his discard slot, and placed it on his Disk. It appeared, folding its wings. (2,000 DEF)

"Why did Rawk do that?" asked Francesca.

"No idea…" replied Stan. "Sumo King Dog isn't much of a threat without any Overlay Units, and because it was summoned with that Trap Card, it has to _stay _in Defense Mode…

"Rawk is up to something, but I'm not sure what…"

"My… move…" said Rawk, as he drew his card.

"And I play The Warrior Returning Alive!"

He took a card from his discard slot.

"You remember my Bull Blader, right?" he said, holding up the card. "Well, I could use this card to destroy Tyrant Dragon, but I have a better idea…

"You like Fusion Monsters, huh?"

He played the card, and a Polymerization card appeared.

"I have a good one that I can summon by fusing Bull Blader and ANY Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type Xyz Monster!" he exclaimed, as Bull Blader and Sumo King Dog were sucked into a dark portal. "You see…"

Then he stopped short. He held his chest, apparently in pain as a flaming portal opened in front of him. There was the sound like the angry snort of a bull, followed by two glowing, evil eyes.

Then Rawk Hawk laughed manically, and _his _eyes started to glow…

"Okay…" said Andy. "This is… unusual…"

"I summon… _Red Brief J!"_ shouted Rawk.

As he said this, a hulking creature walked out of the portal, each step causing flames to rise from its footprints. It was more than seven feet tall, with a four-foot wide chest, and seemed to be all muscle. In general outline, it was a bull-like humanoid, with downward-pointing horns made of steel. True to its name, its only article of clothing was a pair of red shorts.

It looked at Andy, and flames shot from its mouth.

"To get points," said Rawk, in a voice that was much deeper than before, "Red Brief J takes the Attack Score of the Xyz Monster I used, and then adds 1,000…"

(3,600 ATK)

"Attack his Tyrant Dragon with Burning Bull-Charge!"

Red Brief J's attack was not subtle, and made sense when you considered that it was a big bull. It charged head first, leaving a trail of flames in its wake…

"Go, Mirror Force!" shouted Andy, as his Trap Card lifted up.

"Not gonna happen!" shouted Rawk. "By paying 800 Life Points, I can have Red Brief J use whatever effect the Xyz Monster I used to summon it had!"

_Oh come on… _thought Andy.

Mirror Force shattered, and Andy screamed as the attack literally hit like punch to his gut, blowing Tyrant Dragon to smithereens and throwing him against the ropes.

**(A: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 4,700)**

_I only took 700 points of damage… _thought Andy, looking at the huge Beast-Warrior, _but that felt like I took about 3,000!_

_This is no ordinary card!_

"Oh, I was afraid this would happen!" moaned Jolene. "I knew that card would be bad news…"

"Where did he get it?" asked Francesca.

"It was in a letter from someone claiming to be a fan…" sighed Jolene. "Whoever it was didn't sign the note, and there was no return address… It seemed a pretty powerful card, and I had doubts that anyone would send it as an anonymous gift…"

"I take it Rawk isn't very bright?" asked Stan.

"Well," replied Jolene. "He _is_ part of a profession where you tend to take blows to the head a lot…"

Andy got up as Rawk set three reversed cards in his Spell Zone.

_This has taken a bad turn… _thought Andy.

"Make your move if you dare…" goaded Rawk.

Andy drew.

_It's a beginning… _he thought.

He played the card, and _his _Pot of Avarice appeared. He took all three Masked Dragons, King Dragun, and Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and shuffled his deck.

He made two draws. They were Masked Dragon again, and Dragon's Mirror.

He looked at Red Brief J, and then set the Monster. He sighed, and then waved his hand.

Rawk chuckled evilly, and drew a card.

"I activate Xyz Reborn!" he shouted, as one of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"This is really bad…" said Andy, as Sumo King Dog reappeared. (2,600 ATK)

"You like that?" asked Rawk. "Well you're gonna _hate _this… I'm Equipping Fairy Meteor Crush to Red Brief J!"

He played the card, and steam blew from the ogre's nostrils.

"Screw Robert De Niro! I've got a _real _Raging Bull! Red Brief J, destroy his set Monster!"

Red Brief J charged again, and Andy screamed as Masked Dragon was crushed under its hooves.

"I'm still standing…" he said, as he gasped for breath. "And I can still use its effect to summon another Masked Dragon…"

(1,100 DEF)

"Well then…" said Rawk, as another Trap Card lifted up. "I'll just have to activate Desperado Battle! It lets Red Brief J attack a second time, so long as I shave 1,000 points off its Attack Score."

(2,600 ATK)

"You gotta be kidding…" said Andy.

Clearly, he was not, because Red Brief J charged again. Andy screamed again, as the second Masked Dragon was flattened.

Andy's hand shook, as he played a card, and his third Masked Dragon appeared. (1,100 ATK)

"Sumo King Dog, destroy the last one!" shouted Rawk.

The shockwave ripped across the field again, and the last Masked Dragon shattered.

Andy took a deep breath as Divine Dragon Ragnarok appeared in its place. (1,500 ATK)

Rawk made an evil smile.

"Your move…" he said.

**(A: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 4,700)**

Andy's hand quivered as he made a draw.

His eyes opened in fright when he saw what it was.

_Supernova? _he thought. _Good God, I had hoped to test this card before having to bet my life on it…_

Bobbery and Koops appeared next to him.

"So what are you waiting for, lad?" asked Bobbery. "You can summon the Monster you need to use it…"

"Bobbery, wait!" pleaded Koops. "Don't you remember what that spell did to General U'ulgan?"

"Indeed I do…" replied Bobbery. "It took the rest of us three hours to convince you to come out of your shell…"

"People…" whispered Andy. "Rawk has a face-down card… If it's something that he can use to counter this Spell Card, I am dead. D-E-A-D, _dead!"_

"I hate to state the obvious lad," said Bobbery, "but short of surrendering the duel, what other choice do you have?"

"Come to think of it," sighed Koops, "that was kind of the same situation the Three Heroes were in when they went up against U'ulgan… It had reached a point where they had to decide between taking a chance with that, or accepting death…"

Andy let out a long sigh.

"I see your point…" he said.

He took the Dragon's Mirror card, and played it.

"I use Dragon's Mirror, and banish Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Lord of Dragons in my Graveyard…"

The Dragon vanished, and King Dragun appeared once again. (2,400 ATK)

"Not him again!" shouted Rawk.

"Now, I play Supernova!" shouted Andy, playing the Spell Card.

The arena suddenly turned eerily calm…

"Supernova?" said Rawk. "What does _that _do?"

"Supernova doesn't exactly have the power of a of a stellar explosion in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun," said Andy, as a light started to form above the ring, "but it does pack quite a punch.

"To use this card, I have to pay a very heavy cost. I pay all my Life Points except 100 of them, and then sacrifice at least two Monsters that have the same Level, Type, and Attribute…

"It just so happens I have two Level 7 Dark Dragons. I also have to skip my Battle Phase this turn."

King Dragun and Red-Eyes vanished, and the light started to become overpowering.

"What do I get out of this, you ask?" he said. "I get to destroy one Monster for each one I sacrificed, and then dish out damage equal to the combined Attack Scores of the destroyed Monsters!"

"Uh…" said Rawk.

It looked like he was trying to add the Attack Scores of his two Monsters together… But he never got a chance. The overwhelming light filled the whole arena, and an earsplitting scream came from Rawk.

When the light came back, Rawk's two Monsters had been atomized, Rawk himself was out cold, and Andy was down on one knee, taking deep, gasping breaths…

**(A: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (RH: 0)**

Andy looked up, and saw the Red Brief J card lying in the center of the mat…

He slowly reached for it… And then it vanished with a puff of black smoke and a smell of brimstone.

_Weird… _he thought.

Jolene cautiously climbed into the ring, and bent over Rawk. She felt his neck for a pulse.

"Good news, people!" she said. "I think he's gonna be fine…"

Andy breathed a sigh of relief.

_But from now on, _he thought, _he might think twice about accepting anonymous gifts…_

"However…" continued Jolene.

She lifted up Andy's arm.

"We have a new champion… Markova the Dragon Master!"

The crowd started to cheer.

"Thanks Jolene…" he muttered. "But I really think that my smartest option in regards to the Glitz Pit would be early retirement…"

"I kind of think so too…" replied Jolene.

**0000000000**

One hour later…

The moon rose over Petalburg Meadows as Merlow hiked towards Rogueport.

_A car would have paid for itself by now… _he thought. _So much to do now, and I've got to get there quickly…_

"Hello, Merlow, long time no see…"

Merlow froze. The voice had a Germanic accent, and was one he clearly remembered…

He turned around to see a mysterious-looking gentleman standing there. The strange man wore a spotlessly clean and expensive-looking white suit and a top hat, and carried a cane tipped with a large gemstone.

The oddest thing about his clothing was the cloak he wore. The lining looked like a shimmering void of stars. Even stranger was the man's face, which seemed to be a void in the shape of a face, with eyes (a monocle over the left one) and a mouth.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" said the strange man. "Eighteen years, I believe?"

"YOU?" shouted Merlow. "You w-w-were supposed to be d-d-dead!"

"So were you, last I heard," said the strange man. "But on the contrary, I've never felt better."

"W-w-what do you want?" asked Merlow, sounding downright annoyed.

"Cooperation," replied the man. "From you. I know what you're planning to do, Merlow… Well I have big plans now that the finalists have been chosen, and I want you to step aside while I start them…"

"Over my d-d-dead body…" replied Merlow.

"Let's not go _that_ far…" replied the odd man.

He held up his left arm, and a Duel Disk made of jet-black metal appeared on it.

Merlow frowned, and activated _his _Disk…

**0000000000**

**DESPERADO BATTLE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A little kid wearing boxing gear standing up to a tough-looking adult boxer.

**Card Description: **Activate only during your Battle Phase. Select 1 Monster you control that has declared an attack this turn. Reduce that Monster's ATK by 1,000 until the end of the Battle Phase; it may attack 1 more time this Battle Phase.

_Note: "Desperado Battle" was first used by __Chronos__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX episode #167. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SUMO KING DOG (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank 4/2,600ATK/2,100DEF**

_3 Level 4 Monsters_

**Effect: **When your opponent activates a Trap Card, you can detach 1 of this card's Xyz Materials; negate the activation of that Trap Card and destroy it.

_Note: "Sumo King Dog" was first used by Dog-Chan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode #039. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**GLAMAZON (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Level4/1,600ATK/500DEF**

**Effect: **When this card attacks a Defense Position Monster with a DEF lower than this card's ATK, the attack target is not destroyed by battle. When this card attacks a Defense Position Monster with a DEF higher than this card's ATK, battle damage is inflicted to your opponent, and the attack target is destroyed by this card's effect. If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you may banish this card to draw 1 card.

**0000000000**

**RED BRIEF J (Monster Card)**

**Beast-Warrior/Fire/Fusion/Effect/Level8/?ATK/1,000DEF**

"_Bull Blader" + 1 Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type Xyz Monster_

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon, and only by using the above named Fusion Material Monsters. The ATK of this card is equal to the ATK of the Xyz Monster used as a Fusion Material to summon it plus 1000. This card gains any effect that the Xyz Material Monster could use by detaching an Xyz Material; when using such an effect as this card's effect, pay 800 Life Points for every Xyz Material that would be detached when using the Xyz Monster's effect.

_This card was based on a character appearing in _Wario World, _and is copyrighted by Nintendo America. _

**0000000000**

**SUPERNOVA (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon being blasted by burning energy from the heavens.

**Card Description: **Select any number of Monsters you control (except Tokens) that are the same Type, Attribute, and Level. Reduce your Life Points to 100 and Tribute the selected Monsters; destroy 1 opposing Monster for each of your Tributed Monsters and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the combined ATK of the destroyed Monsters. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn.

**0000000000**

_**The curtain falls on Book One, but we're not done by a long shot…**_

_**The Thousand Year Door waits for the eight lucky – or so five of them think – finalists, who are unaware that their quest is far from over. **_

_**This is not the beginning of the fic, and not the end… It's somewhere in the middle…**_

_**Yu-Gi-Oh! The Thousand Year Door resumes when the curtain rises on Book Two, coming soon…**_


	36. The Dark Door

_**In Dante's **_**Divine Comedy, **_**part of the inscription on the entrance to Hell read "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here". **_

_**It may have well said same the thing on the Thousand Year Door… Very little hope remained for those inside it. Most of the folks there were prisoners, **_**including **_**its dark mistress. Should she escape, hope would likely be extinguished in most everyone else in Arcadia.**_

_**Still, a small measure of hope does exist outside the Palace of Shadow… Especially now…**_

_**It's all come full circle, and the time has arrived…**_

**BOOK TWO**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-SIX**

**0000000000**

**The Dark Door**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Midnight.

The first level of the Shadow Queen's prison was likely the least harsh. Prisoners here were only restrained, and were not tortured. The Shadow Queen often kept them in line with threats that they'd be moved to a lower level if they didn't behave.

The demonic jailers here considered guarding the prisoners a mind-numbingly boring job. No prisoner had ever managed to escape from here, and simply watching them was about as interesting to them as watching paint dry. However, the Queen had threatened them with a situation worse than the prisoners on the _fifth _level if they hurt anyone they were responsible for, so they could only hope for promotion to one of the lower levels, where the guards had a far more satisfying – to a demon's standards – job.

This was where the six Shadow Spawn were, still in their cell, still chained to the wall.

All of them but Vladimir were asleep, their dreams full of unsettling nightmares (those threats that the Queen used to keep the other prisoners in line applied to them too). Vladimir was trying his hardest to sleep too…

Then he heard something… A soft voice calling his name…

He opened his eyes, and saw someone walk into the cell… The same strange man who had met Merlow on the road.

This didn't make sense… This man was clearly not one of his mother's jailers or anyone else who was authorized to be here… The thought that someone could have gotten in here unauthorized made even less sense.

He looked around. There were no actual jailers around.

_Likely sleeping on the job… _he thought.

"Hello, Vladimir…" said the man.

"Who are you?" asked the Shadow Spawn of Darkness.

"An enemy of your mother," he replied, "but that doesn't mean you and I have to be foes…"

The man took a single Duel Monsters card out of his cloak. He looked at it, and then placed it in Vladimir's inner jacket pocket.

"What…" said Vladimir.

"We'll get a chance to talk later…" said the man. "I assure you, I'll explain when I have the chance… I simply don't have the chance now…"

Then he simply vanished into a wisp of dark smoke.

Then a very familiar voice shouted "WAKE UP!"

All of the siblings woke up with a start as their mother entered the cell.

"M-mom…" said Melissa.

"Quiet!" ordered the Shadow Queen.

She took a key from her dress, and quickly unlocked the chains holding her. Melissa slumped to the ground and let out a cry of pain as the circulation rushed back through her limbs.

"You're letting us go?" asked Kurtis, as she started to free him too.

"Sure looks that way, doesn't it?" she replied.

Once she had released all of them, she looked at the six of them and crossed her arms.

"Stan, Andy, and Francesca will be here soon…" she said. "I need my best servants in top form… So you all get a second chance… Be glad I'm giving you one…

"Go and get some proper sleep… And try to dream of success…"

They all sighed, and walked out of the cell. Vladimir took the card out of his pocket and looked at it strangely…

**0000000000**

One AM.

Below Rogueport were the sewers… An extensive system built in the late Nineteenth Century, quite a marvel of engineering for a time when even the flush toilet was new. These old drainage systems carried waste through sewage lines and eventually deposited it into the ocean.

These cavernous passageways were dark and foreboding. It was rare that anyone ever came down here; usually the only folks that did were the workers who came when there was a problem with the sewage lines that needed to be addressed, and even then, they tended to do their jobs quickly and leave as soon as possible. Folks couldn't shake the feeling that something unpleasant was living in these very old tunnels.

Through one of the old tunnels, a lone figure cautiously walked, using a flashlight to guide his way.

He found his goal quickly, an unassuming metal door. He knocked on it _once._

A small slot opened and two eyes peered out.

"Glory to Queen Morwel," he said.

There was a click, and the door opened. The doorman – Rawk Hawk, actually, not as identifiable due to the fact that he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans instead of his wrestling costume – let the figure into a lighted room, where it was now obvious that he was Tutankoopa.

He quickly walked to another room where many other people were already gathered: Pennington, Jolene, Ivan, Mad Jack, and General White, among others.

"I'm here folks," he said. "We can…"

Then he let out a cry of shock. He looked at the one who had startled him, the Shy Guy General.

"Must you always wear that stupid mask?" he snapped. "How do I know you're not making a face at me under it?"

"Focus people…" said Jolene. "If we're discovered, our goose is as good as cooked!"

"You're the one who put Rawk in charge of guarding the door," said Mad Jack. "He's not the sharpest tool in the bin… Heck, Vladimir could likely bluff his way by that lug if his only disguise was a gag nose and glasses!"

"Calm down, Jack," said Jolene. "Rawk has no more reason to rat on us than anyone else here, and he promised me ten times that he wouldn't even let his own mother in if she didn't know the password, and even if one of the Queen's servants knew it, he'd never dare say it."

"So are we all here?" asked White.

"Captain Syrup won't be coming," sighed Pennington. "She sent an RSVP wishing us good luck, but saying that she won't risk coming here anymore."

"I don't blame her…" muttered Ivan. "After what happened three weeks ago in Keelhaul Key, I heard that the bounty on her head has doubled."

"So all the regulars are here except Merlow," continued Pennington. "But he called to say he was going to be late and to start without him. But I think someone new is coming."

Then they heard the door close again. Another man walked in. It was Hyde.

"Well, I got here, people…" he said. "Despite the fact that I had no idea why I was invited…"

He looked around.

"And I have to say that when I was told that this was some sort of meeting of insurrection leaders, I had expected a more impressive-looking group…"

"You aren't the first one to say that," said Pennington. "The fact remains that a vital opportunity has arisen.

"The eight finalists are heading for the Thousand Year Door soon, and among them are the three that truly count. The Shadow Queen will likely be far too preoccupied with the matters _inside _the Palace of Shadow to give much attention to the matters on the _outside…_"

"We're going to need more than a few volunteers to make a difference," said Ivan. "We're going to need an army. And in that we're sadly lacking."

Everyone looked at White. He sighed.

"People, as I've said before," he said. "I _probably _still have enough clout in the Arcadian Guard to convince the current leadership to turn against the Shadow Queen if they were assured that she could be beaten…

"The thing is, the Arcadian Guard is a symbolic army at best… You ever hear the old joke about how Imperial Stormtroopers likely all flunked basic marksmanship? The soldiers in the Arcadian Guard rarely even take it.

"The only people in the Guard with any actual military experience in recent years have been me and, at most, five other officers. Arcadia has never had a real army ever since the…"

He shuddered.

"…Company of Malice was banished… Those guys were for offensive maneuvers only, and the Queen has… other ways to defend this place.

"To give an example… During the second World War, Hitler sent some people along with a regiment of troops to 'appraise' the art collections and relics of Arcadia, as they did with many small countries during that time…

"Berlin didn't hear from them until three months later on Christmas, when the Shadow Queen sent the commander's head back to the Führer in a gift-wrapped package, with a holiday greeting and a not-too-subtle hint that she didn't take kindly to thieves. After that, the Third Reich decided to put all projects involving Arcadia on hold."

"If it's an army you need, General White, then we'll have to _build _one," said a voice.

Merlow walked into the room. A bandage was on his forehead, and he looked a little fatigued, but he seemed otherwise okay.

"Merlow, what…" said Mad Jack.

"Never you mind!" replied Merlow. "We have more important things to discuss…

"As I said, if it's an army you need, then we'll have to recruit one, and that's why I invited Mr. Vayne…"

"ME?" gasped Hyde.

"With the eight Crystal Stars claimed, the Queen has no use for the remaining contestants of the Thousand Year Door Tournament," said Merlow. "Very soon, her Duel Spirit minions will begin hunting them for sport. Her officials have already conveniently 'lost' all documents that prove they came here to begin with in case anyone asks about them, so it's safe to assume that she's burning all her bridges at this point.

"They have one advantage… Duel Spirits traditionally use Duel Monsters as a form of combat, but the downside is, they often play for terrible stakes. Alone, the duelists on Arcadia will eventually be overwhelmed… But if we unite them together, we will have an army that stands a chance of bringing Arcadia under our control while the Queen is preoccupied with what happens inside her Palace…

"They're scattered over Arcadia, but getting the message to them all will be easier if I had help…"

Hyde looked at him.

"I'm gonna need a vacation to recover from _this _vacation…" he said with a sigh.

**0000000000**

Andy woke up.

He didn't quite remember falling asleep, nor did he recognize the room he was in.

The Ruby Star was on his bedside table. He picked it up. He vaguely remembered Jolene giving it to him.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Rogueport," said Merlow's voice.

Andy looked up, and saw the old man sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.

"Tell me, Mr. Markova…" he said. "How committed are you to going through with this?"

"Completely…" replied Andy.

Merlow nodded.

"Stan and Francesca said the same thing…" he said. "Once you meet up with them, the innkeeper downstairs will tell you where to go…

"It's time you learned more about what you're up against…"

He got up, and walked out the door.

**0000000000**

"So, uh…" said Stan, as they walked down the street, "what do you think Merlow means by 'more about what we're up against'?"

"Beats me…" sighed Andy. "Why is it that fonts of great wisdom never just come out and tell you the answer? Why do they always have to hide the meaning behind riddles and vague stories?"

"Maybe it's their way of encouraging you to learn on your own…" said Francesca.

They came to the address that the innkeeper had directed them to.

"This…" said Andy. "This is a card store!"

Slowly they opened the door, causing a small bell to ring. As they walked in, a smiling, blonde-haired teenager was behind the counter.

"Uh, hi…" said Andy. "Uh… Merlow sent us…"

The girl's expression quickly turned serious.

"I see…" she said. "Does this Merlow have a card that he's overly fond of?"

"You mean Noble Knight Artorigus?" asked Francesca.

The teenager nodded. She opened a door behind her.

"Just checking," she said. "Follow me…"

Not knowing what else to do, they followed her through the door, which led down a staircase into a basement. Classical music was playing, and the smell of cigarette smoke was in the air.

"Grandma?" said the girl. "Some folks came… Merlow sent them…"

An old woman dressed in an old-fashioned grey dress was sitting on an armchair, listening to a radio. She looked at them, and then took a drag on a cigarette. She coughed slightly.

"I see…" she said. "You can go, Cleo…"

The young girl walked back up the stairs as the old woman looked at them strangely.

"Merlow sent you?" she said with a tired voice. "Then I guess you came to hear the truth about the Shadow Queen..."

"Uhm, I suppose so, Ms..." said Stan.

"Call me Rudwilla," she replied.

Again, she took a drag on the cigarette, and then coughed again. She turned off the radio.

"Ma'am, you really shouldn't smoke..." said Francesca.

"Young lady..." said Rudwilla, "the knowledge I'm about to share could cause me to suffer a far more horrid fate than any that smoking could do.

"You want to hear the truth about the Shadow Queen? If you don't fear knives in the dark, then listen well..."

She paused, possibly waiting to see if they would stay or leave. They clearly weren't going to leave, so she crushed out the cigarette in an ashtray, and went on.

"So many people think that the Shadow Queen simply appeared one day out of a flaming crack that led to Hell," she began, "that she was born evil and was unleashed on the unsuspecting world with murder on her mind…

"No one is ever evil for no reason… Some have poor reasons, some have reasons that make little sense, but no-one ever has _no _reason…

"It was long, long ago... Eleven-hundred years ago, give or take… It started with three siblings and a city whose name has been forgotten... The oldest of the siblings was a girl named Iris, who was no older than you three, and her two younger brothers were named Seth and Lars. They were refugees fleeing from a bloody revolution that had thrown their home into chaos and killed their parents. They arrived in a new land, in this city, starving, malnourished, and with nothing but the moldering clothes on their backs.

"They found little sympathy in this place… The city had been having problems with refugees for a while, and didn't want any more. Trying to beg for food only got them cold glares at best, and even the hospice turned them away.

"Out of desperation, Seth broke into the city's chapel and stole its holy relics, but was caught by the town guard trying to fence them.

"There was no doubt of his guilt, and the magistrate that he was brought before was now in quite a bind. He knew it was Seth's first offense, and he also knew that the siblings were starving. He also knew that they weren't really criminals, just victims of circumstance. But on the other hand, sacrilege was serious in those days, and the populace demanded justice.

"In the end, he chose clemency, and rather than have Seth flogged or worse, sentenced him to one week of hard labor at the House of Punishment. But even this lenient sentence proved too much for Seth's poor health. He died the first night.

"Iris was heartbroken, but the worst was yet to come.

"Some called it fate, a few even called it divine retribution. Most called it a tragedy, but it was nothing compared to what happened when Iris and Lars came to collect Seth's body. Something spooked the draft horse hitched to the wagon holding his coffin. The horse bolted down the road, dragging half the broken wagon behind. Iris managed to jump clear in time, but Lars wasn't so lucky.

"The witnesses could only watch with horror as he was dragged behind and torn apart. It wasn't quick… Only the cruelest would have wished such a fate on anybody…

"Iris's grief turned to rage. It had all been an accident, but she didn't see it that way. She turned to the assembled townsfolk and cursed them, accusing them of having killed her brothers on purpose. Nothing they said could convince her otherwise, not even the now-sympathetic words of the deacon from the chapel that Seth had robbed.

"Iris fled into the forests surrounding the city... And that was the last they saw of her...

"...at least as a human..."

"She became the Shadow Queen, didn't she?" said Andy, gravely.

"The Shadow Queen has never called herself by the name Iris," said Rudwilla. "But one year later, to the day, the Shadow Queen first appeared, leading an army of demons. She didn't even call herself the Shadow Queen at that point... That would come later. But that city was her first target.

"She slaughtered every man, woman, and child... All but one...

"The one survivor was a fifteen-year-old girl named Basil. She hid in a garbage bin, and miraculously went unnoticed. At one point, she dared to peak from her hiding place and saw the commander of the dark army. At first, she had no idea who this wicked sorceress was...

"But then, the clouds parted and the light of the moon shone... For one brief instant, Basil saw the woman in just the right light, at a certain angle... And her resemblance to the refugee who had cursed the city for the loss of her brothers could not be denied..."

Rudwilla paused for a minute. Then she went on.

"Basil had no idea how the starving beggar had become a powerful dark sorceress, but there was no way to find out. She was a smart girl, and realized her life was in danger. She knew that Iris' thirst for revenge would likely not be slaked until every citizen lay dead.

"So when the coast was clear, she ran, and ran for three days nonstop. Exhaustion forced her to stop at a town on the third day, and they fed her and took her in, but she didn't breathe a word about the fate that had befallen her city. Once she got her strength back she fled in the dead of night, hoping to spare this town the same fate.

"She ran from town to town in this way, for three months. During this time, news of the dark sorceress and her merciless campaign of conquest was spreading quickly. Basil realized that she was in even more danger, as she knew the true identity of the villain...

"But after three months, she realized that not even her death would likely appease the Shadow Queen. The stories of her atrocities made clear that the attack on her city had only widened the scope of her evil...

"She found a small farming community, and they accepted her. She eventually married, and while she spent the rest of her life making sure she kept to groups and sitting with her back to a wall, the Shadow Queen never came to that town...

"She never told her husband what had happened... She only told one person, the son that she bore him. She made him swear never to write the story down, and to share the information only with his own firstborn child, or with anyone with the courage to fight the Shadow Queen..."

Rudwilla sighed.

"The Three Heroes were told this story by Basil's grandson... But when he learned that they defeated her without killing her, he still told his son, and the story has been passed down from generation to generation... For one-thousand years…

"Four-hundred years ago, the member of the family line who knew the secret shared it with one more person. Apparently, the Shadow Queen finally discovered that someone knew her secret. That was the only possible reason the dark assassin would have come after the young milkmaid who held the secret at the time. The poor woman stood no chance, but was rescued by the man whom you know as Merlow."

"Merlow is four-hundred years old?" asked Francesca in surprise.

"Possibly older..." replied Rudwilla. "She never asked him to reveal his secrets, but she gladly told him hers, and since that day, he has sworn to protect the family. He's succeeded so far... I have no idea how many attempts on my family's life there have been... But he's prevented them all..."

"So then, you're..." said Stan.

Rudwilla nodded.

"I am Basil's descendent..." she replied. "Cleo and her mother know the tale already, but we don't know how long Merlow can keep the assassins at bay. We're risking everything by living here. I'm telling you for the same reason Basil's grandson told your ancestors... You need to know the truth...

"I'm not suggesting to you that Iris isn't evil, because she is... Or that what she did has any justification... Or that she has any hope for redemption… And I have no more clue than Basil did how she became the Shadow Queen...

"I'm just telling you this because you likely thought that she was evil just for evil's sake... She isn't... Everybody has a story, people... Many of them are tragic...

"Now leave me be…"

**0000000000**

The three of them slowly walked up the stairs, back up to the store. It had been a lot to take in.

"Uh…" said Andy, looking at Cleo. "As long as we're here, maybe we could see what you have?"

"Actually…" said Cleo, slowly. "Some men came by last night with a notice saying that I could only sell my general merchandise to someone with a permit from the Arcadian Parliament…"

"Seems that the Queen's pledge of hospitality is officially over," sighed Stan.

"There's probably some law on the books that says she owns everything in Arcadia," said Francesca. "And now she's trying to keep merchants from selling anything that could be used against her…"

"Of course…" said Cleo.

She reached behind the counter. Then she lifted up a large card binder, and set it on the counter.

She smirked.

"The cards in here _aren't _my 'general merchandise'…" she whispered. "I don't show them to just any customers either…

"Take a look…"

They smiled back at her as she opened the binder…

**0000000000**

Half an hour later, the three of them exited the store.

"Thanks a million, Cleo!" said Francesca.

"Well done, children," said Merlow's voice.

"You show up in the most unlikely places," said Stan, as they turned towards him. "So, I'm guessing you're… Immortal?"

Merlow sighed.

"I guess there's no denying it now…" he said. "When I told you that my wife, Ivanna, died of illness, I wasn't being truthful… She died of old age."

"I take it that eternal life didn't come with eternal youth," said Francesca.

Merlow chuckled a little, as if he found that rather funny.

"Children…" he said. "You ever hear the stale old joke about the guy with the genie and the twelve-inch pianist?"

"Uh… yeah…" said Stan.

"That joke has more truth to it than you might believe," said Merlow, with a tone of warning. "Remember it if you ever come across a being capable of granting you a wish. Be as thorough as possible. Another good idea might be to make your request in writing. Because all too often, wishes are perverted, and have their meanings twisted. Most such beings do their best to make sure that the wisher regrets making his request. The genie that Aladdin knew was the exception to the rule.

"I came upon such a being, and wished to live forever. My wish was granted, but I didn't find out until years later that I was growing old just like any other man.

"I realized I might have ended up like the cursed _struldbrugs _from _Gulliver's Travels, _humans born with immortality but not eternal youth, who eventually become crippled, senile, feeble old men. I poured into books of alchemy and magic, trying to find a way to keep from aging further. I eventually found a way, but by then I was seventy years old. I had lost most of my physical abilities, but at least my discovery came in time to keep from turning senile and crippled.

"So I gave up on my martial skills, and focused solely on my mental ones. I studied, and during my long lifespan, I was able to devour whole libraries, learning secrets of the universe that few men know…

"All to prepare for when I'd eventually meet you…"

"But why?" asked Stan. "What exactly is your stake in this?"

"Hopefully, you'll find that out eventually," replied Merlow. "For now…

"…it's time to go to the Thousand Year Door…"

He let out a long sigh.

"Take the road due north of Rogueport. Your goal is almost impossible to miss. The Crystal Stars you have will grant you access. I fear that they will _not _allow you to leave once you are inside.

"I'm afraid that this is where we must part company for the foreseeable future. I cannot help you from this point on due to some… Complications… I might be able to before it's over…

"However, there is someone else who _will _help you once you're there…"

They waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Anything you can tell us about this person?"

"Sadly, no," said Merlow.

"May the power of Heaven guide you…"

**0000000000**

There was little left to say.

The three spoke little as the hiked the path north, which clearly wasn't used much. They quickly figured that most of the Queen's servants used magic to come and go from the place.

Slowly but surely, the large mountain that was visible in all parts of Arcadia got closer and closer. And as they made a sharp turn in the rocky path. It came upon them suddenly…

The Thousand Year Door. Stan, Andy, and Francesca had come a long way to see this, and they did not like the look of it _at all._

As they stood before it, the words appeared on it that many folks saw who were capable of opening it:

_**There is no glory to be sought here. There is no treasure here. All that lies beyond this door is death and incredible evil. Do not proceed, lest you perish here and leave your loved ones mourning for you forever.**_

Slowly, they opened their knapsacks, and took the Sapphire Star, Citrine Star, and Ruby Star from where they had placed them…

And as they did, the message on the Thousand Year Door changed. It read something completely different now:

_**We are leaving this message to our own blood, if our lineage has survived this long, for only you can see this. We urge you never to give up, and not to let the horrors beyond this door deter you. Our job remains incomplete, but now it must be finished. The Shadow Queen's evil must be extinguished forever, and only you can make that happen.**_

_**Proceed. You, our heirs, are the Three Heroes now.**_

At that moment, the final ounce of skepticism left in the three of them vanished forever.

They held the three Crystal Stars up to the large door, and it slowly opened with a loud, ominous creek.

Slowly, they walked inside, and as they expected, the door swung closed behind them.

"Guess there's no going back…" sighed Stan.

They looked around.

They were in a very large, torch-lit chamber, with LOTS of doors on each wall except the one that had the door they entered. It seemed like there were a hundred exits from the room.

Each door seemed to have a label on it with a sequence of letters on it, but they didn't seem to make sense.

Then, the Life Point counters on their Duel Disks all set to 8,000.

"What's going on?" asked Francesca.

"Confusing, isn't it?" asked a voice.

Then there was a wisp of smoke, and a well-dressed man appeared before them. Stan recognized him right away; it was his first opponent in the tournament, the Witty Phantom.

"What do you want?" asked Stan.

"I'm here to explain the special house rules that will be in place for the Tournament from this point on…" said the Phantom. "_However… _You first have to pass a small test.

"Find out which of these doors I'm behind. If your Life Points hit zero before that happens, you're through. And no cards from your decks allowed.

"Sound simple? Good."

Then he just disappeared.

Andy looked at all the doors.

"Well, at least there doesn't seem to be a time limit…" he said.

"I guess the only thing we can do is try one…" said Stan.

He walked up to a door that was labeled "O-Fo-Fd-L".

"What the heck does that mean?" he muttered, as he opened it.

As he opened it, a frightening creature appeared to greet him, a ghostly specter made of mist with horns on its head. (1,500 ATK)

The specter raked him with a ghostly claw, knocking him down as his Life Points fell to 6,500.

Then it slammed the door shut.

"Okay, _that_ was clearly the wrong door…" groaned Stan.

"That was a Theban Nightmare…" said Andy. "There's likely a nasty surprise waiting behind all of these doors except the right one…"

Francesca looked around.

"Let me try…" she said.

She walked over to the other side of the room, and looked at a door that was labeled S-Si-W-E.

She cautiously opened it.

Apparently, this was the wrong door too, because an even more powerful Monster was there. Goyo Guardian appeared (2,800 ATK) and Francesca shrieked as she was hit by its grapple.

She grunted as her Life Points tumbled to 5,200 and the Synchro Monster closed the door.

"People, we'd better stop guessing and start thinking…" said Andy. "Otherwise, our foray into the Palace of Shadow is going to be very short…"

**0000000000**

Crump slowly walked down the hallway towards the door to the Queen's alchemy lab, the same place where she had made the potion that had created the curse of doubt.

He nervously looked around. Then he started to jimmy the lock with a wire.

_Can't believe I'm doing this… _he thought. _But I have GOT to find some way to show her that I'm not a big joke… Find something that will help me now that those brats are here…_

The door opened with a click. He went inside and turned on a light.

_Okay, let's see here… _he thought, looking at the various potions and elixirs on the table.

One of them said Potion of Bull's Strength.

_No, not very good as far as Duel Monsters is concerned… _he thought.

Another was a Potion of Cat's Grace.

_Even less useful… _he thought.

Potion of Invisibility.

_Oh, I don't think so! _he thought.

Crump had learned the hard way, as many people who use such potions do, that being invisible is not as fun as a lot of people think it is. Try walking down a stairway when you aren't able to see your feet, and you'd understand. Even worse is when more than one person uses them and tries to act as a team. Idiots who do that always seem to forget that being invisible doesn't make you able to see allies who are invisible.

Then his eyes fell on one. A vial of lime green liquid.

The label said Potion of Bravery.

_Hey… _he thought.

He picked it up.

_This may be just the thing!_

He quickly uncorked it, and put it to his lips, drinking it in three gulps.

"YUCK!" he shouted. "That tastes like my unwashed socked!"

Then he held his chest.

"Hold on a minute…"

He felt a surge of energy going through him.

"Think it may be working…" he said.

Then he laughed evilly.

"All RIGHT!" he shouted.

He marched out of the lab.

"Gonna blow those three all the way into next Tuesday!"

**0000000000**

As he was making this plan, his intended victims were looking closely at the two doors that they knew had Theban Nightmare and Goyo Guardian lurking behind.

"Wait…" said Andy. "I think I see it…"

"Yeah?" said Stan.

"Here…" he said, pointing to Theban Nightmare's door. "The letters on the labels all stand for information about the Monster that's behind it.

"For Theban Nightmare, we have O-Fo-Fd-L, and for Goyo Guardian we have S-Si-W-E. The first letter must stand for the color of the background of the Monster's card. Orange for Theban Nightmare, because it's an Effect Monster, and Silver for Goyo Guardian, because it's a Synchro.

"The second means its Level. Fo means 4, while Si means 6.

"The third means the Monster's Type, Fiend for Theban Nightmare and Warrior for Goyo Guardian."

"And the last one means Attribute!" exclaimed Francesca. "Light for Nightmare, Earth for Guardian!"

"So then…" said Stan. "We have to find the label that matches Witty Phantom, who's a Normal Monster, meaning a yellow background, Level 4, a Fiend, and Dark…

"Everyone spread out…"

They each took one wall, and started looking at the labels on the doors.

"I think I found it, guys!" shouted Francesca.

Stan and Andy ran to the door she was looking at. Sure enough, the label said "Y-Fo-Fd-D".

"Better let me open it," said Andy. "Just in case, I have all of my Life Points."

He slowly opened the door. Fortunately, nothing attacked him. They walked into the room, and the Witty Phantom appeared, looking at a pocket watch.

"Well, you all survived, and it took you seventeen minutes to get here…" he grumbled. "Guess I don't win the pool…"

"You creeps bet in a pool over our success?" shouted Stan.

Witty Phantom grinned and nodded.

They looked at him.

"Uh… Who won?" asked Stan.

"Vampire Lady," replied the Phantom, as he placed the watch back in his pocket, "but anyway, onto business… I'm here to explain the special rules that all duelists must follow in the Palace of Shadow.

"Quite simply, we observe a new rule called the Deckmaster system…"

"I've heard about that…" said Stan.

"Mmm-hmm," said the Phantom. "The system was invented by Noah Kaiba, the true son of Gozaburo Kaiba. Noah thought that this unique way of playing Duel Monsters would help him in his goal of proving himself superior to Gozaburo's adoptive son Kaiba, at least in his father's eyes.

"He failed miserably, as did Gozaburo for that matter, but in theory, his idea was still a good one.

"Here's how it works. Before each duel starts, you select one Monster in your main deck to serve as a Deckmaster. You might want to increase the size of your deck to forty-one cards because of this, but because the Deckmaster still counts as being part of your deck, but that is optional.

"The Deckmaster does not occupy any slot in any of your Zones unless you decide to summon it – which I do not recommend doing unless you must. In this state, it is immortal, and impervious to all attacks and card effects. However, it cannot attack itself or use its regular effect.

"What it _can _do is use a special Deckmaster effect. This is unique to each Monster. I'm afraid I cannot supply you with a manual, so you'll have to learn through trial and error what each one does.

"I should add that the Monster's power as a regular Monster does not always mean that it is especially powerful as a Deckmaster. Some Monsters that are very weak – or outright useless – in a regular duel make very useful Deckmasters.

"Now might be a good time to mention an added rule that Noah did _not _have. The Deckmasters determine who makes the first move in the duel. Whoever's Deckmaster has the _lower _Attack Score has the honor."

"And in the case of a tie?" asked Andy.

"Then flip for it," replied the Phantom. "Or rock-paper-scissors or however you want to decide it."

Andy frowned at him. He had a feeling these rules were more lax than he was making them sound…

"Now you can summon your Deckmaster to the field at any time," continued the Phantom, "and it counts as a Special Summon… You can even do this if the Deckmaster is a NOMI or something that you otherwise would not be able to Special Summon.

"The biggest drawback to doing this is, your Deckmaster is then as vulnerable as any other Monster, and a duelist who loses it loses the duel automatically."

He grinned evilly as he said this.

"Yeah, good safety tip…" said Andy, nervously.

"It can attack and use its regular effect, however," continued the Phantom. "This is also the only way you can change your Deckmaster. You can't use it for a Tribute Summon, but you can use it for a Fusion Summon, Ritual Summon, Synchro Summon, or Xyz Summon, in which case the newly summoned Monster assumes the role of the new Deckmaster.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way…

"Your goal now that you've entered the Palace of Shadow is simple… Make it to the center of the Palace and survive. You do so by dueling, just as you did before. You don't gain Crystal Cards like you did before, but you might earn a few things that will benefit you in the long run, like game cards that will make the journey easier."

He looked at his watch again.

"One o'clock…" he said. "You three are probably hungry… Use the side door in the next room and you'll find a kiosk where a chef will provide lunch if you desire…

"I suggest you take advantage of it, because that is the _last _time anything will be given for free here. After that, everything will have to be earned.

"I may see you all again…"

He snapped his fingers, and vanished. Then the door in front of them opened.

**0000000000**

The place they entered did indeed seem to be a kiosk of some sort. Behind the counter was another Duel Spirit – a Battle Steer.

"Well…" said Andy. "I guess we can forget about hamburgers…"

"What, you want hamburgers?" asked the Beast-Warrior.

It opened a refrigerator and took out some hamburger patties.

"Heck, it's not like they're anyone I know…" he said, as he tossed them on a grill.

"There you are!" shouted a voice.

They turned around, just as Crump rushed into the room.

"Found you!" he shouted.

"Well, well," said Francesca, "if it isn't the little creep from the Twilight Town peach orchard…"

"The name is Lord Crump, bitch," said Crump.

"I'll teach you to talk to Francesca like that…" growled Andy.

Stan held Andy back.

"Listen, buddy…" said Stan, "if you want a duel, I'll be happy to oblige… Can you at least let us eat first?"

"I'll be waiting outside…" said Crump. "Don't even _think _about trying to slip past…"

As he walked back out, the Battle Steer watched with disgust.

"So he finally grew a spine," muttered the cook.

"Huh?" asked Stan.

"Every time that jerk comes in here," replied the Spirit, "he orders me around, eats half my inventory, and leaves a mess that I have to clean up.

"I think I speak for almost every Duel Spirit here when I say that I hope you kick his ass _really _good…"

Stan glanced towards the exit curiously….

**0000000000**

_**The stage is set, and Stan, Andy, and Francesca have survived the first challenge… But it was clearly just a warm-up for the gauntlet that lies ahead…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Stan: It seems the infamous Lord Crump has finally decided to show himself… No problem… This guy's bark seems worse than his bite (but not worse than his breath). **_

_**I hope… There is an old saying that looks can deceive, and I have to admit, this Deckmaster system is kind of new to me. **_

_**Vivian: Don't worry Stan, I'm right behind you! Uh, at least I think I am…**_

"_**Fiery Fervor" is coming soon…**_


	37. Fiery Fervor

_**Ever since we arrived in Arcadia, this creep has been spying on us. He's been out of sight most of the time, apparently unwilling or unable to face us. **_

_**We first saw him in Twilight Town, and he fled like a coward when he realized he had been seen. We first heard the name "Lord Crump" from Cloaker and Domino, who clearly didn't mean to let the name slip.**_

_**Well, he seems to have made a complete 180 now. He's willing to face me man-to-man, and taking down someone this obnoxious will be a pleasure. **_

_**This should be no problem…**_

…_**shouldn't it?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-SEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Fiery Fervor**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Near the center of the Palace, the six Shadow Spawn were in a comfortable lounge that was reserved for them.

Vladimir was looking at the card that the strange man had given him. It supported his Attribute, yes, but not tremendously so… There was far better Dark support…

Still, there was something about this card that he just couldn't put his finger on…

Meanwhile, Leopold and Maria were engaged in a game of Go.

"What the Hell are you two playing board games for?" asked Tyson.

"It helps me think!" replied Leopold.

"Yeah?" said Melissa. "We should probably be 'thinking' about how not to screw up next time. Do you want to make mom angry again?"

Then a blast of energy incinerated the board game. The Shadow Spawn got up and watched in fear as their mother stormed into the room. Clearly, she was _very _angry.

"Too late…" squeaked Kurtis.

"Wh-what did we do mom?" said Maria, as her voice trembled.

The Queen held up the vial that had contained the Potion of Bravery.

"Some thief broke into my alchemy lab, and drank this," she said with a very cross look. "It wouldn't happen to have been one of you, would it?

"Wh-what is it?" stammered Tyson.

"A Potion of Bravery," growled the Shadow Queen. "It was a lime-green liquid… The volunteer who tested another sample compared its taste to a sweaty sneaker. Ring any bells?"

"D-did this volunteer make a habit of eating sweaty sneakers?" asked Maria.

"Answer the question!" demanded the Queen.

"I think Melissa took it…" stammered Leopold. "She's the one who drank the Growing Potion and the Shrinking Potion at the same time because she wanted to see what would happen…"

"You just _had _to bring that up, didn't you?" shouted Melissa. "Mom, please, I didn't…"

"Mother, mercy, I didn't take it…" said Vladimir. "And I can vouch for all of them, we've all been here since we got up this morning…"

The Shadow Queen looked at the six terrified siblings.

"I believe you…" she said, in a much calmer voice.

Their expressions turned to disbelief.

"Really?" asked Maria. "This is new…"

"If any of you had drunk this," said the Shadow Queen, "you would have been brave enough to stand up to me and admit it…"

"So, uh, what exactly is it?" asked Leopold, adjusting his glasses and looking at the flask with incredible curiosity.

The Queen sighed and turned around.

"A failed experiment…" she replied. "It was supposed to be a Potion of Lion's Heart, but it simply worked too well… It makes whoever drinks it incapable of feeling any fear at all."

"And… that's a bad thing?" asked Tyson.

"Let me put it this way…" said the Queen. "If the Tarrasque had just woken up from its hundred-year slumber fifty years too early with a bad headache, and was taking it out on everything in sight in a mad rampage, would you stand up to it, or would you run the other way?"

"Gah…" gasped Kurtis. "Run the other way, of course!"

"Fast!" added Melissa.

"Well, whoever drank this _wouldn't," _replied the Queen. "Without fear, you lose all sense of self-preservation, you become reckless to the point of madness, and you take risks that you would never have dared take before."

She looked at the empty bottle.

"And besides… I doubt that whoever drank this knows that it only lasts two hours…

"Still, when I catch whoever took it… He's going to be very, very sorry…"

They watched as she stormed out of the room… And then collapsed on the couches with heavy sighs of relief.

Tyson looked at Melissa.

"Uh… Leopold…" he said. "Exactly what _did _happen when she drank the Growing Potion and the Shrinking Potion at the same time."

Melissa gave him a dirty look, and he others seemed a little annoyed too.

"Trust me," replied Leopold, "you _don't _want to know…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the thief in question was watching the three teenagers exit the kiosk with a cross look on his face.

"Kept me waiting, did ya?" he said. "Sure took ya long enough…"

He held up his Duel Disk.

"Come on!" he dared. "I'll take on all three of you at once if I have to!"

"Uh, you know…" said Andy. "_He's _the one who suggested it…"

"That won't be necessary," sighed Stan. "I'll take this loudmouth…"

He stood up to Crump, and held his Duel Disk, preparing to activate it.

'Oh, wait!" said Crump. "Almost forgot…"

He took his deck from the holder, and took a card from.

"We can't forget the new rules that are in place, right? Well, try not to wet yourself when you see my Deckmaster!"

He held up a card, and a fifteen-foot-tall, rather stereotypical robot materialized behind him. (2,200 ATK)

"Machine King?" asked Stan, as he took his deck from the holder. "I've seen worse…"

_And it makes it rather obvious what Type of Monsters his deck has… _he thought.

He looked at the Monsters in his deck.

_Now let's see here…_ _So many to choose from… It would help if I had at least some clue as to what they could do as Deckmasters…_

Then one card started to glow, and to Stan's shock, one of his Monsters, a rather _special _one, appeared next to him.

"VIVIAN?" he shouted.

(1,800 ATK)

"Heh…" chuckled Crump. "Interesting choice…"

"Wait, I didn't…" said Stan. "Vivian!"

"Stan, please!" replied Vivian. "I really wanted to help here… And I can do the job, really!"

Stan looked at her.

"Fine…" he said. "_How _exactly?"

"What?" asked Vivian.

"You have a Deckmaster effect, I assume?" asked Stan.

"Oh, right!" said Vivian. "Uh… Uhm…"

She scratched her head.

"Please tell me you have one…" moaned Stan.

"I… think I do…" said Vivian. "I'm trying to remember here…"

"Can we get started before the next ice age?" said Crump. "If you have a bad Deckmaster, tough! No takebacks!"

Stan sighed.

"Fine, Vivian, it seems I'm stuck with you…" he muttered. "Just keep trying to remember, okay?"

He activated his Duel Disk.

"I'm gonna smash you to smithereens!" shouted Crump.

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Crump: 8,000)**

Stan took hold of the cap on his head, and quickly turned it backwards.

"My Deckmaster may have a slight memory lapse right now," said Stan, "but her Attack Score is lower than Machine King's, so that means the honor is mine…"

He drew a card.

"I'll set a Monster and one other card," he said.

Two reversed cards appeared in front of him.

"And it's your move…"

"All right, I draw!" shouted Crump, as he dramatically whipped the top card off of his deck.

"I'll set three cards face-down," he said, as three concealed cards appeared in his Spell Zone, "and that will end my turn…"

Stan smirked slightly.

_This could not be more perfect… _he thought.

He drew a card. Then his face-down card lifted up.

"I use Trap Stun!" he shouted. "This renders all Trap Cards except itself inert for this turn!"

"All right!" shouted Andy. "Stan has this guy cold!"

"Now, I'll flip my Monster into Attack Mode…" said Stan.

The card flipped face-up, and Magician's Valkyria leapt onto the field. (1,600 ATK)

"Next, here comes Mataza the Zapper!"

He played the card, and the dark ronin did a somersault onto the field, and drew his katana. (1,300 ATK)

"Valkyria, attack that lout directly!"

The Spellcaster gave Crump a dirty look, and aimed her scepter at him.

"Got me cold?" asked Crump with a smirk. "Other way around! I may not be able to activate these cards, but because you declared a direct attack, I can trash them…"

The three set cards shattered into little pieces.

"And by doing so…" he said, as a portal opened, "I can summon something far better than some fantasy vixen…"

There was a sound that could best be described as that of an incoming train… And to everyone's shock, the Monster that emerged from the portal _was _a train, a train with a snow plow as a locomotive.

"I give you, the Snow Plow Hustle Rustle!" shouted Crump.

(2,500 ATK)

Then, to Stan's shock, it glowed, and its Attack Score increased to 3,500.

"How…" he said.

"That would be my Deckmaster…" said Crump with a grin. "You see, once per turn, if I Special Summon a Machine, he can boost its Score by a thousand points for one turn.

"Even better, one of those three cards I junked was my Dummy Marker, and that means I get to draw once."

He made a draw.

"Valkyria, stop!" shouted Stan, as the Spellcaster backed off.

"Oh, you don't get off that easy," said Crump. "You see, when Hustle Rustle is summoned, it deals out 200 points of damage for each card I destroyed to summon it!"

Three cards appeared in front of the train, and it plowed through them, shooting powdered snow at Stan through its throwers.

**(S: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)**

"I… uh… End my turn…" said Stan.

As he said that, Hustle Rustle's Attack Score returned to 2,500. Crump drew a card.

"I'll set a Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared, "and then my Monster is gonna mow yours down!"

The train sped forward, plowing into Mataza and crushing him as Valkyria screamed. Stan was almost thrown backwards, but to his surprise, Vivian helped brace him from the blow.

**(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)**

Stan slowly got up.

"Seems this system has its benefits…" he muttered. "Anything yet on the Deckmaster effect Vivian?"

'I'm thinking…" said Vivian, sadly.

"Vivian, you know, you really should have asked first…" replied Stan.

"I… I just wanted to help…" stammered Vivian.

"Oh please… Don't cry…" said Stan.

"Francesca…" said Andy. "Do you think it's possible that… Vivian has no Deckmaster ability at all?"

Francesca looked a little worried as he said that.

"She might not…" she said. "After all, her card isn't in the I2 database, as far as I know… And if someone working for the Queen put this system into place, I really don't think that the she would have gone out of her way to accommodate us."

Stan had clearly overheard them, and he was worried too. But that was nothing compared to Vivian. She looked more upset than ever.

"It's your move, sucker," said Crump.

Stan made a draw, and then looked over his cards.

_It's nothing more than another big Monster, _he thought, as he chose one, _and just like all the other big Monsters I've beaten, beating this one just takes a little strategy…_

"I throw down a face-down card," he said, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then sacrifice Valkyria…"

The Spellcaster vanished into an orb of light.

"…to summon Gagaga Druid…"

The mysterious, robed, cowled Spellcaster appeared, glaring at Crump with glowing eyes. (2,200 ATK)

"I guess that guy's better than the others," said Crump, "but I doubt he's more powerful than a locomotive!"

"You have a lot of nerve, fellah" growled Stan. "And Gagaga Druid _will _be strong enough to destroy your train once I Equip him with Bound Wand!"

He played the card, and Druid's shillelagh vanished, replaced by the ruby-tipped wand. (2,800 ATK)

"Attack!" he shouted. "Derail that crazy train!"

Gagaga Druid fired a blast, and the whole room lit up as Hustle Rustle's furnace ruptured, blowing it to scrap.

"I sent your train to the scrap heap," said Stan.

"Eh, parting is such sweet sorrow…" said Crump. "My move now…"

**(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,700)**

He drew, and then grinned even wider.

"I summon Bokoichi the Freightening Car!" he shouted.

He played the card, and a large train boxcar with a mean-looking face on the front appeared in front of him. (500 ATK)

"Next, I play Machine Duplication," he said, as he played a Spell Card, "which I can do because Bokoichi has only 500 Attack Points…"

Two more of the Freightening Cars appeared in front of him. (500 ATK x2)

"Three Freightening Cars…" said Francesca. "Then his set Monster could only be…"

"You got it!" laughed Crump, as his face-down Monster flipped face-up. "Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive!"

An iron locomotive, also with a mean-looking face on the front, appeared alongside the three boxcars. (1,400 ATK)

"When Dekoichi is flipped, I get to draw one card, plus another for each Bokoichi I have!" he laughed.

He made four draws quickly.

"Yeah?" said Andy. "Well your Freightening Cars aren't as frightening as they look. They only have 500 Attack Points each, and are in Attack Mode right now."

"Good point…" said Crump.

He played a card, and a Polymerization card appeared in front of him. A vortex opened, and all four of his Machines were sucked through it.

"A four-Monster Fusion Summon?" gasped Andy.

"Technically, I only _have _to fuse Dekoichi and _one _Bokoichi to Fusion Summon this Monster," said Crump, "but the more the better…"

A portal opened again, and the sound of another train coming sounded through the room.

As the three duelists watched, a locomotive sped through the portal that was much bigger and even nastier-looking than Dekoichi. Its iron hull was covered with spikes and blades, and it had _Ben Hur _style spikes on its wheels.

"Meet the Iron Dark Horse!" shouted Crump. "And its Attack Score is 800 for each Bokoichi I used to summon it…"

(2,400 ATK)

"And don't forget, I can use my Deckmaster's effect to increase its Attack Score by 1,000 for one turn…"

(3,400 ATK)

"Vivian…" muttered Stan. "If you can do _anything, _now would be a good time…"

Vivian _really _looked like she was about to cry now, but there was no time for Stan to say anything about it. Iron Dark Horse was rushing at Gagaga Druid at full speed. He was knocked backwards again as Druid was crushed, and this time, Vivian wasn't able to brace him.

"I use… the effect of Bound Wand…" he gasped.

"Actually, you don't," said Crump. "Due to Iron Dark Horse's effect, your Monster isn't sent to the Graveyard. It's sent to your deck, and the deck is then reshuffled."

**(S: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,700)**

"This certainly isn't getting any prettier…" said Andy.

"I'm starting to think that Crump wasn't the big joke we thought he was…" replied Francesca.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile…

Crump may have been winning at the moment, but his employer wasn't all-too happy about it…

"GRODUS!" shouted the Shadow Queen.

Sir Grodus rushed into the throne room, nearly tripping as he did so.

"Uh, is there a problem, your majesty?" he said.

He shuddered as he looked at her, which answered his question. A sickly green aura of energy surrounded her.

He knew what that meant. Not only was there a problem, it was a problem that had made her even angrier than usual. When that aura appeared, it usually meant that someone was going to die horribly.

She pointed to her crystal ball, where the duel between Stan and Crump was being shown.

"Do you mind explaining this?" she asked.

"Uh…" said Grodus.

"I seem to recall giving Crump a direct order _not _to confront them…" said the Queen with a scowl.

"Uhm, truthfully, I can't explain it," stammered Grodus. "Other than to say that he has disobeyed you…

"Although, quite frankly, I'm shocked that even Crump could be _that _stupid…"

The Shadow Queen looked at the crystal ball for a minute. The aura around her subsided a little, but didn't go away entirely.

She looked at a table next to her throne, on which the vial that had held the Potion of Bravery was resting.

_Stupid? _she thought. _I think not… More like incredibly reckless…_

"Uh, if you want, we can stop the duel…" said Grodus. "Although… He _does_ seem to be winning…"

"Point taken…" said the Queen, as she crossed her arms. "We'll see what happens for now…

"If nothing else, it might be amusing…"

**0000000000**

"I end my turn," said Crump, "which means, again, that my Deckmaster's effect on Iron Dark Horse wears off."

(2,400 ATK)

Stan drew a card. His eyes lit up when he saw it.

_Thanks for the card, Cleo, _he thought.

He chose another card from his hand, and played it, Gagaga Kaiser appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, because I control a Monster with the word 'Gagaga' in its name," he said, "I can Special Summon Gagaga Clerk."

He played the card, and a young, auburn-haired woman with very long pigtails appeared next to Kaiser. She wore a black vest and skirt, a long white jacket, white knee-high boots (with heels) and long white gloves. The Gagaga insignia was on her collar. She carried a leather-bound book under her arm. (400 ATK)

"Oh please," said Crump. "You think I'm scared of a secretary?"

"You should be more scared of Kaiser right now," said Stan.

He took Mataza's card from his discard slot.

"Because by banishing a Level 3 Monster, his effect causes all Monsters I have with the word 'Gagaga' in their names to become Level 3."

Kaiser and Clerk turned into two orbs of energy, and the spiraling vortex appeared.

"So with the Overlay Network formed, I can bring out Muzurhythm the String Djinn!"

A spotlight fell from the ceiling, and the fiendish guitarist appeared, strumming a very familiar tune.

"Hear that?" asked Stan. "It's 'pasodoble', a type of music that they play at bullfights when the matador makes his entrance.

"Matadors fight bulls, and they win most of the time, just like my Djinn is going to smash your big train!"

Muzurhythm charged at the monstrous locomotive, vigorously playing louder as he did. Stan discarded Kaiser's card, and the String Djinn shot up to 3,000 Attack Points. Crump braced himself as Iron Dark Horse exploded into scrap much like Hustle Rustle had.

Stan's face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

Magician's Valkyria sprang onto the field again.(1,600 ATK)

"Show Lord Crump a lesson, Valkyria!" he said, as the Spellcaster flew towards the henchman.

"Not the best idea!" laughed Crump.

Then there was the ringing of warning signals as a railroad crossing sign appeared next to Crump.

"What?" said Stan.

"When's it gonna get through your thick skull that trying to attack me directly is a bad idea?" laughed Crump. "Because you did, I have the green light to summon Construction Train Signal Red!"

The Machine that appeared was, indeed, red. It was a railway buffer with two mechanical arms. (1,000 ATK)

Machine King glowed, and its Attack Score rose to 2,000.

"And guess what, wimp?" laughed Crump. "Thanks to its other effect, Valkyria can't call off her attack this time!"

Unfortunately, it was true. Valkyria, tried to stop, but wasn't able to. Construction Train Signal Red grabbed her by the waist with one of its arms, and squeezed hard until she shattered.

**(S: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,100)**

_This is bad… _thought Andy. _VERY bad! Issues or not, Crump is much better than we thought he was… Stan may very well lose…_

"Had enough yet?" laughed Crump.

"I set this card…" said Stan, with a sigh, as a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and it's your move…"

Construction Train Signal Red fell back down to an Attack Score of 1,000.

"This is too easy!" laughed Crump. "Y'know, why stop after I've flattened you three? Once I finish with you, I think I'll look up Merlow and flatten him too!

"Then I'll find every would-be insurrectionist on Arcadia, and teach _them _a lesson!"

"Buddy, you have a serious attitude problem…" said Stan.

Crump drew, and then switched cards on his deck.

"Red, get lost!" he said, as the Machine vanished. "I'm getting rid of you to summon Steam Engine Loco Motion!"

As one might expect, the Monster's appearance was heralded by a cloud of steam. This odd train seemed to be modeled after a Steampunk-style locomotive, a high-tech train from that sort of speculative science fiction alternate reality. Still, it looked just as powerful as the other large trains Crump had summoned, if not more so. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'm playing the Limiter Removal Spell Card!" shouted Crump, as he played the card.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Francesca, as steam cascaded from Loco Motion's engines. "That's overkill!"

(4,400 ATK)

"Who cares?" laughed Crump. "Smash that Monster flat with Loco Motive!"

Stan barely even saw it coming this time. The train rushed at Muzurhythm, crushing him and throwing Stan on his back.

"STAN!" shouted Vivian.

"I'll be fine…" groaned Stan. "So long as I don't… have to… laugh or sneeze anytime soon…"

"Come on!" goaded Crump. "Get up so I can smash you and your freaks some more!"

As Stan sat up, Crump played another card.

"I'm playing Mystik Wok now!" he laughed. "Limiter Removal will trash my Monster when I end my turn…"

Loco Motion turned into motes of light.

"But if I can gain 4,400 Life Points before that happens, who cares?"

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 11,500)**

"I'm not gonna give up, Crump…" said Stan.

His face-down card lifted up.

"I use Shock Draw! Now I can draw two cards!"

He made two draws.

"Draw every card in your deck for all I care!" dared Crump.

He played a Spell Card.

"I'm not done… I'll play Fiend's Sanctuary to conjure up a Metal Fiend Token."

The small metal stickman appeared in Attack Mode. (0 ATK)

"Next…" he said, "as you remember, I had to destroy three of my cards in order to summon my Snow Plow Hustle Rustle. One of them was a special Trap Card called Buried Treasure…

"That Trap now has at least ten cards on top of it in my Graveyard pile, which means I can banish it so that both players can draw twice…"

Crump made two draws, and Stan did the same.

"And that's all for now," said Crump. "It's your move."

Stan made another draw.

"I summon Trident Warrior!" he shouted.

He played the card, and the muscular Warrior materialized in a shower of motes. (1,800 ATK)

"Through his effect, I can summon Familiar Knight…"

He played another card, and the knight in shining armor appeared, kneeling and crouching behind his shield. (1,400 DEF)

_I can't attack that Token… _he thought. _I'd be the one taking damage!_

_I can only hope I can find some way to destroy it… With the amount of Life Points he has, he can afford to maintain it for eleven of his turns!_

He threw another card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind his two Monsters.

"Done!" he shouted.

Crump laughed evilly as he made his draw.

"Think I will… _not _pay the cost to keep my Metal Fiend Token…" he said.

The Token shattered.

"But…" he said. "I am going to play this Monster Reborn card…"

"Oh shit…" said Francesca, as the glowing holy symbol appeared. "He's summoning that Loco Motion thing…"

"Actually…" said Crump. "No… I _can't _Special Summon that one… I have something else in mind.

Then the Monster appeared, and it was a _big _surprise. It was Iron Dark Horse.

"Say WHAT?" shouted Andy. "Wait… If you summon that from the Graveyard, doesn't that mean…"

(0 ATK)

"Why on earth would you do that?" asked Stan.

"True, it is powerless if I summon it in any way other than a Fusion…" said Crump. "Powerless, but not worthless.

"This next Monster's name is a mouthful… And the Monster itself is gonna be a handful… The Strongarm Limited Express – Trolley Rolley."

The portal opened again, and with the clanging of bells, another train sped out. An expert on rail history would likely have recognized that it was modeled after the Pennsylvania Railroad EMD SW 1 yard switcher locomotive, but such trivia didn't matter to Crump. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I play the Spell Card, Star Light, Star Bright…"

Stan turned white in the face.

"What?" gasped Francesca. "What does that do?"

"If two Monsters have the same Attack Score or the same Defense Score…" stammered Stan, "that card makes one of them the same Level as the other…"

"You got that right!" laughed Crump. "And because Iron Dark Horse and Trolley Rolley both have a Defense Score of 1,000, that means Trolley Rolley is now Level 7."

The two Machines were consumed in the dark vortex.

"So, I can build the Overlay Network to summon something truly special! I'm sick of playing with toy trains… Time for something more lethal…"

Slowly, a huge, bulky, humanoid robot rose out of the vortex…

And to Stan and Francesca, it was very, very familiar…

(2,500 ATK)

"What…" said Francesca. "That's the Magnus von Grapple!"

"Yeah…" said Stan. "Only bigger, with more armor…"

"This is the Magnus von Grapple 2.0!" laughed Crump.

"The first one was a little buggy, but like Smithy said, if a machine gets junked, you can not only rebuild it, you can rebuild it so it's better than before!

"And not only does my Deckmaster add 1,000 points to its score this turn, but because of Trolley Rolley's effect, it gains 800 more Attack Points.

"Want more? I'm banishing the Skill Successor Trap Card from my Graveyard, to give it 800 _more _points!"

(5,100 ATK)

Stan started to sweat heavily… His face-down card was Xyz Reborn… It couldn't stop this thing…

"But wait, there's more!" laughed Crump. "Because I have no other cards on the field, I can trash one of its Overlay Units so that this mean Machine can attack directly!"

"NO!" screamed Francesca.

"YES!" cackled Crump, as nasty missile launchers appeared on the awful Machine's arms.

Stan closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"Andy, Francesca…" he muttered. "Sorry… This is as far as I go…"

"Touching…" said Crump. "Magnus von Grapple… DESTROY him!"

The thing aimed, and a red crosshairs appeared on Stan's torso…

Then Stan heard Vivian screaming at him.

"STAN!" she shouted. "Discard one of your cards!"

Stan's eyes opened with a start.

"What?" he asked.

"DO it!" she screamed.

Stan took Frontier Wiseman, one of his two remaining cards, and threw it into his discard slot. Then, just as the Magnus von Grapple 2.0 launched its deadly barrage of artillery, Vivian grabbed hold of Stan. They both vanished into the shadows, and the missiles exploded harmlessly.

"What?" said Crump.

A few tense seconds passed, and then Stan and Vivian reappeared again.

Stan glared at Crump. Then he smiled.

"Seems Vivian had a pretty useful Deckmaster effect after all…" he said.

"You see, Andy was only half-right. Because our Companions' cards weren't programmed into whatever system is running these new house rules, they weren't assigned any Deckmaster effects… Originally.

"But… Someone seems to have upgraded the system, and gave them some. Because this was a recent upgrade, it took Vivian a while to realize just what her ability was.

"Her ability is a variation of her true effect. Instead of being able to protect a Monster from an attack, she can use her Veil to protect _me _from a direct attack."

Crump snarled at him.

"You know, Crump, it's kind of ironic…" added Stan. "If you had chosen to attack Trident Warrior instead of attacking me, Vivian wouldn't have been able to do anything, and with Magnus von Grapple 2.0 at 5,100 Attack Points, you would have reduced my Life Points to zero and would have won!"

"I end my turn…" hissed Crump. "So the boosts my Monster got from my Deckmaster and Skill Successor both wear off…"

(3,300 ATK)

"But it still has more than three-grand, and it still has one more use of its effect! And I have 3,500 more Life Points than what I started with! You still can't beat me!"

Stan looked at the remaining card in his hand.

Then he drew a card.

_Well, what have I got to lose? _he thought, as he looked at it.

"I play Card of Variation…" he said. "I draw two cards now… But… I either discard one when I end my turn, or I lose 3,000 Life Points…"

He made two draws.

He looked at Crump.

Then an odd look appeared on Crump's face. He held his stomach.

"What…" he said. "What's happening?"

"I'll tell you what's happening," said Stan, as his Xyz Reborn card lifted up. "I'm using this Trap Card to Special Summon Muzurhthym from the Graveyard, with one Overlay Unit."

Again, the String Djinn appeared, playing his guitar more slowly this time. (1,500 ATK)

"Then…" said Stan, as he played another Spell Card, "my Star Changer will reduce Trident Warrior's Level from 4 to 3."

The vortex appeared, and the Overlay Network formed again.

"That means I can Overlay him and Familiar Knight," he said, as the two Monsters were drawn through.

There was a rapping of drums, and Temtempo the Percussion Djinn appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"And by using his effect," said Stan, as he discarded Trident Warrior's card, "I can relieve your Xyz Monster of its other Overlay Unit, and then boost the Attack Scores of both my Djinns by 500!"

Temtempo started to beat his drums with glee as Iron Dark Horse's card was pulled out of Magnus von Grapple 2.0, and shattered. (Muzurhythm: 2,000 ATK, Temtempo: 2,200 ATK)

"Wait…" stammered Crump. "My head…"

He didn't quite realize it at the moment, but the two hours were up. The Potion of Bravery was wearing off, fast.

"I'm not done!" continued Stan. "I summon Gagaga Girl!"

There was a shower of rose petals, and the female Spellcaster gracefully appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"And then…" said Stan, as he played his last card, "I can use Monster Reborn!"

The holy symbol appeared in mid-air.

"Gagaga Kaiser, welcome back…"

The well-dressed soldier appeared, and Gagaga Girl smiled sweetly at him. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, let's build the Overlay Unit one more time…" he said, as the two of them turned to the vortex of energy, "and make this duet into a whole band."

In a flash, Melomelody the Brass Djinn appeared next to the others. (1,400 ATK)

"Whoa…" said Andy. "Three Djinns at once? Is that a record?"

"Yep…" said Stan. "Getting all four on the field at once would probably be my biggest achievement as a duelist, but there's no time for that now.

"Anyway… With Gagaga Girl's effect," added Francesca, "Magnus von Grapple is about to get weaker… Big time!"

It was only too true, to Crump's horror. The huge Machine shuddered and shook… (0 ATK)

"No, NO!" said Crump, in panic. "I… I gotta get out of here…"

He was about to turn and run… But then, a voice echoed through the chamber.

"CRUMP!" shouted the Shadow Queen's voice, startling everyone.

Crump froze.

"Finish the duel, Crump…" she said, "or you won't only be a coward, you'll be one _dead _coward…"

Crump trembled, and then turned back to the duel. As frightened as he was of Stan and his three Djinns right now, he was scared of the Shadow Queen much, much more…

"Ahem," said Stan, as he discarded Melomelody's card. "As I was saying… By using the Brass Djinn's effect, Muzurhythm can attack twice this turn.

"And he's going to use the first attack to smash Magnus von Grapple 2.0! And he'll use _his_ effect while he does it too! Go!"

The String Djinn started playing the refrain to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" as he made a dash for the huge Machine. His Attack Score shot up to 4,000, and Lord Crump screamed as his Machine Xyz was blown in fiery-hot metal.

"Now he attacks directly! And let me tell you Crump, I've been waiting all duel for this…"

The Djinn started spinning around like a whirlwind, and Crump screamed again…

"Temtempo, you next!" exclaimed Stan. "Death solo!"

The Percussion Djinn pounded on his drums, and a powerful wave of sound shot at Crump.

"Melomelody…" started Stan. "Finish that lug off with Melodic Wave!"

The female Djinn put her lips to the mouthpiece of the huge horn, and a sonic blast hit Crump, throwing him backwards, and against the wall.

**(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 0)**

Stan simply looked at the punch-drunk Crump for a few seconds…

Then the three Djinns vanished, and so did Crump, as he was seemingly consumed by a dark shadow.

"Man, Stan," said Andy. "That must have been the closest call you ever had…"

"I know…" said Stan.

He looked at Vivian. The rest of the Companions appeared around them, one by one.

"I'm really glad you finally figured it out…" he said, "but there is one thing bugging me…

"If you guys didn't have Deckmaster effects in this system to start out… Who gave you them?"

"Sorry, Stan," said Vivian, "that's one thing I _really _don't know."

They all looked at Goombella.

"I have no idea either…" she said.

"Terrific…" said Yoshi. "We have a mystery on our hands that even the brain of the group can't figure out…"

"Yeah, well…" said Flurrie, "at least we all know what they are _now_…"

They looked and saw the exit to the room in front of them. It was the only way to go, other than back to the kiosk or the way they came.

"Well…" said Francesca. "The Palace of Shadow proper awaits…"

**0000000000**

In the Queen's throne room, Crump was on his knees in front of his employer, who was clearly still _very _angry. Grodus was standing nearby.

"Let's see, Crump…" she said. "Breaking into one of my private rooms, stealing one of my experiments, disobeying a direct order…

"I swear, Crump, I'm willing to bet that most of my brainwashed slaves are smarter than you are!"

"Mercy…" begged Crump.

She stood up, and grabbed him by the throat, then lifted him into the air.

"Mercy?" she said. "Oh, I don't think so…"

"I can't breathe…" gasped Crump.

"That's because I'm choking you, you moron!" said the Queen.

"Your majesty?" said Grodus. "A word?"

"Can it wait?" growled the Queen.

"I realize that what Crump has done is reprehensible," said Grodus, "and that you want to eviscerate him right now, and that he probably deserves it…"

"Get to the point!" demanded the Queen.

"However…" continued Grodus, "I should remind you that in order to summon or even communicate with demonic armies like the Company of Malice, you need more than your own magic. You need a conduit, and a conduit is unique to the species of demon. Crump and I are the last two surviving conduits to the Company of Malice. If you get rid of Crump and something were to happen to me…"

"There'd be no way for me to summon them again…" said the Queen.

She looked at Crump in disgust, and then dropped him. Truthfully, that was probably the only reason why she had put up with this fool for so long.

She glared at him for a minute.

"Fine, Crump…" she said. "Grodus has given me a good reason to spare your mangy hide… For now…

"I'll simply put _him _in charge of punishing you."

She motioned to Grodus, and the sorcerer grabbed the henchman by the collar.

"I can't believe you stood up for me…" stammered Crump.

"Yeah, I'm having a hard time believing it too," growled Grodus. "You can consider this your once-in-a-lifetime-only-the-gods-know-why-I'm-being-so-nice-to-you-Get-Out-of-Jail-Free-card.

"Move it! You're gonna clean the bathrooms until they're spotless."

The Queen waited until they had left, and then closed her eyes. At the same time, the six Shadow Spawn heard her telepathic voice in their heads.

_Children! _she ordered. _Get in here right now… _

_It's time for a chat…_

**0000000000**

**DUMMY MARKER (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **An explorer placing a fake marker in a cave.

**Card Description: **When this set card you control is destroyed, draw 1 card. If it is destroyed by the effect of your opponent's Spell Card, draw 1 additional card.

_Note: "Dummy Marker" was first used by Judai in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Unleashing the Dragon (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SNOW PLOW HUSTLE RUSTLE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl10/2,500ATK/3,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. When your opponent declares a direct attack, destroy all cards in your Spell/Trap Zone to Special Summon this card from your hand and inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent for every card destroyed in this manner.

_Note: "Snow Plow Hustle Rustle" was first used by Anna in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Love Hurts". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**STRONGARM LIMITED EXPRESS – TROLLEY ROLLEY (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is used for the Xyz Summon of an Xyz Monster, the Xyz Summoned Monster gains 800 Attack Points.

**0000000000**

**CONSTRUCTION TRAIN SIGNAL RED (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/1,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When your opponent declares a direct attack, you may Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position. The Monster that declared the attack must then battle this card.

_Note: "Strongarm Limited Express – Trolley Rolley" and "Construction Train Signal Red" were first used by Anna in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 052. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**BURIED TREASURE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A gang of pirates digging up a treasure chest on a beach.

**Card Description: **When this card is in your Graveyard, and 10 or more cards are on top of it, you may banish it; if you do, both players may draw 2 cards.

_Note: "Buried Treasure" first appeared in "Legend of the Sorcerer Kings"._

__**0000000000  
**

**IRON DARK HORSE**** (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Lvl7/?ATK/1,000DEF**

"_Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive" + 1 or more "Bokoichi __the Freightening Car"_

**Effect: **A Fusion Summon of this card can only be conducted using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. This card's ATK equals 800 for each "Bokoichi the Freightening Card" used as a Fusion Material Monster. If this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle, return the destroyed Monster to your opponent's deck without sending it to the Graveyard; the deck is then reshuffled.

**0000000000**

**STEAM ENGINE LOCO MOTION (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. Once per turn, if your opponent activates a Spell or Trap Card that would destroy exactly 1 or your face-up Machine-Type Monsters, you can negate the activation of that card and destroy it. If you do, reduce the ATK of this card to zero until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**MAGNUS VON GRAPPLE 2.0 (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank7/2,500ATK/2,000DEF**

_2 Level 7 Machine-Type Monsters_

**Effect: **If you control no cards other than this one, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card during your Main Phase 1; this card may attack directly this turn. If you use this effect, skip your Main Phase 2.

**0000000000**

"**Machine King":** (Machine/Earth/Level 6/2,200ATK/2,000DEF) **Deckmaster Effect:** "High Octane": Once per turn, when a Machine-Type Monster is Special Summoned to your side of the field: increase its ATK by 1,000 until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

"**Vivian the Shadow Siren": **(Spellcaster/Dark/Level4/1,800ATK/1,000DEF) **Deckmaster Effect:** "Vivian's Veil": Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from you hand to reduce the damage you take from a direct attack to zero.

**0000000000**

_**Stan has survived his first battle inside the Palace of Shadow… But if this was any indication, it's going to be far deadlier from here on in than it was on the outside. Even worse, while our heroes were able to find friends and allies on the outside, they likely won't find any in this place…**_

_**Will they?**_

_**Next: **_

_**Francesca: When I met Jackson the first time, I didn't think he was anything special. I thought he was nothing more than the same extraverted lout that I had met several times before.**_

_**Boy, was I wrong. It seems that Jackson is much more than that, and not for the better. It seems he will sink to any low, no matter how immoral or how downright evil, to get what he wants. This is truly a case of a guy who won't accept no for an answer, even he needs to make a deal with the devil to force a girl to say yes. **_

_**I haven't dealt with someone **_**this **_**bad before… And maybe that's why I'm agreeing to this duel…**_

"_**A Deal With Dark Ruler" is coming soon. **_


	38. A Deal With Dark Ruler

_**I've dealt with a lot of cretins in my time, but I consider myself lucky that I've never actually been the victim of one of the most terrible crimes that a man can commit against a woman.**_

_**All modernized countries treat this crime as a serious felony, and many argue that doing it to a woman is even worse than murdering her. Victims rarely recover from it soon, if they do at all.**_

_**As much as I didn't like Jackson, I didn't think that he was capable of it…**_

_**But what he wants to do now is even worse… He intends what is clearly a crime against humanity…**_

_**Clearly, of all the wagers I've been forced to make since coming here, this one is the worst…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-EIGHT**

**0000000000**

**A Deal With Dark Ruler**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Half an hour after the duel with Crump, the three duelists were walking down a hallway… The same hallway that they had been walking down a half-hour ago.

It was a stone hallway lit by torches… And that was about it. No doors, no alcoves, basically nothing else. No features at all.

Finally, Francesca threw down her knapsack in frustration.

"God, does this even _have _an end to it?" she shouted.

"Maybe it doesn't…" said Andy, scratching his chin. "Remember what Pennington said about this place?

"He said something like, how it was like an 'insane architect' designed it, and how the Queen has complete control over the structure… She may well be able to make this hallway go on endlessly if she wants to…"

"So is she just going to let us wander forever?" asked Stan.

He looked at the ceiling.

"You can't defeat us unless you confront us, you know?" he shouted. "How about a door here?"

Then, to his surprise, a large card appeared in front of them. Then, a Monster appeared. It was a stone door with a face and arms, holding a spear. (1,800 DEF)

"I guess she heard me…" he said, more than a little surprised.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "That's a Golem Sentry…"

Andy activated his Duel Disk, and drew the top card.

"Yeah," he said, "but it's still a door, and maybe defeating it will let us into another part of the Palace…"

He played a card, and Alexandrite Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Break down that door!" he shouted, as the Dragon breathed its breath weapon, blowing the Rock to pieces.

They all grinned as a portal opened where the Golem Sentry had been. Quickly, they rushed through it.

**0000000000**

The six Shadow Spawn walked into their mother's throne room. (Not flew, _walked. _They didn't want to upset her further with any horseplay.)

"Children!" she said with a smile. "Have a seat…"

They slowly took a seat on the nearby benches, somewhat dreading why she had called them here. Finding her in an apparent good mood didn't do much to calm them. When she was happy, it usually meant that someone else was going to be _unhappy. _

"Are we in trouble again?" asked Melissa, with a slight tremble in her voice.

"No, Melissa, that's what we're here to prevent," said the Queen.

Her crystal ball started to glow.

"Given the fact that each of you had a perfect record up until a week ago… Which has now been ruined… I think we should have a small lesson on how to avoid a repeat of that failure."

"You're going to give us some pointers on how to duel better?" asked Tyson.

"No…" said the Shadow Queen. "I'm going to give you some pointers on what _not _to do.

"You see, as Stan himself said, many great duelists, such as Katsuya Jonouchi, Seto Kaiba, and even Yugi Mouto, faced duels that they would have lost if their opponents hadn't made misplays that cost them dearly.

"They were playing for terrible stakes… Just think… If their opponents in those duels had been a little smarter, their careers might have been prematurely ended, and the world might have been a very different place today as a result…"

She looked at them with a smirk as they looked at her with fright.

"It's a scary thought, isn't it?" she said. "What might have happened if they weren't around when the forbidden power of the Orichalcos had been unleashed…

"So… As a wise man once said, those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them. So let's study some of them, shall we?"

**0000000000**

The portal opened, and the three teenagers emerged into an odd room.

It was a large room that was strewn with rocks and boulders on a dirt floor. A raised platform that was clear of the debris was in the center, a thirty-foot to a side square dais, and paths were provided to access it.

"Looks kind of like the Pewter City Gym…" said Francesca, looking around.

"Uh…" said Andy. "Oh, that's another Pokémon reference, right."

Francesca nodded, and they looked around.

"No exit…" said Stan.

Then, an exit did apparently open. A concealed door opened on the other side of the room, and somebody who both Stan and Francesca recognized stepped out.

"_Jackson?" _she shouted.

Jackson smirked. She snapped his fingers, and the door slammed shut.

"Hello again," he said, as he walked up to the platform.

"I can't believe it…" muttered Francesca. "_You _gained one of the Crystal Stars?"

"Actually, I didn't…" said Jackson. "But a deal I made with the Witty Phantom gave me a special pass…"

"Special pass?" asked Francesca.

"I just have to duel you again," said Jackson, "and once I win, I'll take your place as a finalist…

"Plus I get an extra prize… You."

"Say WHAT?" shouted Andy.

"Let him talk…" said Francesca. "This is getting kind of funny…"

"Oh, I'm not joking, Fran…" said Jackson. "Once I defeat you, he'll reprogram your mind and make you my servant…"

"Okay, maybe it's not so funny at all…" said Francesca, her expression turning into a scowl.

"That's pretty low…" said Stan.

"Jackson, this is unbelievable," said Francesca. "Haven't you watched enough movies to know what happens to people who make deals with demons?"

"I have a hard time believing that a third-rate Duel Spirit like the Witty Phantom can even do that…" said Stan. "Maybe Dark Ruler Ha Des could, but…"

"Well I _don't _believe it…" added Andy. "Jackson, the deal you made… The Phantom only gave you the paperwork! You're really dealing with the S…"

"Put a lid on it!" said Jackson. "This is between me and her!"

"Oh, you bet it is…" said Francesca.

She looked at Jackson.

"Suppose I say no?" she said.

"Then you're going to have to figure out how to open that door I came through yourself," replied Jackson. "It's the only way out… And I have nowhere to go…"

Ms. Mowz and Flurrie appeared beside Francesca, glaring daggers at Jackson.

"I'm getting the same feeling from this guy that I get from moldy limburger," said Ms. Mowz.

"If that's your way of saying he stinks, I agree," added Flurrie.

"Don't worry you two…" said Francesca.

She took her deck, and shuffled it.

"I thought he was a creep the first time, just like any other creep… But this goes way too far. For the first time in my life, I can truly say that I hate a guy…

"Well, fine, I beat him once, I can do it a second time… I might even enjoy this…"

The two Companions vanished as she walked up to the platform.

"Then step right up!" laughed Jackson, as he took a card from his deck. "And here's my Deckmaster…

"The mighty Millennium Golem!"

A huge, hulking statue appeared, with one eye on its cubical face, the eye of Wdjat. (2,000 ATK)

"Mighty?" asked Francesca. "Yeah, right… You actually had that old thing in your deck?"

"I do now," said Jackson.

Francesca looked at the intimidating but very outdated Monster strangely, and then took a card from her deck.

"I choose Sunlight Unicorn," she said.

There was an aura of light, and the enchanted steed appeared behind her. (1,800 ATK)

"_Francesca!" _said a soft, feminine voice.

"Huh?" said Francesca, turning to the Monster. "You talk?"

"_I'm telepathic," _she replied, _"and I pledge to do all it takes to help bring down this lout."_

Francesca felt a little more confident at this, so she activated her Duel Disk.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Jackson: 8,000)**

"My Deckmaster has 200 less Attack Points that yours does," said Francesca, "so I'm going first…"

She drew a card, and then set a Monster on her Disk, causing it to appear concealed.

"I'll end there…" she said.

"My move already?" asked Jackson.

He drew a card.

"I play the Field Spell, Catapult Zone."

He fit the card into his Field Zone, and the backdrop changed quickly. The room transformed into the frontline of a battlefield with soldiers standing by catapults.

"Next, I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior," he said.

He played the card, and a rather famous Monster appeared, a cute-looking yellow robot with horns on its head resembling a magnet, and magnets for hands. (1,700 ATK)

Francesca looked at it strangely.

_This is new… _she thought.

"Attack her Monster with Electromagnetic Bolt Blast!" shouted Jackson.

Beta fired bolts of energy from its hands. Key Mouse appeared on the card, and shattered.

"You activated Key Mouse's effect," said Francesca. "I get to take a Level 3 Beast from my deck…"

A card slipped out of her deck. She took it, and looked at Monoceros.

"I throw down a face-down, for later," said Jackson, as a set card appeared behind Beta, "and then it's your move…"

Francesca made a draw, and then held up her Card From a Different Dimension.

"I'm banishing this card," she said, as it vanished, "in order to Special Summon Monoceros!"

The ground trembled, and the unicorn-rhinoceros hybrid appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I summon Elephun!" she shouted, as the cute little pachyderm appeared. (500 ATK)

"Now, she said, as Elephun flew over the battlefield, with Monoceros following, "I can Tune my Monsters together and summon someone who I'm sure you'll remember…"

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

Thunder Unicorn leapt onto the field with a loud whinny. She looked at Jackson with a look of pure rage. (2,200 ATK)

"Yep, and I didn't miss her a bit…" sighed Jackson.

"Stuff it!" shouted Francesca. "Due to Monoceros' effect, I can now Special Summon Elephun back to the field…"

The small elephant appeared again, this time in Defense Mode. (300 DEF)

"And by using Thunder Unicorn's effect, as I'm sure you remember, I can reduce Beta the Magnet Warrior's Attack Score by 500 for each Monster I have…"

Beta shook, and sparks flew from its shoulders. (700 ATK)

"Way to go, baby!" shouted Andy.

"I'm not done!" shouted Francesca, as she played a card. "I'll set a card, and then Equip Thunder Unicorn with Mage Power!"

She played the two cards, and Thunder Unicorn glowed with eldritch energy. (3,200 ATK)

"And now she's going to smash your Magnet Warrior!"

Thunder Unicorn charged, stabbing Beta in the chest with its sharp horn…

"I use the effect of my Field Spell!" shouted Jackson. "Once per turn, I can toss a Rock-Type Monster from my deck in order to prevent one of the field from being destroyed by battle."

He discarded a card, and Beta withstood the attack.

"But you still take damage!" said Fran.

"Ergh…" grunted Jackson.

**(F: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 5,500)**

"It's your move…" said Fran, as Beta's Attack Score returned to 1,700.

"This guy is a pushover…" laughed Stan.

"A pushover?" growled Jackson.

He frowned as he drew a card.

_What she doesn't know is, _he thought, _the Phantom also gave me quite a few tips on improving my deck. I gotta admit, the fringe benefits to this deal are rather good…_

"I throw another card face-down," he said, as a second set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then I attack Elephun with Beta!"

Beta blasted its rays again, and the Tuner was blown to pieces.

"And that will be all…"

Francesca drew a card. And she was surprised when she saw it.

_It's one of the cards I got from Cleo! _she thought.

"_Play it, Francesca!" _urged Sunlight Unicorn. _"That's the whole reason you got it…"_

Francesca nodded.

"First thing's first…" she said. "Because I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn, "It returns to my hand this turn, and we both draw twice."

"My pleasure!" said Jackson, as they both made two draws.

"Now, I summon Flame Tiger!" shouted Fran, as she threw a card on her Disk.

There was a roar, and ferocious saber-tooth tiger shrouded in fire appeared in front of her. (1,800 ATK)

"A new one?" asked Jackson.

"You bet…" said Francesca. "Thunder Unicorn, attack Beta again!"

"I activate… Rainbow Life!" shouted Jackson.

One of his Trap Cards lifted up as the unicorn charged, and he discarded Overlay Regenerate from his hand. An aura of multicolored energy surrounded him as Thunder Unicorn's horn slammed into Beta.

"Now, I not only don't lose any Life Points, but for this turn, I _gain _whatever Life Points I would have lost. And due to the effect of Catapult Zone, I can protect Beta again."

He took another card from his deck and discarded it.

"But you can only use that Field Spell's effect once per turn," said Francesca. "Flame Tiger, destroy it with Flaming Rage!"

The tiger burned fiercer, and pounced, blasting the Magnet Warrior to little pieces.

Jackson grinned, and his other Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Birthright!" he shouted.

There was an aura of energy, and Beta appeared again. (1,700 ATK)

Then something unexpected happened. The Eye of Wdjat on Millennium Golem glowed, and a blast of burning fire shot from it striking Francesca.

"WHAT?" she shouted.

"That's my Deckmaster's effect!" said Jackson. "It deals out 300 points of damage each time I Special Summon a Rock-Type Monster. Cool, huh?

"And believe me, babe, you haven't seen anything yet…"

**(F: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,100)**

Francesca looked at him.

"I end my turn…"

**0000000000**

In the Shadow Queen's throne room, the crystal ball showed a duel being held in a strange arena: a courtroom. One duelist, who was standing in the witness stand, was Katsuya Jonouchi. His opponent, sitting in the judge's bench, seemed to be Judge Man.

"I remember this…" said Kurtis. "That's Chikuzen Ooka, right? One of the Big Five? We all know what his mistake was… Thinking he could cheat under Noah Kaiba's very nose and get away with it."

"He _had _to cheat," replied the Shadow Queen. "He couldn't have defeated a five-year old if he had played fairly. I'll show you…"

A part of the duel appeared where Jonouchi summoned his Swordsman of Landstar to confront Ooka's Kamionwizard. He tried to use Graceful Dice to increase its Attack Score, but Johnson cheated, making it land on the one.

"This is where Ooka screws up…" said the Queen.

They watched as Ooka used his Deckmaster effect, paying 1,000 Life Points to destroy Swordsman of Landstar and inflict 500 points of damage to Jonouchi.

"That was screwing up?" asked Tyson.

"Yes," said the Queen. "Ooka apparently forgot that his Leading Question Continuous Spell would have granted Kamionwizard 800 more Attack Points when it attacked a Monster. If he had attacked Swordsman of Landstar instead, he would have dealt 1,600 points of damage, and well, do the math…"

"He would have won…" said Leopold.

"Precisely," said the Queen. "You might defend him by saying that he had no idea that one of Jonouchi's set cards was Scapegoat… _However, _another part of that move that made it stupid was the fact that using his Deckmaster effect at that point brought his Life Points down to 800, meaning that he didn't have enough to use it again. He was reckless and overconfident, and it led to his defeat after Noah discovered his cheating.

"If you want another example of Ooka's stupidity…"

The crystal ball went dark, and then showed another duel, this one shown on mountain path. Both Jonouchi and Yugi were facing a duelist who appeared to be their ally, Hiroto Honda.

"In this duel, the two of them were facing the entire Big Five at once. However, only of them could control Honda's stolen body at a time.

"When Ooka was doing so, he clearly wanted revenge against Jonouchi for his previous humiliation…

"But again, he made a stupid mistake…"

They watched the scene, as Ooka used his Deckmaster effect again, leaving both Yugi and Jonouchi defenseless. Then, he summoned Hysteric Fairy, and attacked Jonouchi directly.

Then he used Catapult Turtle's effect, and sacrificed Hysteric Fairy to inflict 900 points of damage on Jonouchi.

"THAT was stupid?" asked Maria. "He reduced Jonouchi to only 300 Life Points!"

"But he failed to notice that had he moved Catapult Turtle to Attack Mode and attacked directly with that too," replied the Shadow Queen, "Jonouchi would have been reduced to zero Life Points, and half of their problem would have been solved.

"Given how the rest of the duel turned out, it's doubtful that Yugi could have beaten them by himself."

"She has a point…" said Vladimir.

"The biggest irony about Ooka…" said the Queen, "is that he mocked Jonouchi mercilessly, calling him a 'third-rate duelist'… When in fact, he himself may well have been the most incompetent opponent that Jonouchi ever faced…"

**0000000000**

"My move now…" said Jackson.

He drew a card.

"Nice…" he said, as he played it. "I play the Dark Factory of Mass Production Spell Card… It lets me recover two Normal Monsters from my Graveyard…"

He took two cards from his discard slot.

"Give you one guess what they are!" he laughed, as he turned them forward.

"Alpha and Gamma?" gasped Francesca. "So you're actually going to…"

"Oh, I am…" said Jackson. "I send them to back to the Graveyard, along with Beta…"

He discarded the cards, and Beta vanished into grains of light.

"…to Special Summon a mighty beast that's three Monsters in one! I bring out Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

An eruption of electrical energy cascaded out of Jackson's side of the field, and a tall, hulking creature rose in front of him. Very few duelists had used this rare card since the King of Games had done so in Battle City, seeing as using it was difficult. The creature was looked as if the three lesser Magnet Warriors had been taken apart, and all their pieces combined to make one huge humanoid, the result of which was now in front of Francesca. (3,500 ATK)

Millennium Golem blasted its fiery bolt from its eye, and Francesca groaned again.

"But I won't be using him right away…" said Jackson. "Actually, I'm going to use his effect, and sacrifice him to summon the three lesser Magnet Warriors from my Graveyard."

Valkyrion vanished, and three smaller robots appeared. Beta came first. (1,700 ATK) Then came Alpha, a thin, grey robot with a sword, a shield, and a helmet shaped like a magnet. (1,400 ATK) Then came Gamma, a squat, pink robot with an S on its chest, large hands and feet, and tinfoil-like wings. (1,500 ATK)

"That counts as three Special Summons, by the way…"

"ARGH!" shouted Francesca, as Millennium Golem fired its blast again. She held her chest.

"Let me guess…" she said, through her teeth. "You're going to use those three guys to summon a second Valkyrion, and then use Monster Reborn to summon the first. Am I warm?"

"You're ice cold," replied Jackson.

Then, a vortex appeared, and consumed the three Magnet Warriors.

"With these three Level 4 Monsters," he exclaimed, "I build the Overlay Network!"

The ground started to rumble, and then split. A giant creature that looked like a dragon made of stone with two small dragons for claws rose out of the ground. (1,800 ATK)

"Wha?" said Stan. "Unless I miss my guess… Isn't that… Stone Dragon?"

"This is Grandstone Dragon," said Jackson. "See, princess, using this card to beat you will be beating you at your own game, so to speak.

"You remember our last duel, right? Garnecia Elefantis is an outdated and worthless Monster, but you had an updated version that was quite lethal.

"Now I also have an updated version of a rather useless Monster, and it's pretty lethal too! This is poetic justice!

"First of all, an Xyz Summon is a Special Summon…"

"Not again…" moaned Francesca.

Millennium Golem zapped her again, and she cried out in pain.

"Now, time to show you what Grandstone Dragon can do," continued Jackson. "By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon a Rock-Type Monster from my Graveyard."

He discarded Beta, and Valkyrion appeared again. (3,500 ATK)

"Millennium Golem, one more time…" he said.

Francesca groaned as the thing hit her with its beam yet again.

**(F: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,100)**

"The Witty Phantom wasn't kidding!" shouted Andy. "A Monster that would be pretty worthless in actual gameplay can make a deadly Deckmaster. Jackson hasn't even attacked yet, and already he's dealt out 1,800 points of damage!"

"This is just going to get worse, babe," said Jackson, as he fit a Spell Card into his Disk. "By using the Solidarity Continuous Spell, all my Rock Monsters on the field gain 800 Attack Points, so long as only Rocks are in my Graveyard."

(Valkyrion: 4,300 ATK, Grandstone Dragon: 2,600 ATK)

"Time to attack!" he shouted. "Valkyrion, smash that horse with Magnet Saber!"

The merged Monster swung its weapon, sending a blast of electromagnetic energy at Thunder Unicorn, blasting her to pieces.

"Your Tiger is next!" he shouted. "Shard Shower!"

Grandstone Dragon roared, and razor-sharp stones shot from its jaws. Flame Tiger vanished in a cloud of soot and smoke.

"Okay, I think that's enough for one turn…" he said with an evil smirk. "I should probably note that Grandstone Dragon can use one other effect; so long as it has at least one Overlay Unit, it can negate a card effect that can destroy a Rock-Type Monster, so long as I send one from my deck to the Graveyard.

**(F: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,100)**

"Hold on…" said Andy. "With that Monster and the Field Spell…"

"His Rocks are almost invincible…" said Stan. "This doesn't look good…"

Francesca slowly drew a card. It was her Field Spell, Forest Sanctuary.

_Well, at least I can get rid of _his _Field Spell… _she thought, _and that's half the problem solved… But I don't know what to do after that…_

"_If I may make a suggestion," _said Sunlight Unicorn's telepathic voice. _"I think the first problem that needs to be addressed is that Solidarity card. So long as it's in play, his Monsters have a tremendous advantage."_

Francesca looked at her.

_But how can I get rid of it? _she responded. _I don't have Mystical Space Typhoon or Heavy Storm here…._

"_Perhaps you don't need them…" _replied Sunlight Unicorn. _"Remember, that card's effect is only valid so long as Jackson's Graveyard only contains one Type of Monster. If even one Monster is there that isn't a Rock, it does nothing."_

Francesca looked at the cards in her hand… Then she looked at Jackson…

_Yeah… _she replied. _It just might work…_

"Okay, Jackson…" she said. "I'm setting a Monster, and then playing Forest Sanctuary!"

The set Monster appeared, and the Catapult Zone vanished. The unspoiled, thick forest rose around them.

"It won't help you…" said Jackson.

"Maybe this will…" said Francesca, as she played a Spell Card. "I use Dragged Down into the Grave!"

Jackson gulped.

"Let's see if there was any particular reason why you made no Normal Summons last turn…" said Fran, with a smirk. "Come on, let's see 'em…"

Jackson scowled, and turned his two cards forward. They were Release from Stone and Sangan.

"Bingo!" exclaimed Francesca. "I figured you had a few searchers in that deck. I choose to have you discard Sangan!"

Jackson growled as he discarded the card, and the Attack Scores of both his Monsters fell to their base values.

"Yeah?" he said. "Well, I get to do the same to your hand…"

Francesca turned her hand forward. The cards were Nimble Momonga, Hypnocorn, and Card from a Different Dimension.

"I choose Nimble Momonga!" he shouted.

Francesca discarded it.

"Now we both draw once…" she said.

They each made one draw.

"That's all for my turn…" said Francesca.

Jackson laughed as he drew a card.

"It still doesn't matter…" he said. "Valkyrion still has 3,500 Attack Points…

"And by using Grandstone Dragon's effect again, I can Special Summon Beta from my Graveyard!"

Beta appeared once again. Fran screamed as Millennium Golem shot its eyebeam once more.

"Now, he's going to attack your Monster!" he shouted.

Beta blasted the bolts of energy from its claws. Ironically, the Monster was _her _Sangan. It quickly shattered.

"I use Sangan's effect…" said Francesca, as a card appeared in her hand.

"Big deal!" chuckled Jackson. "In a minute, you're gonna be mine.

"Grandstone Dragon, attack her directly!"

The Shard Shower shot at Francesca, and she struggled against the onslaught as the razor-sharp stones cut into her skin.

"FRAN!" screamed Andy.

"Now for the coup de graceful!" laughed Jackson. "Valkyrion… Finish her off!"

Stan and Andy watched in horror as the huge Rock hit Francesca with its sword, knocking her down…

"No…" cried Andy, covering his eyes. "No… Please…"

"You can look now…" said Francesca's voice.

She still hadn't gotten up… But… It seemed like the duel wasn't over yet…

**(F: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,100)**

"HOW?" shouted Jackson.

"First of all, moron," said Francesca, as she stood up, "the correct term is _coup de grâce. _And the term is properly used to describe a mercy killing delivered to a mortally wounded and suffering soldier, not the final blow to your enemy.

"Second, you were so excited that you didn't even notice my face-down card. I activated it when Beta attacked Sangan.

"It was Hyper Refresh. My Life Points were at 3,700 then. And because the combined total of the Attack Scores of your three Monsters is 7,000, which is well-above that, my Life Points doubled to 7,400 right before Grandstone Dragon attacked me."

Jackson frowned.

"To end my turn…" he said, with a growl, "I'll play Golden Sarcophagus…"

A large, golden chest with the eye of Wdjat on the front of it rose out of the ground.

"That's not good…" said Stan. "In two rounds, he'll have access to any card in his deck that he wants…"

A card appeared above the Sarcophagus, it opened, and the card lowered into it. Then the lid closed, and the chest vanished.

"My turn is over."

"_Now's your chance Francesca," _said Sunlight Unicorn. _"Strike now that he's vulnerable!"_

"You got it!" she replied.

"All right Jackson…" she said. "I think I'm not going to draw this turn…

"You see, because Flame Tiger is in my Graveyard, and I have no other Monsters, I can summon it to the field during my Draw Phase instead of making a normal draw…"

The fiery tiger appeared again, burning even hotter. (1,800 ATK)

"The downside of this is, the next time it leaves, it leaves for good… Next, I summon Lock Cat!"

She played the card, and the small cat with the lock on its collar appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"And via its effect, Key Mouse from my Graveyard!"

The small rodent appeared too. (100 DEF)

She took a card from her hand, and was about to play it.

"_Wait…" _said Sunlight Unicorn. _"Don't play Monster Reborn just yet…"_

_Huh?" _replied Francesca.

"_True, you could summon Thunder Unicorn, and use its effect to reduce Valkyria's Attack Score by 2,000 points._

"_But… Jackson would just summon it again with Grandstone Dragon. There is another option that will let you save Monster Reborn's actual effect for later."_

She whispered into Francesca's ear, and Francesca smirked.

"Okay, Jackson," she said. "I'll Tune my three Monsters together…"

The three Beasts flew into the sky above Forest Sanctuary, Key Mouse leading the way, and flying through the rings of energy that appeared…

**(*1 + *3 + *4 = *8)**

Lightning struck, and Lightning Tricorn appeared out of the blue. (2,800 ATK)

"Who cares?" said Jackson. "Valkyrion will _eat _that thing."

"No it won't," said Fran, "because you aren't the only one who has a Deckmaster…

"For the cost of one Spell Card from my hand…"

She discarded Card from a Different Dimension.

"…I can recover an Equip Spell from my Graveyard!"

She took Mage Power from her discard slot, and then played it. Lightning Tricorn's eyes shone with powerful light. Then she took the Monster Reborn card from her hand, and set in into her Disk. The light shone even brighter. (4,300 ATK)

"With three Spell and/or Trap Cards on my side of the field, she's more than strong enough to destroy Valkyrion. But… Since you can use Grandstone Dragon's effect to Special Summon it again…

"Lightning Tricorn… You know what to do…"

Lightning flashed from Tricorn's three horns, and Jackson screamed in pain as his huge Xyz was blown into pebbles. The impact threw him backwards, to the edge of the platform.

**(F: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 4,600)**

"You'll pay for that…" growled Jackson.

He drew a card.

"I move both my Monsters into Defense Mode…" he said.

Beta knelt and crossed its arms. (1,600 DEF) Then Valkyrion crouched and covered itself with its wings. (3,850 DEF)

"Then, I use the Mist Body Equip Spell, and Equip it to Valkyrion," he said, as a white glow surrounded the Magna Warrior. "He'll be an effective shield for now…"

He smirked, and then threw two cards into his Disk. Two set cards appeared behind his two Monsters.

"Make your move…"

Fran drew a card, and she sighed when she saw who it was.

_Sorry Ms. Mowz, _she thought, _I can't risk summoning you right now… You'd just be smashed by that thing…_

_I don't know what Jackson is up to, but I don't think it's gonna be pleasant…_

"Attack his Beta!" she shouted.

Lighting Tricorn's horns flashed, and Beta the Magnet Warrior exploded again.

"Thank you…" said Jackson. "In case you're done, it's time to wrap this up…"

"Mmm!" said Francesca.

Jackson made a draw, and then smirked again. Then the Golden Sarcophagus rose out of the ground again. The card he had sealed inside it floated out, and it appeared in his hand.

"First thing's first," he said. "I sacrifice Valkyrion…"

The Magna Warrior vanished.

"To once again summon Alpha, Beta, and Gamma!"

Again, the three lesser Magnet Warriors appeared. (1,400 ATK, 1,700 ATK, 1,500 ATK)

"You know what that means…" he said.

Again, Millennium Golem blasted its eye ray, and Francesca screamed.

"This is seriously getting old…" she groaned.

"Well, here's something new," said Jackson. "Because I have three Level 4 Monsters again, _and _all three of them are Rocks, I can Xyz Summon an even stronger Monster than Grandstone Dragon!"

The Overlay Network opened again, consuming the three Magnet Warriors. There was a rumbling, and a titanic form started to rise over the field…

At first, it looked like a huge obsidian statue of a muscular man wearing golden armor and a Spartan-style helmet. However, upon closer inspection, its joints seemed to be mechanical in nature; it was more an elaborate clockwork automation than a golem. (3,000 ATK)

As if this huge Xyz wasn't intimidating enough, there was something about the sight of it that made Stan, Andy, and Francesca tremble… A feeling of dread that they could swear they had all felt before…

"I give you… Tak the Terrible!" laughed Jackson. "Fortunately for you, this is a Machine, not a Rock, so my Deckmaster's effect doesn't activate.

"The Phantom told me that some guy named Smithy thought this guy up…"

"SMITHY?" shouted Andy. "Don't tell me _that _guy is still around?"

All of a sudden, the dark fear that this creature seemed to cause in them made sense…

"Don't know, don't exactly care…" said Jackson. "All I know is, his card is a good one…"

_This is _really _bad… _thought Andy. _I was barely able to beat that guy… But it seems that, one way or another, the Queen still found a way to work with him…_

"Now, I use my Trap Cards…" said Jackson.

One of his set cards lifted up.

"The first one is called Crevice into the Different Dimension," he said. "I get to name one Attribute, and then banish up to two Monsters of the named Attribute from either Graveyard.

"So… I named Earth, and the Monsters I choose to banish are… Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, and just to spite you, Elephun…"

Francesca sighed, and took the Tuner from her discard slot.

"Now I activate… Release from Stone!" he exclaimed, as his second Trap Card lifted up.

A glowing portal opened in mid-air.

"This Trap Card lets me Special Summon a banished Rock Monster," he continued, as Valkyrion emerged from the portal. (3,500 ATK)

"Millennium Golem, you know what to do…"

The Deckmaster blasted its ray again, and Francesca shrieked.

"Now, I use the card that I got with my Sarcophagus' effect… Shrink!"

He played the card, and Lightning Tricorn was reduced to half her size. (2,900 ATK)

"That makes it just weak enough for Tak to handle…" said Jackson. "Attack her Tricorn with Earthshattering Smash!"

The attack was _very _well-named. The huge Machine threw a punch that caused the whole room to shake, smashing Tricorn to bits.

"I use her effect!" shouted Francesca. "I summon Thunder Unicorn in Defense Mode!"

Thunder Unicorn appeared, sitting on her hindquarters. (1,800 DEF)

"Tak has a pretty useful effect too," replied Jackson, as he held up Alpha's card. "By detaching one Overlay Unit when he smashes a Monster, that Monster becomes mine!"

Lightning Tricorn appeared on his side of the field, also defending. (2,000 DEF)

"Fortunately for you, I had to summon it in Defense Mode. And to make up for this powerful effect and high Attack Score, it doesn't do any Battle Damage.

"But I still have Valkyrion…"

Valkyrion made a swipe with its sword, and Thunder Unicorn shattered.

**(F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 4,600)**

Jackson smiled.

"My turn is over princess," he said. "It doesn't have to be hard, you know… I can be gentle if you want…

"And I would be inclined to be if you'd just stop fighting…"

Francesca looked at him in disgust. She didn't believe that for a minute, but she was really in a bind here…

_What do I do? _she thought. _I could use Monster Reborn to bring Thunder Unicorn back and use it to defeat Tak, but then all three Magnet Warriors would be in his Graveyard again, and he wouldn't even have to attack to win. He could summon them and wipe out the rest of my Life Points using his Deckmaster. _

_And even if I could somehow avoid it, she'd be no match for Valkyrion…_

She looked at Sunlight Unicorn.

_Well? _she asked.

"_You summed it up quite well…" _said the Beast. _"It does seem rather hopeless…_

"_Still, Francesca… Are you willing to give up? To actually submit to this monster and willingly be his slave?"_

Francesca looked at Sunlight Unicorn strangely.

"_I don't think you will," _continued the Duel Monster. _"You'd be surrendering your innocence and honor and revoking everything you believe in. _

"_And I don't for a minute think that you, of all people, would _ever _do such a thing."_

"Well, princess?" asked Jackson. "I'm waiting…"

Francesca looked at him, and replied by suggesting an impossible act of masturbation.

Jackson could only stare at her in disbelief as she drew a card.

"Here's my move, Jackson!" she said, as she played it. "The Spell Card, Signal Check!"

As she played it, a small, spindly being made of luminous white energy with no features on its face except two spots that suggested eyes emerged from the card.

"Wha…" gasped Jackson. "That's… A _Neo Spacian?"_

"Rumor has it that Pegasus designed this Spell Card after he witnessed Yukai Judai duel for the first time," said Francesca with a smirk. "Apparently, Glow Moss was used in the duel. This card isn't exactly common… But I can thank a friend we have for it…

"Now then, it works as follows… You pick up cards from your deck until you reach a Monster. Don't show me any…"

Jackson took one card from his deck, then a second, then a third.

"Fine!" he said. "Now what?"

"Now I have to guess what Attribute that Monster is," continued Fran.

As she said this, Glow Moss held up its hands, and six small orbs, each one representing one of the colors of one of the six Attributes, hovered over them.

"If I guess wrong," she said, "you get to keep those three cards. But if I'm right, then you shuffle them back into your deck, and I get to draw three times."

"Wait a minute…" said Jackson.

"I guess… Earth!" shouted Francesca.

All of the orbs in Glow Moss' hands except the brown one vanished, and the one of Jackson's three cards glowed. A large card appeared in mid-air: Alpha the Magnet Warrior.

"Yes!" shouted Andy. "She was right!"

"Congratulations…" growled Jackson, as he shuffled his deck.

Francesca made three draws.

"Well, Jackson…" she said. "I wish I could say this has been fun…"

Her set Monster Reborn lifted up.

"…but it hasn't…"

Thunder Unicorn appeared in a flash of energy. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, I summon Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief!" she shouted.

With a chitter, the Squeek appeared next to the unicorn. (1,200 ATK)

"Big deal…" said Jackson.

"I'll show you a big deal…" said Fran. "I use Thunder Unicorn's effect to reduce Tak the Terrible's Attack Score by 1,000 points!"

The huge automation shuddered. (2,000 ATK)

"Then attack it!" laughed Jackson. "I dare you! I double dare you!"

"Oh, don't worry, I will," said Francesca. "But first…"

She played a Spell Card.

"I activate Earth Tremor!" she shouted. "By sacrificing a Beast-Type Monster, I can deal out 500 points of damage times the Level of the most powerful Monster on your side of the field."

Ms. Mowz vanished into grains of light.

"And what do you know, Jackson? Don't you have _two _Level 8 Monsters over there?"

Then Jackson screamed as the ground erupted around him, shaking him violently and knocking him down on his behind.

**(F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 600)**

For the first time, Jackson was genuinely angry.

"You little bitch!" he shouted. "When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna…"

"Jackson…" said Francesca. "Shut… UP!"

She held up another card. De-Synchro.

"I'm using my Deckmaster effect again, discarding this Spell Card to get Mage Power back again…"

She discarded the card, and Jackson's expression of anger quickly turned to one of fear. Francesca took the Mage Power card, and played it, causing Thunder Unicorn's eyes to glow with anger. (3,200 ATK)

"Wait…" said Jackson. "Stop…"

"Attack Tak the Terrible!" shouted Francesca. "Thunder Spear!"

Thunder Unicorn charged at the much larger Monster… It leapt towards the giant's chest…

Then it leapt _through _the huge Machine's chest, with a blast of electricity and broken metal. Jackson screamed as Tak the Terrible started to fall apart. First its right arm fell off, then its left…

Then Jackson screamed again as he realized that what remained of it was about to fall right on top of him.

Francesca braced herself, as the huge Machine collapsed with a crash and a huge cloud of dust.

**(F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 0)**

The holograms slowly vanished, all except for Sunlight Unicorn. She gave Francesca a pleasant smile, and then faded away.

There was no sign of Jackson anywhere.

"Where do you think he went?" asked Andy.

The door that Jackson had come through opened.

"I couldn't care less…" said Francesca. "He was a despicable human being and if I ever do see him again, I'm going to shove his deck down his throat."

Andy walked up to her, and gave her a gentle hug.

"Careful, Andy, I'm a little tender…" she sighed.

"People, I'm worried…" said Stan.

"I take it you mean 'more worried than we usually are'?" asked Andy.

"Yes…" said Stan. "The Witty Phantom refused to give us a manual on what Monsters had what Deckmaster effects, saying that we had to learn them by trial and error…

"But I don't believe for a minute that Jackson found out that a Monster as outdated as Millennium Golem had a Deckmaster effect that lethal by experimentation alone.

"Clearly the Shadow Queen is giving her minions information we don't have on what the best Deckmasters are, or at least pointing them in the right direction…"

Francesca sighed.

"Pennington was right…" she said. "Who knows just how far she can bend the rules without really breaking them?"

They looked towards the doorway, and then walked through it.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen and her offspring were still going over recordings.

Then, Grodus walked into the room.

"Uh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" he said.

"Actually, you are," replied the Queen. "But what is it?"

"You might want to know that the Witty Phantom's first flunky just flunked out," replied Grodus.

The Shadow Queen sighed.

"Disappointing, but not unexpected," she said. "Tell him to tell the second one to be ready."

Grodus bowed, and exited the room.

**0000000000**

**SIGNAL CHECK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Neo-Spacian Glow Moss holding up its hands, while four orbs, red, blue, green, and brown, float between them.

**Card Description: **Your opponent picks up cards from his deck until he picks up a Monster Card. Guess what Attribute you believe the picked up Monster is. If your guess is incorrect, your opponent adds the picked up cards to his hand. If your guess is correct, your opponent shuffles all the picked up cards back into his deck and you draw 3 cards.

_Note: "Signal Check" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Torment"._

**0000000000**

**GRANDSTONE DRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Earth/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/1,800ATK/2000DEF**

_3 Level 4 Monsters_

**Effect: **Once per turn, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to Special Summon a Rock-Type Monster from your Graveyard. If a Rock-Type Monster would be destroyed by a card effect and this card has at least 1 Xyz Material, you may send 1 Rock-Type Monster from your deck to the Graveyard to negate the destruction.

_Note: This card was designed by Metal Overlord 2.0. Credit goes to him. _

**0000000000**

**TAK THE TERRIBLE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/3,000ATK/1,000DEF**

_3 Level 4 Rock-Type Monsters_

**Effect: **Battle damage this card does to your opponent is reduced to zero. When this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to Special Summon the destroyed Monster from your opponent's Graveyard to your side of the field in face-up Defense Position.

**0000000000**

"**Sunlight Unicorn":** Beast/Light/Level4/1,800/1,000: "Rising Sun": Once per turn, you may discard 1 Spell Card from your hand to add 1 Equip Spell from your Graveyard to your hand.

**0000000000**

"**Millennium Golem":** Rock/Earth/Level6/2,000/2,200: "Millennium Curse": When you Special Summon a Rock-Type Monster, your opponent takes 300 points of damage.

**0000000000**

_**The battle is well underway, and clearly, if what has happened so far is any indication, the challenges our heroes faced on the outside of the Palace of Shadow were nothing compared to what remains to confront them inside it. How far does this gauntlet go? They can only learn as they take it one trial at a time…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Andy: I've been shy around women all my life. Francesca is the closest thing I've ever had to a serious relationship. As a duelist, I've fought opponents who used attractive female Monsters and were never intimidated by them in the least, but real women… They've always made me nervous.**_

_**Still, I've always been smart enough to recognize the warning signs that show you when a woman is to be avoided at all costs. Warning signs like tattoos, immodest clothing, punk jewelry, and liberal use of foul language.**_

_**Poison had all those signs, and a bad attitude on top of it.**_

_**And now, it seems that like Jackson, she has given her soul to the evil in this place simply for a chance at revenge…**_

"_**Nightmare's Steelcage**__**" is coming soon.**_


	39. Nightmare's Steelcage

_I was going to wait until Sandy blew over before I posted this. However, seeing as everyone on the East Coast likely has cabin fever while waiting for the all clear, and everyone's got the election making them tense too, I figured everyone needed an update._

_I just hope there aren't too many people who are blacked out because of the storm._

**0000000000**

_**It's easy to find examples of women that reject the traditional view of the image of the female, and act in manners most often associated with men. I'm not talking about women's rights here, I'm talking about the type of girls who have attitudes and hobbies that aren't feminine at all. I'm also not talking about vixens like Catwoman. Ladies like that can be tough and feminine at the same time. **_

_**Joan of Arc was the best known historical example, and the media is full of them, like Red Sonja, Xena, Warrior Princess, and Marion Ravenwood from two of the Indiana Jones movies (all three of those were more-or-less good guys, showing that it isn't necessarily a bad thing). Basically any woman who'd be willing to engage a man in a fistfight, then cuss him out, and then chug beer with him afterwards. These types rarely let you forget that they **_**are **_**female, though. Men actually seem drawn to them, and the media never portrays them as ugly.**_

_**Poison seems to fit this to a T. She's probably the most aggressive female I've seen that wasn't a card…**_

_**But… It seems that our first encounter back in Petalburg only scratched the surface of what she was capable of…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL THIRTY-NINE**

**0000000000**

**Nightmare's Steelcage**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As the three of them walked down a hallway, Stan checked his watch.

Six PM…

He kind of doubted that they were going to finish this in one day, and he _really _didn't want to spend the night in this place… But it looked like they were going to have to…

"Heads up, people…" said Andy.

They had reached the end of the corridor, and this time, an actual door was at the end. An iron door shaped like an ugly face.

"Uh, how do we…" he said.

Before he could finish that question, the door swung open.

"You know…" said Francesca, "an old poem that starts with the words 'Won't you come into my parlor?' is going through my head right now…"

"I know, I know…" said Andy. "It seems that the Queen decides where we go so long as we're here, and we have little choice…"

_If this is some video game, _thought Stan, _it's clearly one with a very linear path now…_

They walked into the room, which was dark at first. Then some lights lit up. It looked sort of like a mechanic's garage. The walls held shelves full of tools and the stuff used for fixing and maintaining cars, while oil drums and old tires were in the corners. A motorcycle that Andy remembered only too well was parked to the side.

In the center of the room was an arena, similar to the one in the last room.

Then a door opened at the other side of the room, and a familiar face walked through. It was Poison.

Her attire was different, still immodest, but very different. She was going for the "wrench wench" look this time, it seemed. She wore a pair of shorts made from cut-off jeans (cut off _very _high) and a cropped tank top. Axel grease was smeared over her exposed skin.

"What do you want Poison?" asked Andy.

She grinned at him with an unpleasant smile, as she stepped onto the arena.

"If you must know," she said, "after I lost to you, I didn't have much luck in the rest of the tournament…

"Until the Witty Phantom made me an offer…"

"You get to take my place as a finalist if we duel in a rematch and you win?" asked Andy.

Poison nodded.

"And…" she said. "Remember what you promised to do if you had lost the last time?"

Andy shuddered.

"How could I forget?" he asked.

"That too…" said Poison. "But more long term this time…"

"And you're not giving me a choice am I?" asked Andy.

Poison pointed to the door she had come through, which was still wide-open.

"If you'd rather not, the door is right there," she said. "I won't stop you from leaving…"

"Seriously?" asked Andy, in disbelief.

"However…" said Poison.

"I knew it…" said Francesca.

"If you refuse to duel me," said Poison, "you'll all have to sleep on the floor. You'll have no beds tonight, nor any shower or breakfast when you wake up.

"If you agree to this duel and win, the host of the Palace of Shadow will provide all that."

"Guess the Phantom was serious…" said Stan. "You have to earn everything here… It must be the Queen's way of getting us to comply…"

"Andy…" said Francesca.

She looked him in the eye.

"You don't have to…"

Andy took her by the arms.

"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor, baby," he said. "Besides, if I said no, Poison would probably show up again at another time. It's best that I duel her here and now…"

He took a deep breath, and stepped up to the arena.

"Glad you saw it my way…" said Poison.

Then she stepped on a small plunger next to her foot, and before Andy could do anything, an iron mesh cage shot out of the floor behind him.

"What?" he shouted.

Then three more shot up, enclosing him and Poison inside the arena.

"Now isn't this interesting?" said Poison.

"I didn't agree to this!" shouted Andy.

"You'd better let him out, Poison!" demanded Francesca.

"Can't," replied Poison. "Both Andy and I are trapped in here until the duel is over. A little condition of the deal I made with the Phantom. It will make things a bit more interesting.

"Now, here's my Deckmaster!"

She held up a card, and a maniacal laugh came from it. A creepy-looking mad scientist wearing a white lab coat, grey vest, purple tie, and thick glasses, with backwards-pointing horns on his head, materialized behind her.

"Meet Kozaky…" she said. (400 ATK)

_Seems like Poison is pretty determined to have the first move… _thought Andy.

He took his deck and looked at the Monsters.

_I don't even HAVE any Monsters that are weaker than that…_

_Hmm… Vivian was able to pull Stan's butt out of the fire in that duel against Crump… Maybe Koops can help me here…_

He took the card, and held it up.

"I choose Koops the Bashful!" he shouted, as the timid Koopa appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Uh, okay…" said Koops. "Let's give this a shot…"

"I take it that you guys all know what your Deckmaster effects are now?" asked Andy.

"Well, uh…" said Koops. "I don't like to brag, but…"

He whispered into Andy's ear.

"Really?" said Andy. "Okay…"

He took out his sunglasses and put them on.

"All right Poison, you wanted a rematch… You got one!"

Both Duel Disks activated.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Poison: 8,000)**

"I have the first move…" said Poison, as she made a draw.

"And I think I'll use my Deckmaster effect right away! It's called Gene Splicer. By paying 800 Life Points, I get to take any Trap Card with the word 'DNA' in its name and set it in my Spell Zone."

Kozaky cackled again, and formed a ball of glowing energy in his hand. He threw it to the floor in front of Poison, and a set card appeared.

"Next, I'll set another card, and then a Monster, and my turn is over…"

Another set card appeared next to the one that Kozaky had conjured up, and then a set Monster.

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 7,200)**

"A DNA Trap Card?" asked Francesca. "As in DNA Surgery? Think she's using Insects?"

"DNA Surgery has _tons _of uses," replied Stan. "For example, Kinetic Soldier's Attack Score increases by 2,000 whenever it battles a Warrior, and turning all Monsters on the field into Fiends is useful when using Goblin King.

"If you're using Mermails, it's a good card too… There's practically _no _support for Sea Serpents unless you're using a Mermail deck, so turning your opponent's Monsters into them hurts him a great deal.

"Then there's DNA Transplant, and it has a lot of uses too. Turning all Monsters on the field into Fire Monsters can make Ultimate Baseball Kid incredibly powerful.

"It's really hard to say what Poison is up to…"

_Is she using her old deck at all? _thought Andy.

He drew a card.

_I tend to doubt it…_

"I think I'll activate this _now!" _exclaimed Poison.

The card that Kozaky set lifted up.

"It's called DNA Checkup," she said. "Here's the deal…

"You have to guess what Attribute my set Monster is… Guess right, and you draw two cards. Guess wrong, and I draw two cards.

"Sound unfair? You get two guesses."

"Uh, alright…" said Andy.

_Well, her last deck was all Earth, but… _he thought.

"Okay…" he said. "I guess Earth and Dark!"

Poison snickered, and the card lifted up slightly. It was Robotic Knight.

_Guess I'm not as good at guessing Attributes as Fran is, _thought Andy, as Poison made two draws.

He took a card from his hand.

_But at least I know what that Monster is, and I have a card that can beat its Defense…_

"I summon Doppelganger Dragon," he said, as the amoeboid Dragon oozed onto the field. (1,000 ATK)

"I'm sure you remember this guy," he said, as Ryu Senshi's card appeared behind him. "By giving up 1,000 Life Points, I can have it assume the form of this Fusion Monster's non-Dragon material."

Doppelganger Dragon slowly transformed into the shape of Warrior Dai Grepher.

"Then, with Polymerization," he said, as he played the card, "I'll fuse it with Spirit Ryu…"

The spiritual Dragon appeared, and both Dragons were pulled through the vortex.

In a flash, Ryu Senshi appeared. He looked at Poison, glaring at her suspiciously. (2,000 ATK)

"I activate another Trap Card!" shouted Poison, as a second card lifted up.

Andy's hand tensed. If this was bad news, he could use Ryu Senshi's effect…

"Triggered Summon," said Poison. "You Special Summoned a Monster, so now we both can Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from our hands."

Andy's hand un-tensed.

_You don't say… _he thought.

"I'll send out Battle Footballer in Defense Mode!" she shouted.

A bulky android dressed in a football jersey and helmet appeared, crouching in a defending position. (2,100 ATK)

"Let's see your Fusion Monster get past him!" she dared.

"_He _may not be able to," said Andy, "but the Monster that _I'm _using your Triggered Summon to bring out certainly can. Say hello to Rare Metal Dragon!"

There was a rumbling noise, and a large creature burrowed out of the floor. It was a hulking, wingless Dragon completely covered with plates of iron armor. (2,400 ATK)

"Eh?" said Poison.

"Rare Metal Dragon, blitz her Battle Footballer with Flash Cannon!" shouted Andy.

The armored Dragon opened its jaws, and a sphere of pulsating light shot at the mechanical athlete, smashing it into little pieces of metal.

"Ugh…" said Poison. "That wasn't supposed to happen…"

Ryu Senshi swung his sword downward, slicing Robotic Knight in half lengthwise. The two pieces shattered into little bits.

"I'll throw a card facedown," said Andy, as a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and my turn is over."

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 7,200)**

_Okay, minor setback here… _thought Poison, as she made a draw.

"I'll set a card face-down," she said, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and then use my Deckmaster effect a second time…"

Kozaky cackled again, and a new set card appeared.

"Then, I'll summon Cyber Valley to the field," continued Poison.

A small, metal snake with a Dragon-like head appeared in front of her. (0 ATK)

"And then," she said, as she played a Spell Card, "I use Machine Duplication to summon two more of them…"

Two more of the small Machines appeared. (0 ATK x2)

_Three Cyber Valleys, _thought Andy. _This may take a while…_

"Your move…" said Poison.

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,400)**

And drew a card, and looked at the three Valleys.

_Seems I have to do this the hard way… _he thought.

"I summon Masked Dragon!" he shouted.

In an aura of flame, the small Dragon with a metal mask materialized. (1,400 ATK)

"Attack the one on the far right!" he shouted, as it growled.

"I use Cyber Valley's first effect!" shouted Poison, as the Machine vanished. "By banishing it, I can end the Battle Phase, and then draw once."

She made a draw.

"_What _a surprise…" muttered Andy. "Just move, okay?"

Poison grinned that same unpleasant grin.

"Believe me, Andy…" she said, "you're not going to be so confident in a minute or two…"

**0000000000**

In the Queen's throne room, the Shadow Spawn fidgeted a little.

"We get the idea, mom," said Tyson. "The Evil Overlord List can be read on the internet, you know, but actual evil overlords tend to ignore it. That's why no-one who Yugi or Judai opposed ever managed to conquer the world."

"Mistakes are not limited to the folks that they opposed," said the Queen. "Even _they _make misplays on occasion… But Fate seems to favor them anyway…

"Observe…"

The scene in the crystal ball shifted, showing a familiar duelist in a red Duel Academy Obelisk Red jacket, standing in an outdoor power generator under a stormy night sky.

"Yukai Judai fought many nasty Duel Spirits during his career," said the Queen. "The first one was one of the nastiest…"

The view of the scene shifted, showing Judai's opponent.

"Jinzo?" gasped Maria. "You weren't kidding!"

"The practical embodiment of madness…" said Vladimir.

"Indeed…" said the Queen. "A Duel Spirit so insane, even I would be wary of summoning him. My advice to Judai would have been to run the other way and not look back, but he was determined to rescue the Obelisk students that Jinzo was holding hostage… It was quite a noble action, seeing as they tended to be pompous snobs who treated the Osiris students like dirt.

"Anyway, this led to a Shadow Duel where truly, every move counted…"

They watched as Jinzo made the first move, summoning an evil-looking puppet holding an axe.

"The old Ectoplasmer-Doll combo, huh?" asked Leopold. "A powerful, but very risky maneuver…"

Then they watched as Judai attacked Jinzo directly with Featherman, and then used Ectoplasmer to sacrifice it, dealing an additional 500 points of damage.

"Case in point…" added Leopold.

"But Jinzo quickly regained the advantage next turn," said the Queen, "or so he thought…"

Malice Doll of Demise was summoned back to the field via its own effect, and Jinzo summoned Emissary of the Afterlife as well. But upon trying to attack directly with Emissary, Judai activated A Hero Emerges, which resulted in summoning Sparkman to the field. Jinzo continued the attack, and the battle was a draw.

"Emissary of the Afterlife's effect let both players pull a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster from their respective decks," continued the Queen. "Judai had one that qualified, Burst Lady, and this set him up for his next move…

"But it's also where he made a mistake… Watch…"

Judai took his turn, summoning Clayman to the field, and Equipping it with Clay Wrap. Then he used Polymerization to fuse it with Burst Lady, summoning Rampart Gunner. This triggered the effect of Clay Wrap, destroying Ectoplasmer.

Judai then attacked directly with Rampart Blaster, reducing Jinzo to only 500 Life Points.

"That seemed like a good idea at the time…" said the Queen. "But… Judai actually made a mistake there that no-one caught, which cost him a chance to win the duel on that turn…"

"Uh…" said Melissa.

"Oh, of course…" said Kurtis. "If Judai hadn't destroyed Ectoplasmer, he could have used its effect to sacrifice Rampart Blaster at the end of his turn and deal 1,000 points of damage! Game over!"

"Exactly…" said the Queen. "This mistake let Jinzo turn the duel around in his favor."

The crystal ball went dark.

"Judai still managed to win… I do think Fate smiled on him at some time in his life… But the fact remains, in a Shadow Duel, where the penalty for losing can be terrible, mistakes like that can be very dangerous…"

**0000000000**

"My move…" said Poison.

She made a draw.

"I'm using the second effect of my Cyber Valley," she said. "By banishing it and a second Monster, I can draw twice…"

The two Cyber Valleys vanished, and she made two draws.

_Okay, she could have used those guys to shield herself for two more turns… _thought Andy. _Something's up…_

"I activate Call of the Haunted," said Poison.

She her Trap Card lifted up, and Battle Footballer appeared, forming a fighting stance. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I sacrifice it…"

Footballer vanished, and an aura of blue lightning surged from the same spot…

From the surge, a large, humanoid, armored but at the same time svelte, creature appeared in front of Poison. It was a Machine built in the shape of a woman; curves, female facial features, and a head shaped in a way that suggested long hair, giving a strange impression of a soft, feminine form even though it was clearly made of steel. (2,200 ATK)

"Meet Queen Machine," said Poison. "Like what you see?"

"I'm not into Fembots," said Andy.

"Well, other Machines just love her," said Poison, "so much that they can't attack her or any other Machine I have…

"Which is why I have this…"

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"DNA Surgery!"

"Okay, _now _I know what she's up to…" said Stan.

A huge double helix DNA strand spiraled up the center of the arena, radiating an ominous, and forboding glow over the whole garage.

"With this powerful Trap I can change every Monster on the field to any Type I desire…" said Poison, looking at Andy's three Monsters. "And I choose Machines…"

The helix vanished, and both Masked Dragon and Ryu Senshi turned a gunmetal grey color, their joints becoming mechanical, and the armor covering them becoming more artificial. Rare Metal Dragon didn't change much appearance-wise except its eyes, which became cold and emotionless.

"If all Monsters on the field are Machines," said Francesca, "and Queen Machine prevents Poison's Machines from being attacked…"

"…Poison's Monsters can't be attacked at all…" said Stan.

_Still… _he thought. _Andy may have another option…_

"You may not be able to attack my Monsters," said Poison, as Queen Machine held up her hands, "but mine can sure attack _yours!_

"Destroy Ryu Senshi with Spheroid Stream!"

The Queen threw a ball of crackling blue energy at the Fusion Monster…

"I activate… Half Unbreak!" shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and a swarm of soap bubbles shot out of it, surrounding Ryu Senshi.

"This protects him from being destroyed by battle this turn, and reduces the damage I take by half!"

The ball of energy glanced off Ryu's breastplate, and he barely budged.

_I swear, Cleo, _thought Andy, _if by some miracle we prevail, everyone WILL know that you helped us…_

"Humph…" said Poison.

She fit two cards into her Disk, and two more set cards appeared.

"Like I care…" she said. "Your move…"

**(A: 6,900) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,400)**

Andy drew. The card was Stamping Destruction.

_Terrific… _he thought. _I can't use this if my Monsters aren't Dragons…_

_Still, Poison seems to have made one fatal mistake, and it's going to cost her…_

"My Monsters may not be able to attack your Monsters, Poison," he said. "But… You seem to be forgetting something…

"Because there are no Monsters on your side of the field that are legitimate targets, my Monsters have another target…"

"Of course…" said Francesca. "When a Monster is immune to attacks, its _controller _isn't!"

"Rare Metal Dragon…" shouted Andy. "Attack Poison directly!"

The Dragon blasted a stream of lethal energy from its jaws, bypassing Queen Machine entirely, and hitting the biker chick squarely…

"Hmm…" said Andy, as he looked through the smoke that the impact had caused.

Then it parted, and Poison was simply looking at him with a sweet smile… And her Trap Card activated.

"Nice job, Andy…" she said. "You figured out my strategy's weakness…

"Thing is, I figured it out too, which is why I had Spirit Barrier set. It prevents me from taking Battle Damage so long as I have at least one Monster on the field.

"Beginning to see what I have here? Queen Machine makes my Monsters untouchable, while this Trap Card makes ME untouchable! Just try to beat me now!"

Andy looked at the other card in his hand, Fusion Recovery. Not much help there.

"Any ideas, Koops?" he asked.

"Uh, I was never really the one to come up with clever strategies…" muttered Koops.

"Swell…" said Andy.

He turned two cards on his Disk. Ryu Senshi knelt in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF) Then Masked Dragon folded its wings. (1,100 DEF)

"I end my turn…" he said.

Poison drew a card, and then threw another one on her Disk.

"I summon Cardcar D!" she shouted.

There was the sound of an engine, and a sleek, blue car, with a flaming bird symbol and a red D on its hood, drove onto the field. (800 ATK)

"By sacrificing this, I can draw twice," she said.

The car vanished, and she made two draws.

"But… When I do that, I have to end my turn right away, so I'll stop for now…"

Andy drew, and looked at the card.

He fit it into his Disk, and it appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"Uhm…" he muttered, looking at Poison.

Poison sniggered a little as she made a draw.

"Now the real fun starts!" she laughed, as she drew a card.

"Before I do anything else…"

She held up a Spell Card.

"I activate Short Circuit!"

As she played it, sparks surrounded Ryu Senshi, and Masked Dragon. Then, both stood up into Attack Mode. (2,000 ATK, 1,400 ATK)

"What?" shouted Andy.

"I love Machines…" sighed Poison. "You tell them what to do, they do it… If only men were just as easy…

"Anyway… My Spell Card not only moves your defensive Machines to Attack Mode, it prevents those two guys from moving back to Defense Mode, attacking, or using their effects until the end of your next turn.

"But… They aren't going to last that long…"

She played another card, and the room shook as a large Machine appeared with a rumbling noise. It was a tank. That was the best way to describe it. (1,500 ATK)

"Poison doesn't fool around…" said Francesca.

"The KC-1 Clayton," said Poison. "This is a _very _rare card. I2 was forced to stop printing them permanently."

"Dare I ask why?" asked Andy.

"Note the KC in the name?" asked Poison. "It stands for KaibaCorp, and the card is based on a weapon that the company made when Kaiba's snake of an adoptive father was running it. Clearly, someone designed this card to get under Kaiba's skin.

"When Kaiba found out… Well, he and Pegasus always hated each other to begin with, and Pegasus really didn't want a lawsuit on his hands…

"Still, some copies of this card still exist, and a duelist is lucky to have one…

"And he'd be even _luckier _to have both this card and _this _Trap Card!"

Her last face-down card lifted up.

"It's called Tank Corp, and it's a special card designed specifically for use with KC-1 Clayton! Because I have the Monster, it creates three Tank Tokens…"

Three miniature versions of KC-1 Clayton appeared between it and Queen Machine. (1,200 DEF x3)

"And each one of my _little _tanks increases the Attack Score of the _big _one by 500 points."

(3,000 ATK)

"Seems this is one of the benefits of making a deal with the Shadow Queen," grumbled Francesca. "Access to cards that most duelists could never find."

"However…" continued Poison. "I'm willing to get rid of one of them…"

She played a Spell Card.

"I use the Double Summon Spell Card," she said. "By gaining a second Normal Summon, I can sacrifice one Token…"

One of the small tanks vanished.

"…to summon Machine King!"

There was a blast of binary symbols, and a Monster appeared that was only too familiar. Crump had used this huge robot as his Deckmaster. (2,200 ATK)

"At least it can't use the same effect that it did when Crump had it…" muttered Stan.

"True…" said Poison, "but it gains 100 Attack Points for each Machine on the field. I see eight."

(3,000 ATK)

"Uh, Andy…" said Koops. "I suppose peaceful negotiations would be out of the question?"

"More than likely…" replied Andy.

"Machine King…" ordered Poison, "destroy his Masked Dragon!"

The panel on the Machine monarch's chest glowed, and an energy death beam shot at the mechanized Dragon…

"I activate Draining Shield!" shouted Andy, as his Trap Card lifted up.

Poison gasped, and the bolt was absorbed by an aura of silvery energy.

"So I just gained 3,000 Life Points!" exclaimed Andy. "Thanks a million, Poison!"

"You're welcome…" she said, sarcastically. "Queen Machine, _you _attack it."

Queen Machine blasted her Spheroid Stream at Masked Dragon, and it shattered into silvery shards of metal.

"Ergh…" groaned Andy.

"Yeah, well I have news for you, Poison… The effect that Short Circuit had on Masked Dragon stopped working the instant it left the field. And because its effect activates in the Graveyard, I can use its effect to Special Summon a Dragon with low Attack Points from my deck…

"Which I can still do, because your DNA Surgery has no effect on the Dragons there… So I'll summon a second Masked Dragon in Defense Mode."

A second Masked Dragon appeared crouching in Defense Mode. (1,100 ATK) Quickly, DNA Surgery's spell struck it, turning it mechanical.

"Yeah, well…" said Poison. "You all might want to cover your ears for this…

"KC-1 Clayton, destroy Ryu Senshi with Blitzkrieg Blast!"

Fortunately, Stan and Francesca decided to heed that warning, and covered their ears as the tank's cannon fired with a very _loud _blast, blowing the Fusion Monster into nonexistence.

**(A: 8,600) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 6,400)**

Machine King fell to 2,900 Attack Points.

She threw two cards into her Disk, and two new face-down cards appeared in the two remaining spaces in her Spell Zone.

"To keep you guessing, I'll set those," she said. "And my turn is over."

Andy drew.

He smirked at Poison.

"Know what I like about this game?" he said.

He played the card, and Mystical Space Typhoon appeared in front of him.

"One draw changes everything!" he shouted, as the cyclone blew the DNA Surgery card to bits.

The grey metal armor on Masked Dragon melted away, revealing its true armor underneath, and Rare Metal Dragon's true eyes returned. It growled a little at Poison.

"Now that my Monsters are Dragons again…" said Andy, "I can use Stamping Destruction!"

He played the card, and Rare Metal Dragon stomped its foot down, shaking Poison and smashing the Spirit Barrier card to pieces.

"Now for your Queen Machine," he said. "Seeing as Rare Metal Dragon was in Attack Mode when you used Short Circuit, that card did nothing to it.

"Rare Metal Dragon, attack with Flash Cannon!"

"Did you really think these were just bluffs?" said Poison, with a scowl.

One face-down cards lifted up.

"I use Rare Metalmorph!" she shouted. "And I Equip it to Queen Machine!"

Queen Machine's armored frame turned a shimmering platinum, reflective color, and her Attack Score went up to 2,700. As the Dragon's energy blast honed in on her, she swatted it aside, and it ricocheted backwards, blowing Rare Metal Dragon to pixels.

"That shiny makeover does more than boost her Attack Score," said Poison. "It also lets her avoid one Spell Card that targets her."

"I end my turn…" growled Andy.

**(A: 8,200) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 5,900)**

"My draw…" said Poison.

_I almost have what I need to bring out my big surprise… _she thought. _But in the meantime…_

"I move both Tank Tokens to Attack Mode…" she said, as both of the small tanks moved forward slightly. (800 ATK x2)

"Destroy the second Masked Dragon, Machine King!" she shouted.

A bolt of lethal energy shot from the Machine monarch's chest, vaporizing the small Dragon. Andy threw a card on his Disk, and a third one appeared. (1,100 ATK)

"One left…" said Poison, with a smirk.

Queen Machine's Spheroid Stream hit the third one, atomizing it. Andy played another card, and Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared in front of him. (1,200 DEF)

"And then there's Clayton!" she shouted.

The large tank blasted its cannon, blowing Behemoth to particles.

"No more shields," said Poison. "Tank Tokens, attack him directly!"

The two sets of artillery fired, and Andy grunted as the shells hit him.

**(A: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 5,900)**

"I end my turn," said Poison. "Next turn, the Royal House of Gadgetry is going to attack you with everything."

The particles of light appeared again, and then coalesced, forming back into Twin-Headed Behemoth. (1,000 DEF)

"Royal House of Gadgetry?" said Andy, as he drew a card. "That may have been the corniest line I have ever heard…"

He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the card.

"Hey, Poison!" he shouted. "Have you met my friend Admiral Bobbery?"

Twin-Headed Behemoth vanished, and Bobbery appeared, his fuse sparking… (2,200 ATK)

Then the explosion tore through the cage, blowing Poison's whole mob of Machines to scrap, and propelling Poison and Kozaky against the back of the cage.

"No fair!" she shouted.

She looked at Kozaky, who was looking at her strangely.

"What's _your _problem?" she growled.

The demonic scientist shrugged.

"I think he's no stranger to having things blow up in his face," said Andy. "And with that move, it seems I still have a chance. I end my turn…"

He turned to Koops.

"What's the count?" he whispered.

"Six," replied Koops. "Anytime you want…"

Poison made a draw.

"I summon Cyber Phoenix…" she said.

She played the card, and the four-winged, mechanical bird with orange highlights appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Now?" asked Koops.

"No!" replied Andy, as flames appeared in Cyber Phoenix's jaws. "Save it!"

The Machine blasted a flamethrower at Andy, and he sweated a little as the flames scorched him.

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 5,900)**

"I hope you enjoyed that, Poison…" said Andy.

He made a draw.

"Because I'm going to pay you back in spades…"

Motes of energy coalesced in front of him, and Bobbery reappeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I summon Ancient Dragon!" he shouted, as the golden Dragon appeared next to Bobbery.

"Bobbery, destroy Cyber Phoenix!" he shouted.

Bobbery hopped towards the robot bird, and Poison braced herself as another explosion blew it to metal pieces.

Bobbery landed back on Andy's side, and frowned at Poison.

"I get to draw once due to Cyber Phoenix's effect," said Poison, as she made a draw.

"Ancient Dragon, attack directly with Scorching Ray!" shouted Andy.

"ARGH!" shouted Poison, as the burning beam struck her in the chest.

"Ancient Dragon's effect activates," said Andy, "increasing its Attack Score by 500 and its Level by 1."

(1,900 ATK)

"And my turn is over…"

**(A: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 3,500)**

Poison drew a card.

_Here goes… _she thought.

"I use this…" she said, as her face-down card, the one she had set three turns ago, lifted up. "It's a Trap Monster known as Machine King – 3000 B.C."

The Trap Card glowed, and a weird creature appeared, a suit of armor sitting on a throne made of rock, decked out in Mayan-style ceremonial regalia. (1,000 ATK)

_Huh? _thought Francesca. _Poison could have used that to block Ancient Dragon's direct attack… But she waited…_

_Come on, Andy, you know what this means…_

And seemed to know it too…

_She's clearly going to use that guy to summon something else… _he thought.

"I play Silent Doom…" said Poison.

She played the card, and Battle Footballer appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,100 ATK)

"Now, I sacrifice Battle Footballer and Machine King – 3000 B.C…"

The two Monsters turned into a thousand particles of light…

"I summon Perfect Machine King!" she shouted.

A robot even bigger than the previous two appeared, standing head and shoulders above the regular Machine King. With its heavy armor and thick limbs, this Machine was clearly built for offensive purposes and little else. (2,700 ATK)

"So now what?" asked Andy. "Going to have Dr. Caligari over there conjure up another copy of DNA Surgery to boost its Attack Score?"

"Not when you can attack me directly and I don't have Spirit Barrier…" said Poison.

Andy looked at her strangely for a minute.

"Wait a minute…" he said. "Perfect Machine King can't stop me from attacking your Machines…"

"But the other Monster I'm about to summon certainly can…" said Poison, ominously.

She held up a card. It was Polymerization.

"There's one small problem…" she said. "Both the Monsters I need to Fusion Summon my big surprise are in my Graveyard…"

She played it, and then immediately played a Quickplay Spell.

"But by playing Cybernetic Fusion Support, I can pay half my Life Points and banish those Monsters, and the problem is solved.

"So… I banish Machine King and Queen Machine to fuse them together…"

As she said that, a column of blue, crackling flames erupted from the center of the arena. The mesh cage surrounding them was blown apart, knocking Stan and Francesca over.

"What the Hell is she summoning?" shouted Stan.

"I don't even _want _to find out…" said Francesca. "But… I think we're going to anyway…"

**0000000000**

In another part of the Palace of Shadow, a cathedral-like room with a fountain in the center made of demonic-looking statues, the Witty Phantom sat on a bench surrounding the fountain, deep in thought.

Then he opened his eyes, and smirked.

_Seems that Poison managed to summon the card I gave her… _he thought. _Well… The question is now whether she can harness its power…_

…_or whether she'll be reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes trying to…_

**0000000000**

Andy looked up at the giant Machine looking down at him…

This huge _thing _fused the ancient with the modern in an unholy combination that was never meant to be… It had four arms, a body that resembled a male, muscular torso, but clearly made of steel, with a human-like face that lacked any emotion. If it could be compared to anything, it would be a likeness of the Hindu deity Vishnu… That is, what he might have looked like if he was a giant robotic engine of destruction.

The giant robot looked down on Andy and his two Monsters with optic sensors that crackled with the same energy that had heralded its arrival…

"Meet the God of Machines…" said Poison. _"Mechanicles the Digital Deity!"_

(3,500 ATK)

"Strange…" said Andy, looking at the giant robot. "I kind of thought that the God of Machines would look more like Steve Jobs…"

"Laugh _this _off…" said Poison. "Not only does Perfect Machine King gain 500 Attack Points for each Machine on the field, other than itself, but Mechanicles has the same effect."

(Perfect Machine King: 3,200 ATK, Mechanicles: 4,000 ATK)

"And now that they've boosted their attacks," she said, "they're going to use them!"

Two hatches on Perfect Machine King's shoulders opened, and missiles fired at Bobbery. The whole room lit up and Andy screamed as an explosion blew the Bob-omb sailor to bits.

"Attack his Ancient Dragon!" shouted Poison. "Dystopian Digitization!"

The eyes of Mechanicles glowed…

Then, a bolt of binary symbols surrounded by blue flames shot of them towards Ancient Dragon. Andy screamed again as the lethal energy blew it to pieces, and he was almost thrown backwards…

_Almost, _that is. He was caught by Koops, who dug his heels hard into the ground and braced them both.

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 1,750)**

Andy looked at Koops.

"You're stronger than you look…" he said.

"Uh… thanks…" replied the Koopa.

He looked at Poison.

"Dystopian Digitization?" he asked. "Tell me, Poison, can you even tell me what a 'dystopia' is?"

Poison looked a little stunned by that comment.

"Uh, sure I can…" she said. "It's a… uhm…"

"I'll give you a hint…" said Andy. "It's the condition that the whole world will likely be in if the person who you _really _made that deal with gets her way.

"But people like you and Jackson are too thick-headed to realize that. I almost pity you…"

He drew a card.

"Almost, that is…"

The card was Pot of Avarice.

_Hope this helps… _he thought.

He played it, and took all three Masked Dragons, Ryu Senshi, and Ancient Dragon from his discard slot, and shuffled his deck. He drew two cards.

Then he set one on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"There…" he said.

Poison laughed as she made a draw.

"This is like target practice!" she said, as Perfect Machine King's hatches opened again.

The missiles fired again. You could only briefly see Mirage Dragon before it was blown to Kingdom Come.

"Andy!" shouted Francesca.

"Koops…" said Andy, as Mechanicles' eyes started to glow again. "This had better work…"

The divine blast of digital code shot at Andy again…

"NOW!" he shouted.

From out of nowhere, Koops produced a giant turtle shell, and threw it over Andy, covering him.

"Eh?" said Poison.

The blast hit the shell…

When the smoke cleared, the shell was cracked and smoking… But it had held.

"What was _that?" _shouted Poison.

Andy slowly lifted the shell, and it vanished.

"My Deckmaster, that's what," said Andy, with a smile. "To be precise, it was his Shell Shield.

"You see, Poison, every time you destroyed one of my Monsters, the Shell Shield gained a Shell Counter, and each Counter was enough for the it to absorb 500 points of damage from a direct attack.

"It had nine Counters just then, enough for it to absorb 4,500 points of damage and protect me completely."

"Clever…" said Poison.

She played a card.

"I use Raregold Armor," she said, "and Equip it to Mechanicles."

The Digital Deity's metallic flesh turned solid gold.

"That means you're only allowed to attack him. I end my turn… Think you can pull off another miracle?"

"Uh, Andy?" said Koops. "I hate to bring this up, but… The Shell Shield only has one Counter left… Her next direct attack is going to blow it to pieces…

"Point taken, Koops…" said Andy, as he looked at the two cards he had left, Fusion Recovery and Red Eyes.

"I can use these to summon Black Skull Dragon…" he said. "But it wouldn't be strong enough to defeat that thing…"

"Uh…" said Koops. "It might be strong enough if you drew Power Lift…"

Andy did some quick calculations.

"That would bring Black Skull Dragon to an Attack Score of… 5,700…" he said.

"Yeah, it would defeat Mechanicles, but the big problem is, Poison would survive. She'd have 50 Life Points left… Black Skull Dragon would be destroyed at the end of my turn…"

Koops looked at Perfect Machine King.

"Yeah…" he said. "That would be… Pretty bad…"

"I'm waiting…" said Poison.

Andy drew a card.

He was shocked…

It wasn't Power Lift… This was another card he got from Cleo…

"I play Fusion Recovery!" he shouted, as he played the Spell Card.

He took Polymerization and Doppelganger Dragon from his discard slot.

"Now, I summon Doppelganger Dragon again," he said, as the amorphous Dragon appeared, (1,000 ATK) "and then pay 1,000 Life Points so that it can assume the name of Summoned Skull.

"Then, with Polymerization, I fuse it together with Red Eyes Black Dragon…"

The Dark Dragon appeared on the field, and then combined with Doppelganger into a dark vortex of energy.

The draconic Archfiend crawled through the portal, glaring at the binary god. (3,200 ATK)

"So now what?" asked Poison.

"Black Skull Dragon, attack Mechanicles!" shouted Andy.

"What?" said Poison, as the fused Dragon took to the air. "Are you out of your…"

"And to help him do that…" said Andy, as he played his last card, "I play Battle Fusion!"

"Battle Fusion?" gasped Poison.

"Battle Fusion is a rare and powerful Spell Card made especially for Fusion Monsters," said Andy. "When one of them battles a Monster, this card increases its Attack Score by an amount equal to the target's Attack Score!"

"WHAT?" shouted Poison. "No fair! Wait…"

Black Skull Dragon's Attack Score shot up to 7,200 as it launched its molten balls of flame at the mechanical entity. Mechanicles let out a howl as burning fire surrounded its armored body…

Then the howl turned into death throes… Poison screamed…

"Uh, Andy?" said Koops. "I suggest taking cover…"

It sounded like a good idea. Andy cowered in a corner of the broken fence, and Koops pulled his head and limbs into his shell… Just as Mechanicles the Digital Deity exploded in a mighty blast that shook the whole room.

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 0)**

Andy slowly looked up.

There was no sign of Poison. In fact, the whole other side of the room had been reduced to a burnt and blackened scorch mark…

But… The doorway that she had come through had been replaced by three doors.

Stan and Francesca helped Andy up. They slowly walked to the center door and opened it.

The room inside looked like a rather comfortable hotel room. There was a queen-sized bed and a private bath off to the side. Checking the other two doors confirmed that they were the same.

"Well, it seems that the Queen kept her end of the bargain…" said Francesca.

"Try to sleep light anyway…" said Stan. "Maybe barricade the doors with a chair if we can find any…"

"No passwords?" asked Francesca.

"That may not be a bad idea," replied Stan. "Let's see…"

**0000000000**

Unbeknownst to the three of them, both Jackson and Poison had survived. Of course, whether they were better off having survived… _That _was questionable.

They were standing before the Queen, their hands handcuffed behind their backs. She was looking at them with a bored expression, as Grodus looked on.

"You know, you two…" she said with a sigh. "Grodus here hasn't always been my second-in-command…"

She stood up.

"No, his position is filled quite often, as the one holding it is either killed on the field of battle or does something stupid…

"One of his predecessors was a battle-mage named General Pentar… She was a brilliant strategist, who said a lot of profound things…"

She paused, and looked at two cards she was holding, Tak the Terrible, and Mechanicles the Digital Deity.

"One of the things she said was," she continued, "is that a sword is only as useful as the user's skill in wielding it…"

"Uh…" said Jackson, nervously.

"It was almost like a death in the family when I ordered her executed..." sighed the Shadow Queen.

She gestured, and dark shadows surrounded the two. They cried out in pain and fell to their knees.

"I wish I could say I was sorry about this," said the Queen, "but the truth is, I never liked you two much anyway…"

And then Jackson and Poison vanished into the shadows.

"WITTY PHANTOM!" she screamed.

The Duel Spirit rushed into the room, tripping and falling on his face as he did.

"On your feet!" ordered the Queen.

Grodus grabbed the Phantom, and lifted him onto his feet.

"Thank you, Grodus," said the Queen. "Those two acquisitions of yours, Phantom… You claimed that they'd be worthy adversaries. I've seen _dirt _that was more formidable."

She slumped back on her throne and glared at him.

"Well, uhm…" said the Phantom. "To… To make up for my failure, I would be willing to duel Stanley again tomorrow morning…"

"Oh, you _bet_ you will…" said the Queen.

"But, if I may make a small request…" he continued.

"Don't push your luck," said Grodus.

"No, please…" said the Queen. "I could use a good laugh…"

"I'd like to use the card that we took from Count Cannoli after he lost that duel to Captain Syrup," said the Phantom.

The Queen gave him a long look.

"You're serious?" asked the Queen.

"Yes," replied the Phantom.

"Are you sure you're sober?" she asked.

"You want me to take a sobriety test?" he replied.

"You do realize," she said, "that when Leopold found him after that duel, he was… well, dead, the expression on his face could best be described as absolute terror, and Syrup took everything valuable from him _except _that card?

"Kind of strange, considering that every time she bests one of my men she tends to take everything that isn't nailed down…"

"Please, if she _really _wants something, nailing it down isn't going to stop her!" added Grodus.

"A good point," said the Phantom, "but humans were never meant to use it anyway. With the right cards, and my unique skills, I believe I can use it to my advantage. In order to truly succeed at Duel Monsters you have to kind of… 'Shark' the game, so to speak…"

The Queen looked at him. Then her necklace started to glow.

Somewhere in the mountain was a vault where her personal wealth, acquired over the past eleven centuries, was stored. This great horde was protected in a simple way: the vault had no physical entrance. The enchantment on her necklace was the only way to add or remove anything from the vault, which was separated from the nearest other room in the Palace by hundreds of feet of solid rock.

Anyone who wanted to loot the Shadow Queen's riches could not do so unless they took the necklace from her, meaning a would-be thief would have to challenge her personally and win, so she wasn't worried about the security of her treasures.

As the necklace glowed, a small portal opened. A single Duel Monsters card floated out, and floated to her hand.

Then she threw it at the Witty Phantom.

"HERE!" she shouted. "Shark the game if you want…"

She leaned her head on her hand, and smirked.

"But I warn you… This shark _bites…"_

The Witty Phantom bowed, and left.

After he had done so, she got up, and walked out of the room. She had things she needed to do before morning, and she wasn't getting them done by sitting here…

**0000000000**

**SHORT CIRCUIT (Spell Card, Anime Version)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A large computer chip sparking with electricity.

**Card Description: **Switch all face-up Defense Position Machine-Type Monsters your opponent controls to Attack Position. Until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn, Monsters affect by this card's effect cannot change their Battle Position or attack, and their effects are negated while face-up on the field.

_Note: "Short Circuit" first used by Ota in the original anime episode "Mechanized Mayhem (Part 1)". It is unrelated to the real card of the same name. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**KC-1 CLAYTON (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,500ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **This card gains 500 Attack Points for each "Tank Token" you control.

**0000000000**

**TANK CORP (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Two tanks rolling through a city street.

**Card Description: **Activate only when you control a "KC-1 Clayton". Special Summon 3 "Tank Tokens" (Machine/Earth/Lvl3/800/1,200) in Defense Position.

_Note: "KC-1 Clayton" and "Tank Corp" were first used by Amelda in the original anime episode "Flight of Fear (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**BATTLE FUSION (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A warrior in armor and a cape holding a sword confronting a magician who is using magic to levitate a glowing sword in front of him.

**Card Description: **Activate when a Fusion Monster you control battles another Monster. During the Damage Step, that Fusion Monster gains Attack Points equal to the Monster it is battling until the End Phase of the turn.

_Note: The version of "Battle Fusion" given here is the version used in video games. The card was first used by both Judai and Kaiser in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Graduation Match (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**CYBERNETIC FUSION SUPPORT (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **An odd machine creating a powerful aura of energy in its center.

**Card Description: **If you activate this card in response to the Fusion Summon of a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, you can pay half your Life Points and banish the Fusion Material Monsters to use Fusion Material Monsters in your Graveyard for the Fusion Summon.

_Note: "Cybernetic Fusion Support" was used by Kaiser at least three times in "Yu-Gi-Oh GX", originally in "The Graduation Match (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**HALF UNBREAK (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A mass of bubbles flying out from a central point.

**Card Description: **Target 1 face-up Monster you control. This turn, the targeted Monster cannot be destroyed by battle, and Battle Damage you take from battles involving it is reduced by half.

_Note: "Half Unbreak" has been frequently by Yuma in "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal", originally in "Flipping Out (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**QUEEN MACHINE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **While you control this face-up card, your opponent's Machine-Type Monsters cannot target your face-up Machine-Type Monsters for attacks.

**0000000000**

**MECHANICLES THE DIGITAL DEITY (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Fusion/Effect/Lvl9/3,500ATK/1,000DEF**

_Machine King + Queen Machine_

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. While you control this face-up card, your opponent's Machine-Type Monsters cannot target attack your face-up Machine-Type Monsters for attacks. This card gains 500 Attack Points for each face-up Machine-Type Monster on the field, except this card.

_Note: "Queen Machine" and "Mechanicles the Digital Deity" first appeared in "The Mandate of Heaven"._

"**Koops the Bashful":** Reptile/Water/Level4/1,800ATK/1,000: "Shell Shield": When a Monster you control is destroyed by battle, place 1 "Shell Counter" on this card. If you are attacked directly, you can reduce the damage you take by 500 for each "Shell Counter" you remove from this card. If doing so reduces the number of "Shell Counters" on this card to zero, it can no longer gain "Shell Counters" via its effect.

**0000000000**

"**Kozaky":** Fiend/Dark/Level1/400ATK/400: "Gene Splicer": Once per turn, you may pay 800 Life Points to select a "DNA" Trap Card from you deck and set it in your Spell/Trap Zone.

**0000000000**

_**It's time we moved away from the descendants of the Queen's original enemies, at least briefly. There are other finalists in the Palace of Shadow, and the Queen has plans for them too…**_

_**Aesop: My namesake said a lot of profound things. "No rose without thorns" wasn't one of them (that's an old French proverb), but the saying is quite profound. **_

_**It certainly applies here. I'm in a large garden full of monstrous flowers, and while beautiful, it's clearly a case of beauty being only skin deep… My only chance of getting out of here alive is to win a duel… Without using my Fabled Monsters.**_

_**It's going to be tricky but… I've never turned down a challenge…**_

"_**Dark Plant" is coming soon…**_


	40. Dark Plant

_**As you can probably tell from my namesake, I'm fond of old proverbs. I've studied them a lot. Many of them make sense, although many of them contradict each other. "Look before you leap" is a well-known one of unknown origins, but then, if we are to take its words to heart, does that mean that **__**Publilius Syrus, the one who first said "A rolling stone gathers no moss" was wrong?**_

_**A lot of proverbs have been made about beauty, like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", which means that what one person perceives as beautiful may not be so to another, and "Beauty is only skin deep", which means that physical appearance can't judge a one's personality.**_

_**That has been proven true many times. After all, my namesake was supposed to be a very ugly man, but was incredibly knowledgeable and wise. But more often in media, the theme of being beautiful on the outside and ugly within is explored. The Evil Queen in the story of "Snow White" was the uber-example; her magic mirror always told her that she was the "fairest of them all" until her stepdaughter surpassed her. **_

_**My opponent in front of me… She looks like a beautiful flower…**_

_**But this outward beauty doesn't hide the ugly and poisonous weed that she is underneath…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY**

**0000000000**

**Dark Plant**

**0000000000**

**00000**

It was eight o'clock.

The Shadow Queen was in her alchemy lab, at a computer (of course, she knew how to use one; not learning how to change as the world did would have been foolish).

She knew that Stan, Andy, and Francesca had taken every precaution to make sure no-one snuck up on them, but she had no plans to do so. It would have been incredibly easy for her to cut their throats while they slept – and she truly would have liked to – but that was out of the question. Killing them that way wouldn't free her from this accursed place… In fact, it would likely ruin her escape clause, and doom her to this prison forever.

She sighed. All she could do was relish the thought of breaking free, at which point she would no longer be bound by the rules of fair play…

She was logged on to the internet, to the Duel Monsters Pro League website. The profile of a certain duelist was on the screen.

With each click of the mouse, a card appeared on the screen. Then she highlighted the card, and then with a shadowy aura of magic, a card materialized next to her, adding to a deck that was almost complete.

Finally, she did it one last time.

She logged off, and looked at the completed deck. Forty cards in the Main Deck, and one Extra Deck card.

She tapped a button on the keyboard.

"Grodus?" she said.

"_Yes, your majesty?" _said Grodus' voice.

"It's complete," she said, as she shuffled the deck. "I'm counting on you to have our acquisition ready to use it tomorrow…"

She yawned. Contrary to what many thought, she did need sleep, even though she needed less of it than humans did…

She didn't dream when she slept… But rest was still needed…

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, one other finalist who had not been given an offer of a bedroom was still awake and wandering the halls of the outer part of the Palace of Shadow.

Aesop looked around as he wandered the dark hallway.

_Wasn't exactly expecting a parade… _he thought. _Still, kind of empty…_

_Kind of a feeling of despair in this whole place…_

_Hullo?_

He was looking at a door on the side of the hallway.

He shrugged, and opened it.

What came next was a shock: Sunlight.

It seemed impossible – it was night, after all, according to his watch, and he was inside a mountain – but he was now in what looked like a garden, with sunlight overhead.

Looking around, he saw that he was on a path surrounded by well-tended patches of beautiful, multi-colored flowers, tulips, marigolds, pansies, chrysanthemums… And _roses…_

The roses were what got his attention. They were huge, almost as big as he was, and purple, clearly not a color that a true rose would be…

As he looked at one of the weird roses, it started to move a little…

Then came the biggest surprise. A humanoid, female form emerged from the center of the blossom. It was a nymph-like creature with purple hair, who was seemingly part of the flower itself.

The flower girl looked at Aesop. (800 ATK)

"Uh…" said Aesop.

Then he recognized it. An Arlownay. Not a card that had ever been widely used…

Before he could say anything else, more of the large roses opened, and more of the Arlownay appeared.

"Uh, listen, ladies…" said Aesop. "If you could just point me in the direction of…"

Then they all smiled at him. Not pleasant smiles. They were smiles that reminded Aesop of how a vampire smiled at an intended victim…

Aesop looked back where he had come… Unfortunately, the door was no longer there…

"Okay, tried to be friendly…" he said.

Then a mass of thorny vines shot at him. He hollered and ran, even though he knew that the only way to run was deeper into the garden.

Quickly, he drew a card from his deck.

"These creatures are weak spirits…" he muttered. "Gallabas should handle them…"

He threw the card on his Disk, and the Fiend holding the ball and chain appeared to face the Plant-women… (1,500 ATK)

…and in the next minute, they had him. The tentacles grabbed the Fiend, and started to crush him. Within seconds, he shattered.

"That's impossible!" shouted Aesop. "His Attack Score was nearly twice theirs!"

"You'll find that what worked on the outside of the Palace of Shadow won't work as well on the inside," said a female voice.

"Huh?" said Aesop. "Who said that?"

His hesitation was a mistake. As he stopped to look for the sound of the voice, the Arlownay grabbed him. Vines constricted around his torso and limbs.

Two of them appeared to either side of him, and smiled that same wicked smile again. Then they started to half-shove-half-drag him towards the center of the garden…

And there, Aesop saw the biggest rose of all, an eight-foot tall red rose with many thorny tendrils.

The rose opened to reveal another nymph-like creature who seemed to be the apparent leader. She had green skin, and hair that was long on one side. (2,000 ATK)

"Rose Spectre of Dunn?" asked Aesop.

The creature didn't answer right away. She just looked at Aesop for a minute.

"What do you want?" he pleaded.

"Revenge," she answered. "Oh, not against you, personally… It's just that my daughters and I despise animal life in general…

"Folks like you have been feeding on plant life since the beginning of time… Idiot humans who call themselves vegans claim that by eschewing meat and dairy, they are morally superior…

"They fail to realize that plants are as much living things as animals are…

"The master of the Palace gave us an opportunity for revenge… We have permission to devour anyone who comes in here…"

"Please…" gulped Aesop.

The Spectre sighed.

"Don't beg…" she groaned, "I hate it when people beg."

"Uh… I'm not begging…" said Aesop, trying to think fast. "I mean… I'll give you one thing… You don't seem like the typical man-eating beast… Quite a lovely flower…"

"Flattery now?" said the Spectre, with a hint of laughter in her voice. "Tell you what… Stick to begging…"

_This is going from bad to worse… _he thought.

She looked at him. A slight smirk appeared in the corner of her mouth.

"You use a Fiend Deck, right?" she asked.

"Uh…" said Aesop. "Why? You… like Fiends?"

She looked at him with an expression that looked a little pissed.

_Wait, that's right… _he thought. _She IS one… _

He shivered a little.

_The question is, how offended are Duel Spirits if you mistake them for the wrong Type?_

"If you like Fiends so much," said the Spectre. "I'll give you something that humans never gave any of us… A sporting chance…"

"A sporting chance?" asked Aesop.

"A duel…" said the Spectre.

"Against you?" asked Aesop.

"Of course against me," snapped the Spectre. "My daughters won't be mature enough to even talk for a few more years.

"Win, and I'll let you go…"

The two Arlownay dropped him.

"No problem," said Aesop.

"There is a catch, however…" she said. "You have to duel without using that Type of Monster. That is, if you're able to."

The Arlownay all snickered.

"They can laugh…" said Aesop.

He took the Fabled Deck out of his Duel Disk, and placed in his belt, and then took an entirely different deck from the same belt.

"…but a good Pro League duelist is always prepared! This deck has no Fiends at all, and I'm just dying for a chance to release its full power!

"So then, Rose… Do you mind if I call you Rose?"

"I'm fine with that…" said the Duel Spirit.

"Then let's duel!" shouted Aesop.

"Not so fast," said Rose. "I believe that, in accordance to the rules of the Palace of Shadow, you require a Deckmaster…"

"Oh, that's right…" said Aesop.

He took the deck from its holder, and leafed through the cards. Carefully he chose one.

"My Deckmaster is Mermaid Knight!" he exclaimed.

There was a surge of water behind him, and a lovely mermaid with red hair, wearing armor on her torso, with a sword and shield, and an expression that looked annoyed – maybe even a little pissed – leapt out. (1,500 ATK)

"Dramatic…" said Rose. "Of course, by using her as your Deckmaster, you practically told me what your whole deck's strategy was."

"I just might surprise you," said Aesop. "So what's _your _Deckmaster, pray tell?"

"I'm a Duel Spirit, fool," she replied. "I'm both the duelist _and _the Deckmaster."

She held up her left arm, and it shimmered as a Duel Disk appeared on it. It was pink, and the tray was shaped like flower petals.

"Now can we get started?"

**(Aesop: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Rose: 8,000)**

"I believe the rules say that the player with the weaker Deckmaster goes first," said Aesop.

Rose frowned as he made a draw.

He set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

"I'll leave it at that," he said.

"Then it's my draw…" said Rose, drawing a card.

"And I summon Bird of Roses," she said.

There was a loud screech, and a beautiful, green bird of prey with leaves for feathers flew from the garden eves behind her. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack!" she shouted. "Solar Ray!"

The verdant bird shot a ray of pure light at the card, and a Monster appeared on the card that was… Well, calling it a mermaid was wrong, because it was male. Still, it had the same fish-like lower body that a mermaid had. It had armor on its chest, wore a helmet, and held a spear.

The ray hit it, and it shattered.

"There are male mermaids?" asked Rose.

"I suppose you can call them merfolk if you want to be politically correct," said Aesop. "But the true name for his species is Mermail. To be specific, that guy was Mermail Abyssturge."

"Unless destroying it triggered its effect, I don't care," said Rose.

She waited for a minute to see if that was the case. Clearly, however, it wasn't. She fit a card into her Disk, and a set card materialized behind the bird.

"Make your move…"

"Gladly!" exclaimed Aesop, as he made a draw.

"I activate the Field Spell, Lemuria, the Forgotten City!"

As he played the card, the garden around them disappeared, and an ancient Greco-Roman-style ruins surrounded them, with the ground covered with a shallow covering of seawater. Surrounding the ruins was the sea, which seemed to stretch out for miles.

"Eh?" said Rose.

"Expecting A Legendary Ocean, were you?" asked Aesop, "well, one of this card's effects gives it the same name as Umi, just like that older Field Spell, and it also increases the Attack and Defense Scores of all Water Monsters by 200, but… It's other effect is a little different…

"I summon Mermail Abysspike!"

There was another surge of water, and another male merfolk surfaced, this one tough, muscular, and handsome, with long, blonde hair and a long sword strapped to his back. (1,600 ATK)

Then he took a conch horn from his belt and blew it, causing a low sound to echo over the whole city.

"What was that?" asked Rose.

"A call to arms," replied Aesop. "Because I'm not even close to finished.

"First, Abysspike here has an effect that lets me discard a Water Monster from my hand to take one from my deck, so long as it's Level 3 or lower…"

He discarded a card, and then quickly took what he wanted from his deck.

"The Monster I just tossed was Mermail Abyssgunde… And when I do that, I can Special Summon a Mermail from my Graveyard, except for an Abyssgunde.

"You remember Abyssturge, right?"

Again, there was a surge of water, and the spear-wielding Mermail appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Next," continued Aesop, "Because I just summoned Abyssturge, I can discard another Water Monster to recover a Level 3 or lower Monster from my Graveyard, like Abyssgunde."

He discarded another card, and quickly took Abyssgunde's card.

"The Monster I just discarded _then _was Mermail Abysshilde, and her effect also activates when I discard her card. I can Special Summon a Mermail from my hand… And I choose Mermail Abysslinde!"

In another surge of water, another Mermail appeared, a ravishing female with flowing black hair, wearing a scarlet bustier. (1,500 ATK)

"Don't forget, my Field Spell increases the Scores of all three of these Mermails by 200 points…"

(Abysspike: 1,800 ATK, Abysssturge: 1,900 ATK, Abysslinde: 1,700 ATK)

The Arlownay all hissed at Aesop.

"Quiet!" shouted Rose. "Everything's under control here…"

"We'll see about that…" said Aesop. "Abyssturge, mulch that Bird of Roses!"

The Mermail threw its spear, blowing the floral bird to green pixels.

"I use the effect of Bird of Roses!" shouted Rose. "When destroyed in battle, I'm able to Special Summon two Plant-Type Tuners from my deck."

Two large patches of crab grass with nasty faces appeared in front of Rose. (400 DEF x2)

"So these two Nettles will be an adequate shield…"

"Well, fine…" said Aesop.

Abysslinde swam at the first Nettles, and spun around, slapping it hard with her tail, smashing it to bits.

Then Abysspike drew his sword, and swum towards the second Tuner, making a downward stroke, cutting it in half.

"And I'll end my turn there…"

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,900)**

"I must admit, that was a pretty powerful combo…" said Rose, as she made a draw.

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"But I know quite a few tricks myself, like this one… A Rival Appears!

"It lets me Special Summon a Monster from my hand with a Level that matches one of yours. So because Mermail Abysspike is Level 4, I can Special Summon Rose Witch."

Vines sprouted out of the water in front of her, and a young woman grew out of them, a woman with green hair, wearing a loose robe that was colored in red and green stripes in a candy cane design, with a hat shaped like a red rose. (1,600 ATK)

"She doesn't scare me…" said Aesop.

"Maybe not, but the Monster I'm going to use her to summon might," replied Rose. "You see, when Rose Witch is sacrificed to summon a Plant-Type Monster, she can count as two Monsters.

"Thus, I'll sacrifice Rose Witch…"

The mass of vines rose up again, and then grabbed Rose Witch. Quickly, she was pulled under…

_Nasty… _thought Aesop.

"I summon…" exclaimed Rose. "The Fallen Angel of Roses!"

In a blast of water, another Monster broke surface, and she was right… This one _was _a great deal scarier. It was a black-winged female with dark hair, wearing a tight black leather low-cut leotard with a lace around the mid-section and knee-high boots with stiletto heels. She held a long whip covered with barbs. (2,400 ATK)

"Hey, hey!" shouted Aesop. "I don't go for that sort of thing!"

"Too bad," replied Rose. "And by the way, my Deckmaster effect activates whenever I Tribute Summon a Plant. I get to draw cards depending on the Level of the Monster I summon. One card if it's Level 5 or 6, two if it's 7 or higher…"

She made two draws.

"Next, my Fallen Angel will put the hurt on Abysspike! Thorn Lash!"

The Fallen Angel cracked her whip once, and then lashed it forward, blowing the merman to little pieces.

"Ugh…" said Aesop.

"Here…" said Rose.

She set a new card, and a new facedown card appeared.

"Deal with that… I end my turn…"

**(A: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,900)**

_Okay, so she isn't bad… _thought Aesop.

He made a draw.

_Still… I can handle that thing…_

He held two of his cards forward.

"I'm discarding an Mermail Abysspike AND an Mermail Abyssgunde in order to Special Summon Mermail Abyssmegalo from my hand!" he shouted.

He discarded the two cards, and there was an even larger surge of water. The Monster that emerged didn't look like a mermaid OR a male version of one. It was a bulky fish-man with red scales, wearing bronze armor and holding a very large sword. (2,400 ATK) –) (2,600 ATK)

"Doing that activates the effect of both Abyssgunde and Abyssmegalo itself. First of all, I think you remember what Abyssgunde does…"

Again, Abysspike appeared, his sword already drawn. (1,600 ATK) –) (1,800 ATK)

"And as for Abyssmegalo, because of the way I summoned him, I get to take any Spell or Trap Card with the word 'Abyss' in its name from my deck…"

He took a card from his deck, and looked at it for a second or two.

"We'll get into that later…" he said. "For now, Abyssmegalo has another effect I'd like to use… He can attack twice in one turn, so long as I first sacrifice another Water Monster that's in Attack Mode…"

Abysslinde vanished.

"Go, Abyssmegalo!" he shouted. "See how much that Fallen Angel likes it when _she's _dominated!"

The Sea Serpent launched itself at the scantily clad angel, and she let out a cry of shock as his sword fell. She shattered. Rose frowned at Aesop.

"All right folks…" continued Aesop. "Give Rose a little pruning, why don't you?"

Abyssmegalo and Abysspike swam towards the evil Plant. Rose barely moved at all as two swords stabbed into her.

**(A: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,300)**

Aesop was about to declare the third direct attack, but then he paused.

"Didn't that…" he said. "You know… Hurt?"

"Not in the least…" replied Rose. "I'm a Plant… No nervous system. At least not the type that you're familiar with…"

Her face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Damage Condenser," she said. "I'll discard this card…"

She threw a Mystic Tomato into her Graveyard slot.

"…and I get to Special Summon a Monster from my deck with an Attack Score equal to or less than the damage I took from your last attack."

A fiendish looking rose with thorny tendrils for arms and legs appeared in front of her, defending. (1,500 DEF)

"Fortunately, Regenerating Rose has zero Attack Points."

"Abyssturge, destroy it!" shouted Aesop.

The Mermail threw his spear, and the Plant shattered.

"I use Regenerating Rose's effect," said Rose, "and summon two Rose Tokens…"

Two smaller roses popped up out of the water. (1,200 DEF x2)

_If she had activated Damage Condenser when I had attacked Fallen Angel, she could have avoided my direct attacks entirely… _thought Aesop.

_Clearly she intends to make another double sacrifice on her turn…_

He looked at the Trap Card in his hand. Then he set it, and it flashed into view in front of him.

_Hopefully, that will help…_

"It's your move…" he said.

Rose drew a card, and then grinned at Aesop.

"I'll trade in my two Tokens," she said, as the Rose Tokens vanished, "to summon an even stronger fallen angel…

"The Queen Angel of Roses!"

There was a storm of flower petals descending from the sky, and a furious-looking woman descended on scarlet wings. Her dress (or maybe armor, it was hard to tell) was blood red with a rose-like blouse, and she had a nasty-looking two-handed sword. She had flowing hair of gold under her crested helmet, and a look of fury in her eyes. (2,400 ATK)

_I'm starting to see a theme here… _thought Aesop, _and I don't like it…_

"Because she's Level 7," continued Rose, "my Deckmaster effect activates, and I draw twice…"

She made two draws.

"Yeah?" he said. "Abyssmegalo is still stronger than she is…"

"Not for long…" said Rose. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon."

She played the card, and the cyclone erupted in the center of the field. The water of Lemuria, the Forgotten City receded, and the buildings crumbled. Abysspike, Abyssturge, and Abyssmegalo fell to Attack Scores of 1,600, 1,700, and 2,400, respectively.

"I know what you're thinking," said Rose, "she's still not strong enough… Well, I can still use this…"

She played a card.

"The Big Bang Shot Equip Spell."

(2,800 ATK)

"Now fillet that fish!" she shouted.

Queen Angel of Roses lifted her sword and let out a cry of bloodlust as she brought it down on the Mermail, cutting him in twain.

"Ugh…" said Aesop. "You know, I'm starting to see why these Monsters of yours are _fallen _angels!"

"Oh, and that's _entirely _different than what your Fabled Monsters in your other deck are?" asked Rose, with a chuckle.

"At least they don't deny what they are," replied Aesop. "The word 'Fiend' is written clearly on their cards.

"Queen Angel of Roses can claim to be a Plant via technicality, but she's as much a demon as _you _are."

"I'll take that as a compliment…" said Rose. "It's your move…"

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,300)**

Aesop made a draw.

It was his second copy of Abyssmegalo, not the best time for that.

He looked at his two Monsters.

_Both of them have weak Defense Scores, so with Queen Angel of Roses armed with Big Bang Shot, moving them to Defense Mode would make things worse._

"I pass this turn…" he grumbled.

Rose smiled as she drew.

"You know, I'm almost glad I thought of this…" she thought, looking at Aesop. "After all, I wanted revenge…

"But getting it will be all the sweeter once I earn it by beating you to a pulp!"

"Yeah, that's how creatures like you work, isn't it?" asked Aesop. "What a predator does when it's smarter than the average animal… Wolves just stalk, track, and kill, but smart creatures who prey on other creatures add a fourth element: They stalk, track, terrify, and kill."

Rose frowned.

"It's my Standby Phase," she said, "which means that the effect of Queen Angel of Roses activates, and the Monster on the field with the lowest Attack Score is automatically destroyed!"

A flurry of razor-sharp rose petals shot at Abyssturge, blasting him to shards.

"Before you ask," said Rose, "yes, if you have no Monsters, that does mean that Queen Angel Roses must destroy one of my own, even if it's herself. So to prevent you from getting any ideas…"

She played a card, and a young girl wearing a bodysuit covered with leaves appeared. Actually, it seemed that her _skin _was made of leaves. In place of hair, she had a pink chrysanthemum, and a ponytail resembling a pitcher plant. (1,300 ATK)

"Botanical Girl will solve that problem," continued Rose. "So… Queen Angel of Roses, eviscerate Mermail Abysspike!"

The Queen grinned evilly again as her sword fell, crushing the Mermail.

_Good lord, this chick is brutal… _he thought.

Then Botanical Girl lifted her arms, and a shower of razor-sharp leaves shot at Aesop.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" he shouted, as they cut into his skin.

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,300)**

Rose set a card in her Disk, and a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"And that's all…" she said.

Aesop drew.

_Call of the Haunted, _he thought.

"I use the Terraforming Field Spell," he said, as he played his other card. "Now I can get another copy of Lemuria, the Forgotten City from my deck."

He took the card, and then quickly played it.

"I'm so scared," said Rose, as the ruined city started to rise again. "I doubt anything you can summon would be a match for my Queen Angel even _with _a 200-point bonus.

"And by the way… Botanical Girl is a Water Monster…"

The flower girl smirked at Aesop. (1,500 ATK)

"But my Field Spell has another effect which I'll get to once I activate this Trap Card," said Aesop.

One of his two set cards lifted up.

"It's called Abyss-Squall, and it's the card I got with Abyssmegalo's effect… This card lets me Special Summon _three _Mermails from my Graveyard in Defense Mode…"

First Abysspike appeared (1,000 ATK), then Abyssturge (1,300 DEF), and then a female one with a brown hood and tube top and a white fishtail. (600 DEF)

"The catch is," he continued, "they can't use their effects or attack, and they only last for a turn…

"Now we get into how my Field Spell is different than A Legendary Ocean. See, where the older card deceases the Levels of all Water Monsters, Lemuria can _increase _them. To be specific, when I use this effect, all of my Water Monsters gain one Level for each Water Monster I have.

"That means that Mermail Abysshilde is now Level 6, while Abysspike and Abyssturge are both Level 7."

A watery vortex opened, and Abyssturge and Abysspike dove into it.

"Which means," he said, as the vortex turned into the familiar Overlay Network, "I can call forth the avatar of Poseidon himself…"

The sky above the ocean surrounding them turned dark and stormy. The Arlownay looked scared, and huddled against each other.

A huge creature broke surface. Clearly, it fit most descriptions of Poseidon, a giant, muscular man with a powerful face and a thick beard, holding a mighty golden trident. He wore a metallic blue breastplate, and his lower body was not a fish tail, but that of a powerful aquatic dragon. (2,800 ATK)

"I give you… Mermail Abyssgaios!" shouted Aesop. "Not only does the Field Spell make him strong enough to pulverize your Queen, but while he's around, Monsters that are Level 5 or lower can't attack.

"And that's not all… If I get rid of one of his Overlay Units, all of your Monsters that have a lower Attack Score than he does can't use their effects, and I can use that effect during your turn.

"Of course, there's really no need to do that now…

"Destroy Queen Angel of Roses with Wrath of the Sea King!"

Mermail Abyssgaios lifted his trident…

Then lightning flashed, and a thunderbolt crashed out of the stormy sky, striking Queen Angel of Roses and blowing her into oblivion.

He took Call of the Haunted and set it in his Disk.

He nodded. Mermail Abysshilde shattered.

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,100)**

"You, my friend, are treading in very dangerous waters…" said Rose, as she drew a card.

"And I don't mean this Field Spell! I activate Awakening From Beyond!"

She played the Spell, then took Queen Angel of Roses from her discard slot.

"Now you draw twice, but they won't help you…"

"Yeah?" said Aesop, as he made two draws. "Well how are you going to summon it without a sacrifice?

"She isn't the Monster I'm going to summon…" replied Rose. "The Monster I'm going to summon is the most powerful Plant-Type Monster in the game of Duel Monsters…

"To summon this mighty Plant, I have to banish two Level 7 or higher Plants, and one has to be in my hand, while the other had to be in my Graveyard."

Queen Angel of Roses and Fallen Angel of Roses appeared behind her, and then vanished into an aura of haze.

Then a practical tornado of flower petals tore through the field, and a huge humanoid with four wings made out of rose petals flew down from the sky. It had white skin, a muscular torso, and its only articles of clothing were a breechcloth, a white hood, and golden sandals.

"Meet Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel."

(2,900 ATK)

"And it has a powerful effect…" she continued. "It can negate the effects of all cards on the field except itself for one turn, meaning I can effectively 'turn off' the effect of your Field Spell…"

She looked Aesop in the eye.

"Oh yeah…" she said. "When I try to do that, you'll use _his _effect, and because a Quick Effect can beat an Ignition Effect, I'd be in big trouble…"

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Plant Food Chain!" she shouted. "This Equip Spell increases my Plant Monster's Attack Score by 500 points…"

(3,400 ATK)

"Which means it really is at the top of the food chain! Attack with Burning Thorn Hellflame!"

Rosaria lifted its wings, and the sky turned red. A rain of sharp, fiery thorns shot at the sea god, and he howled…

Then he shattered.

"No way…" gasped Aesop.

"So tell me…" said Rose, with an evil smile, "do you have a Monster that can match that one?"

_Yeah, I do… _thought Aesop. _But first I have to draw it, and then find a way to summon it…_

Then he screamed as Botanical Girl's razor-sharp leaves cut into him again.

The Arlownay all giggled.

"Your turn…" said Rose, with a sly smirk.

**(A: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,100)**

He made his draw.

_Okay, I'm halfway there… _he thought. _I drew it…_

_BUT… I have no way to summon it…_

The other two cards in his hand were Mermail Abyssmegalo, another Monster he couldn't summon, Mermail Abyssdine, which wasn't much help, and Level Returner, while his card on the field was Call of the Haunted; he couldn't summon either of these Monsters with one sacrifice.

_Wait… _he thought.

He looked at Mermaid Knight. She smiled at him.

_I almost forgot… _he thought.

"Okay, you sorry excuse for a flower," he said, "I'm using my Deckmaster effect…

"By discarding a Water Monster while I have Umi on the field and no Monsters…"

He discarded Abyssmegalo.

"I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Mermail', 'Abyss', or 'Atlantean' Monster from my Graveyard, but it can't attack or use its effect this turn."

Mermail Abysslinde appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

He set Level Retuner into his Disk, and it appeared in front of him.

"Do your worst!"

"My worst, eh?" said Rose.

She drew a card. It was Wall of Thorns.

"Rosaria…" she ordered, "destroy Mermail Abysslinde!"

The sky turned red again, and the rain of flaming thorns descended. Aesop screamed as the mermaid was blown apart.

**(A: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,100)**

"You're through!" shouted Rose. "Botanical Girl…"

"Stop right there!" exclaimed Aesop. "Abyssturge may not have an effect that activates when he gets totaled, but Abysslinde does, and it's a potent one!

"I get to Special Summon _any _Mermail from my deck except another Abysslinde, and I think I'll summon Mermail Abysslung!"

The water spouted again, and a male, handsome Mermail appeared, holding two bronze shields shaped like shells. He crouched in Defense Mode. (1,800 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Let's see Botanical Girl get past _him."_

"She can't…" replied Rose.

She threw Wall of Thorns into her Spell Zone, and it appeared face-down.

"So I'll end with that…"

"Okay, here… Goes!" shouted Aesop, as he drew a card.

Then, his Call of the Haunted lifted up, and Abysslinde appeared again. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"Now, I summon Mermail Abyssdine to the field," he continued.

Another mermaid – clearly a female – appeared, and this one was a child, even younger than Ariel. She had a blue headband and crop top, pink hair, and a blue fishtail. (1,000 ATK)

"Adorable…" said Rose, sarcastically.

"Yeah, well…" said Aesop. "My next Monster isn't adorable in the slightest…"

His other Trap Card lifted up.

"By using Level Retuning, I can lower Abysslung's Level from 4 to 3…"

"Going to summon a Rank 3 Xyz?" asked Rose, with a bored expression.

"No," replied Aesop. "I have one, but I'm not bringing it out.

"You see, because these three Water Monsters are Level 3, I can sacrifice them…"

The three Mermails turned into watery orbs…

Then, the sky turned even darker than before. Lightning flashed even more violently…

Two buildings of Lemuria behind Aesop were smashed to pieces as a _huge _sea serpent crashed through them, a dragon-like beast with indigo scales, wearing brass armor on its back studded with sharp spikes. It let out a mighty roar, and the storm responded with crashes of lightning and fierce wind. (2,800 ATK)

"Feel the wrath of Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon!" he shouted.

"So what?" said Rose. "If he was Daedalus, I might be worried, but…"

"Daedalus is all well and good with the old Field Spell," replied Aesop, "where you only needed one sacrifice to summon it. In Lemuria, the only way to use him is to make a Normal Summon using two Monsters.

"This guy is a lot better here, not only because I could Special Summon him, but because I did it that way, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are returned to the owners' hands."

Poseidra let out another roar, and every Spell and Trap on the field – Rose's Plant Food Chain and set card, along with Aesop's Call of the Haunted and Lemuria itself – were blown away. Rosaria's Attack Score fell to 2,900.

"But there's more…" said Aesop. "When he blows at least three cards off the field with that effect – and there were _four _that time – the Attack Scores of every opposing Monster fall by 300 for each one."

Rosaria fell to an Attack Score of 1,700, while Botanical girl plummeted to only 100.

"Now… Mermaid Knight, move to the field!"

Mermaid Knight obeyed, leaping out in front of Aesop. (1,500 ATK)

"Summoning your Deckmaster?" said Rose with a scowl. "You don't even realize the dire mistake you just made…"

"We'll see about that…" said Aesop. "I replay my Field Spell…"

He played the card, and Lemuria, the Forgotten City rose again. (Poseidra: 3,000 ATK, Mermaid Knight: 1,700 ATK, Botanical Girl: 300 ATK)

"Your Fallen Angel is about to fall a second time," said Aesop. "Poseidra, attack Rosaria with Tsunami Surge!"

The sea beast roared, and a blast of water mixed with pure destructive energy shot at Rosaria, blowing the Stately Fallen Angel out of existence.

"ARGH!" screamed Rose.

"Next, Mermaid Knight attacks Botanical Girl!" shouted Aesop.

The Mermaid swam towards the smaller Plant, and with a slash of her sword, cut her in half. Rose screamed again.

**(A: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 300)**

"I use Botanical Girl's effect!" she shouted. "I get to…"

"Yes, I know…" said Aesop. "You get to take a Plant-Type Monster with 1,000 Defense Points or less from your deck."

"You think you're so smart?" snarled the Duel Spirit.

She turned the card forward. It was Gigantic Cephalotus.

"This card can defeat your Mermaid Knight, so you lose on my next turn!"

"You aren't getting one!" replied Aesop. "Forget? This Field Spell is considered to have the same name as Umi…

"And Mermaid Knight has an effect which goes into play when Umi is on the field…"

"The ability to attack twice in one turn!" gasped Rose, looking at Mermaid Knight.

"That's right!" replied Aesop, as Mermaid Knight made a rush towards Rose Spectre of Dunn. "Time to weed this garden! Attack directly!"

Rose screamed as the mermaid's sword cut across her…

**(A: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

The Arlownay were not taking their mother's defeat well. They were all holding each other and sobbing.

"Oh, cut it out!" shouted Rose.

They stopped, and she sighed.

"They can be such babies sometimes…"

"So, can I leave now?" asked Aesop.

"You're very lucky, Aesop…" said Rose.

"Huh?" said Aesop. "How did you know my name?"

"The only reason I gave you a sporting chance was because the master of the Palace of Shadow demanded it," continued Rose. "She gave me your description, along with the condition I was to demand…"

She reached into her petals, and took out something. A game card.

"She also told me to give you _this _if you triumphed."

She threw it to him, and he caught it.

"What…" he said.

He looked at it.

_Whoa… _he thought. _Kind of powerful… Especially for a Fabled Deck…_

"Hold on…" said Rose. "You'll need this too…"

She tossed him something else.

He caught it, and then looked at it. It wasn't another game card, to his disappointment, but an index card, with a verse written on it.

"What is it, a Synchro Chant?" asked Aesop.

"No," replied Rose. "It's a spell to protect you from the card's malignant spirit… Speak the words of that spell when you summon that Monster if you ever hope to control it…"

"Oh, come on…" said Aesop, almost laughing. "You expect me to believe…"

"You believe in talking plants, right?" snapped the Spectre.

Aesop gulped again.

"Uh… Guess I do _now…" _he stammered.

"Use it as a Synchro Chant if you desire, but use it…" she said, "or summoning that Monster may well be the last thing you ever do…

A door appeared in mid-air to the side.

"You may leave…"

"Yeah, great…" said Aesop, nervously, as he rushed for the door.

He turned to the Arlownay, who were watching him.

"Nice meeting you girls… Let's _not _do this again!"

Then he rushed out, and slammed the door behind him.

Rose Spectre of Dunn watched as he left, and was chuckling softly…

**0000000000**

"**Mermaid Knight":** "Proxy of Poseidon": Aqua/Water/Level4/1,500/700: If you control a face–up "Umi" and no Monsters, you may, once per turn, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Mermail", "Atlantean", or "Abyss" Monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack or use its effect this turn.

**0000000000**

"**Rose Spectre of Dunn":** Fiend/Dark/Fusion/Level6/2,000/1,800: "Bountiful Garden": When you Tribute Summon a Level 5 or 6 Plant–Type Monster, draw 1 card. When you Tribute Summon a Level 7 or higher Plant–Type Monster, draw 2 cards.

**0000000000**

_**Next:**_

_**It seems that the Queen's plan is more complex than we thought. The night will pass soon, but the new day will bring even more trouble for our heroes…**_

_**Andy: The Queen has sunk to a new low… The opponent I'm facing now is the same deal as Yuki was, an innocent, brainwashed slave.**_

_**The difference is, Merlow isn't here to help her! And because we don't know any way to break the Queen's spell or protect her, even if I win, I can't save her from the same fate of those who fail the Queen. **_

_**Is this truly a lose-lose situation for us?**_

_**The only hope that it may not be lies with someone who has offered us help… And I really don't know if I can trust him. **_

"_**Mask Change" is coming soon. **_


	41. Mask Change

_**Many see the world in terms of black and white, good and evil, heroes and villains, but oftentimes, such things are not so well defined.**_

_**Superman and Captain America are clearly heroes. They stick to a strict moral code, never taking a life, no matter how vile the villain is or what atrocities they commit. **_

_**But other people who call themselves heroes don't play by those rules. They may protect the innocents and right wrongs, but if you hurt innocents and do evil things, facing them in a fight might cost you your life. Folks like Wolverine, Han Solo (at least until the climax of Episode IV), and most characters played by Clint Eastwood. **_

_**What makes a hero like this? In short, with most such characters, the reason is simple: He has either the physical or the moral capabilities that a conventional hero has, but not both. So he either doesn't want to be nice, or can't afford to be. **_

_**When this sort of hero began to become popular, the phrase "anti-hero" was coined.**_

_**I'm now facing a duelist dressed like a true hero, using a deck full of anti-heroes, under the sway of someone who isn't a hero at all…**_

_**How ironic can you get?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-ONE**

**0000000000**

**Mask Change**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Francesca yawned as she woke up.

The first thing she noticed was the smell of cinnamon and bacon.

She slowly sat up, and saw that a tray had been placed on the bedside table. Cautiously, she lifted the cover, and there was French toast, bacon (still hot), and orange juice.

It seemed that the Shadow Queen had honored her promise to provide breakfast. Clearly she had used magic to send it to her, because Francesca had taken the precaution of propping a chair against the door.

She shivered a little. Clearly, the message that the Queen was sending was clear: Barricading the door was pointless, and she had complete power over anyone trapped in her Palace. She would spare them until her curse was lifted by their defeat, but no longer.

It was a grim thought that made it very hard to enjoy what she had been given.

**0000000000**

A lot more grim thoughts went through her mind as she showered. After putting on some clean clothes, she left the room, and nervously waited for Stan and Andy. Looking around, she saw that the simulated garage was gone (more than likely, it had been an illusion the whole time), and the only exit was a cavernous tunnel that seemed to open where they originally had entered the room.

Eventually, Stan and Andy peeked out of their rooms.

"It's okay…" said Francesca.

"So where do we…" said Andy.

Then they were startled as an odd, shadowy form materialized in the center of the room.

"Watch out!" shouted Stan. "The Queen's trying something new!"

"Not quite, my young friends," said a voice.

They watched as the shadow lifted. Standing in its place was the mysterious, dark man who Merlow had met on the road, the same one who had visited Vladimir in his cell.

"Who in the world…" said Stan.

"The White Magical Hat?" asked Francesca.

The strange man looked at them before he let out the weirdest laugh they'd ever heard: "Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Then he calmed down.

"Oh, do excuse me…" he said, as he saw their expressions, looking at him like they thought he was out of his mind.

"White Magical Hat, eh?" he said. "That guy's a real gas at parties, but you always have to check his pockets before he leaves… A real sticky-fingers, if you know what I mean…"

He chuckled a little, and then cleared his throat. They looked at him suspiciously as he looked at them.

"Mr. Mason…" he said, sounding much more serious now. "Ms. Benedict… Mr. Markova… I'm so glad we could finally meet…

"I am… Count Bleck…"

As he said that, he removed his hat, and made a polite bow.

"What do you want?" asked Stan. He had been taught never to judge a man by his appearance, but he really couldn't help not trusting this guy. The laugh didn't seem very sane.

"I want what you three want," replied the man who called himself Count Bleck, as he replaced his hat. "To see the Shadow Queen completely and utterly defeated."

"Why?" asked Francesca.

"Personal reasons," he replied. "You might say I'm a… Disgruntled former employee of hers.

"Anyway… You kids defeated your first three opponents easily yesterday, but I want to warn you, they were little more than the welcoming committee. The Palace of Shadow is thick with danger, and the challenges are only going to get worse from here…

"Down the hallway is an old friend… But she doesn't remember that she's your friend any more.

"Mr. Mason… She wants you to duel her, but you must _not_… If you do, then even if you win, you'll be too exhausted to triumph against an even worse opponent that waits further down the corridor."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Andy. "Give us one good reason."

Bleck looked at them.

"How about _two _good reasons?" he replied. "The first reason is, there are secrets about the Palace of Shadow that even the Queen doesn't know about. I know about them, and it would benefit you to know them too.

"The second reason is even more vital… When you were on the outside, you found many allies who volunteered to help you… You won't find all-too many people like that here. I'm the only friend you'll find in this unhallowed ground."

He turned and started to walk away.

"You can either accept my help, or take your chances on your own…"

He started to vanish into the shadows.

"…the choice is entirely yours…"

Then, he was gone.

The three teenagers looked at each other.

"Think this is the guy who Merlow mentioned?" asked Andy.

"If he is," replied Francesca. "I think I like Merlow better…"

Stan nodded, and looked towards the tunnel.

**0000000000**

The walk was rather short. Eventually, a doorway opened into a large, torch-lit room.

It seemed to be an armory. The walls held racks full of antiquated – and very _nasty _– weapons. Swords, spears, maces, all of them made of black iron and many of them with spikes, barbs, and clawed ends.

They quickly noticed that someone was standing quietly in the center of the room, concealed by shadow…

"Hello?" said Stan.

Then a light came on, and they saw who it was. A young woman with long dark hair, dressed in a revealing, colorful, and very familiar costume…

"_Diana?" _shouted Stan.

"Stan…" said Diana, looking at him crossly. "You remember me…"

"Diana…" said Stan again.

She looked at him again, and this time, her eyes glowed, as an aura of darkness surrounded her.

"We're dueling again, Stan," she said, lifting her Duel Disk, "and it's not going to turn out the same way…"

"The Queen did the same thing to her that she did to Yuki…" gasped Francesca.

"Diana, snap out of it!" shouted Stan. "You're possessed by the Shadow Queen!"

"I never felt better…" replied Diana.

Then a set of portcullis slammed down behind them, blocking the exit.

"Guess I don't have a choice…" said Stan.

He stood up to her, and lifted his Duel Disk…

"Wait…" said Andy.

He lifted his hand.

"Stan…" he said. "I know that Count Bleck guy looks suspicious but… Maybe we should at least give him a chance for now…

"I mean, do we have anything to lose by following the advice he gave?"

"I'm not sure about that…" replied Stan.

Francesca looked at Diana.

"There's one big problem…" she said. "Merlow isn't here… We can't let Diana win but… If she loses…"

"…she'll be at the Queen's mercy…" sighed Stan. "The Shadow Queen has really sunk to a new low…"

Andy looked at Diana closely.

"My dad always told me that a solution might present itself when the problem is explored more thoroughly," he said.

"Hey, Diana!" he shouted. "How about taking me on?"

Diana stared at him.

"Fine…" she said. "I guess testing my new deck in a warm-up duel couldn't hurt…"

_New deck? _thought Andy. _No Heroics this time?_

_All right, here goes nothing…_

Stan stepped aside, and Andy took his deck from the holder.

"For my Deckmaster…" he said, "I will choose… Ancient Dragon!"

He held the card up, and in a brilliant light, the shimmering, golden Dragon appeared. (1,400 ATK)

Diana lifted a card.

"Phantom Magician," she said.

Out of the darkness, a mysterious figure emerged. It was a skeletal creature wearing a tattered, scarlet cloak and cowl, with a blank, white mask over its face. It held a long staff topped with a red ruby. (600 ATK)

"Phantom Magician?" asked Francesca. "What the Hell is that?"

"I have no idea…" said Stan. "But it seems like Diana has the first move…"

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Diana: 8,000)**

"Like Stan said," said Diana, "honor is mine…"

She made her first draw.

"I'll defend with a Monster," she said, as a set Monster appeared in front of her, "and my turn is over."

"Defending?" said Andy, as he drew, "well, I'm going on offense… For now…"

He played a card, and Cave Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"However, it can't actually attack unless I have another Dragon," he said, "so I'll stop for now…"

Diana drew, and then set a card, causing another set Monster to appear. She nodded to Andy again.

_She clearly isn't herself, _thought Andy. _It's like all the emotion has been sapped from her…_

"I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" he shouted.

There was a flash of light, and the gemstone Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"That means Cave Dragon can attack with Noxious Gust!"

The elderly Dragon belched a cloud of poison gas at the Monster on the right. Sangan appeared on the card, and was corroded into dust.

Diana quickly took a card from her deck, and added it to her other five cards.

"Alexandrite Dragon, you take the other one!" shouted Andy.

The Dragon blasted its bolt of light at the card… Mystic Tomato appeared on it, and shattered.

_Uh oh… _said Andy.

There was a haunting laughter, and a creature appeared out of the shadows…

It was something that the three teenagers didn't think was possible… A man-shaped and man-sized figure dressed in black spandex with a tattered maroon cape with a high color and a pullover mask that looked like a skull. His gloves had nasty-looking claws on them. (600 ATK)

"No… way…" said Stan. "That's a Destiny Hero!"

"Destiny Hero Devilguy, to be specific," replied Diana.

"Impossible…" replied Francesca. "Edo Phoenix owns the only copies of those cards…"

Diana looked at her.

"Maybe someone working for the Queen took them from him," she replied. "Whatever the case… They're mine now…

"Any other move you'd like to make?"

"No…" said Andy, nervously.

"Then it's my move…" said Diana, as she made a draw.

She looked at it, and then played it.

"I activate the Hammer Shot Spell Card," she said. "This destroys the Monster on the field with the highest Attack Score.

"Both your Monsters have much higher Scores than mine, but since they have equal Scores, I get to choose…"

She pointed at Alexandrite Dragon, and it shattered.

"Devilguy, deal with the other one with Death Grip."

Devilguy reached for Cave Dragon with its claw, and the Dragon simply disappeared.

"Eh?" said Andy.

"Devilguy's effect can send a Monster two turns into the future, so long as he's in Attack Mode," replied Diana. "I can't attack this turn, however…"

_I really should have studied up more on the Destiny Heroes… _thought Andy. _Then again, I never dreamed I'd be facing them…_

"So I'll set this card," continued Diana, as a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and end my turn."

_Okay, let's see here…_ thought Andy, as he made a draw.

The six cards in his hand were Twin-Headed Behemoth, Fusion Recovery, Rare Metal Dragon, Axe Dragonute, Goddess With the Third Eye, and Masked Dragon.

_All I need is Polymerization to summon something good… _he thought. _Still, Diana likely has a lot of surprises…_

He looked at Ancient Dragon.

_I can use that guy's effect… _he thought. _But it requires a discard, and I think I'd better keep all my cards for now…_

He reached for Axe Dragonute.

_Well, at least this one can handle Devilguy…_

"I summon Axe Dragonute!" he shouted.

He played the card, and Dragonute leapt onto the field, swinging its axe dramatically. (2,000 ATK)

"Smash that Destiny Hero!" shouted Andy. "Axe Crash!"

The Dragon-man slammed its weapon down, causing the floor to shake and blowing Devilguy to little pieces.

"Ergh…" groaned Diana.

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,600)**

"I activate… Destiny Signal!" she shouted.

Her Trap Card lifted up, and a spotlight shot out of it, casting a light with a fancy letter D on the ceiling.

"This is the Destiny Heroes' version of Hero Signal," she said, "giving me the ability to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Destiny Hero from my deck.

"I thus summon Destiny Hero Diehardguy."

A large, craggy boulder appeared in mid-air. The boulder split open, and a muscular, bare-chested, wild-looking man appeared. He had a mane of carrot-orange hair and wore black trunks with black leather covering his legs up to the shins. The "boulder" was now a pair of shells attached to each forearm.

As he looked at Andy, it seemed his face was stuck in a perpetual sneer. (800 ATK)

"Axe Dragonute moves to Defense Mode…" muttered Andy.

Dragonute knelt, and held his weapon in his lap.

"…and I end my turn…"

Diana made a draw.

"I summon Destiny Hero Diamondguy," she said.

She played the card, and a huge diamond appeared in mid-air… Then cracks started to appear on it…

It burst, and another dark hero appeared. He had a black suit and a tattered cape, but what made him stand out were the shards of diamond protruding from his flesh. He was literally covered with these strange spurs, mostly on his limbs and back. (1,400 ATK)

"His ability is a very potent one," she continued. "I get to flip the top card on my deck. If that card is a Normal Spell, I send it to the Graveyard, where its effect activates during my next Standby Phase.

"Anything else, and it goes to the bottom of my deck."

She picked up the top card on her deck, and turned it over. Then she turned it forward. Andy didn't know what Destiny Draw did, but it was clearly a Normal Spell. Diana quickly discarded it.

"Destroy his Axe Dragonute," ordered Diana. "Diamond Ray Blast."

Diamondguy put his hands together, and a beam of super-intense light shot at the defending Axe Dragonute, vaporizing it.

Diana smirked at Andy. She nodded to Diehardguy, and he leapt at Andy, slamming him with the two shells and knocking him over.

"Ow…" he said.

**(A: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,600)**

"I throw two more cards face-down," said Diana, as two set cards appeared, "and then play the Field Spell Clock Tower Prison."

There was a rumble, and the room shook. The walls crumbled, and buildings formed around them, putting them in the center of a dark courtyard. A tall, ominous – and very familiar-looking – clock tower rose behind Diana, with both hands at the twelve o'clock position.

The clock started to chime, slowly ringing out twelve tolls…

"Midnight…" said Stan.

"I'm afraid not," said a voice behind them. "When Clock Tower Prison is played, its clock reads high noon."

They turned around. They couldn't see Count Bleck, as he was completely hidden in the shadows, but his very distinctive voice made it clear that he was the one that was there.

"The clock will gain three hours during each of Andy's turns. When it _does _reach midnight, Diana will be almost impossible to hurt…

"And if it's destroyed after that time, even worse. She'll be able to summon something… bad…"

"Bleck, was Diana telling the truth?" asked Stan. "Did the Queen really steal these cards from Edo Phoenix?"

"No, but that's what Diana believes," replied Bleck. "In truth, the Queen hacked onto the Pro League website to find information about his cards, and used black magic to make copies of them."

"Let me get this straight…" said Francesca. "You can cast spells through the internet?"

"It's easier than it sounds, Ms. Benedict," replied Bleck. "In fact, you don't even have to be a full-fledged wizard to use supernatural forces to manipulate the web. People who do so regularly are called Shadowjacks."

"Is these cards even legal?" asked Stan.

"Hard to say," replied Bleck. "But I wouldn't call the Queen out on it if I were you. After all, I'm sure that the special cards _you _three have were never approved for tournament use."

Meanwhile, Andy was listening, and he didn't like this at all.

"Are you going to move or just stand there?" asked Diana.

Andy made a draw. As he did so, the hands of Clock Tower Prison quickly moved, until it read three o'clock. Three ominous chimes rang out.

"I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!" he shouted.

There was a gust of wind, and the two-headed Dragon appeared with a low cry. (1,500 ATK)

"Destroy Diehardguy!" he shouted.

"I activate… D-Shield!" shouted Diana, as one of her two face-down cards lifted up.

As Behemoth blasted its cone of frost, Diehardguy knelt and covered himself with his shells. (800 DEF) The blast hit, but merely bounced off.

"D-Shield moved my Destiny Hero to Defense Mode, and prevents it from being destroyed in battle.

"You see, Andy... Like their rivals the Elemental Heroes, the low-Level Destiny Heroes aren't very strong… But they have ways to cope…"

"If that's true…" said Stan, "then it stands to reason that the low-Level Destiny Heroes are supposed to pave the way to summon the very powerful _high-Level _ones, just like the Elemental Heroes do.

"Precisely," replied Bleck. "But for the most part, the Destiny Heroes don't do it via Fusions."

"I end my turn…" sighed Andy.

Diana drew.

"All right Andy," she said. "Two things happen right now…

"First, as it's been two of my turns since I used Devilguy's effect on your Cave Dragon, it comes back…"

Cave Dragon reappeared on Andy's side of the field in a flash of light.

"But it's not going to last long, I assure you… Second, the effect of Destiny Draw, which I sent to the Graveyard with Diamondguy's effect last turn, activates, and I draw twice."

She made two draws.

"That's IT?" gasped Francesca. "It's a Pot of Greed?"

"No," replied Bleck. "Normally, she'd have had to discard a Destiny Hero from her hand. But when a Spell Card is activated with Diamondguy's effect, all conditions and costs are done away with."

"Now I'll use Diamondguy's effect again…" said Diana.

She flipped the top card.

Hidden Soldiers.

"Eh, you got lucky," she said, as she slipped it underneath her deck.

"Next, I'll summon Destiny Hero Dunkguy."

She played the card, and another Destiny Hero appeared, this one a grim parody of a basketball player. He had a muscular torso, pronounced dreadlocks, glowing eyes, and skin even darker than most African-Americans. The only clothing he wore was a ragged pair of trousers. (1,200 ATK)

"Want to know how this guy works?" asked Diana.

"Other than the fact that he's a terrible stereotype?" asked Andy.

Diana sighed.

"I toss one other Destiny Hero from my hand," she said, as she discarded a card, "and see for yourself…"

A glowing ball of energy appeared in Dunkguy's hands, and he leapt, spiking it like a basketball player dunking a ball, hitting Andy.

"Ugh…" he grunted.

"His slam-dunk deals out 500 points of damage," said Diana. "I end my turn..."

**(A: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,600)**

"Draw…" said Andy, as he drew a card.

"And my clock moves to six o'clock," said Diana, as Clock Tower Prison's hands moved.

"Too bad…" said Andy, looking at the card he had just drawn. "I'm yanking the cord before it moves any further…

"I play Heavy Storm!"

He played the card, and a furious wind tore through the courtyard. D-Shield shattered first, then Diana's set card lifted up and disintegrated. Then the whole infernal clock was blown to bits. Shattering like a storm of black glass.

"So…" said Andy. "Guess that's…"

Then, with a loud roar, a giant Monster landed in front of Diana with such force that the ground shook. It was a huge, hulking man, standing almost ten feet tall, with bulging muscles. He wore tattered grey trousers, no shirt, had broken chains on his wrists and ankles, unkempt, dirty hair, and wore a metal mask over his face.

"WHAT?" shouted Andy. "Your clock never reached midnight!"

Diana smirked.

"Remember that other face-down card I had?" she said. "It was a Trap called Eternal Dread. I chain-activated it when you played Heavy Storm, and it fast-forwarded my clock six hours, putting both hands on twelve the instant before it was destroyed.

"Doing so let me spring Clock Tower Prison's inmate… Destiny Hero Dreadguy.

"Because I summoned him that way, both he and all other Destiny Heroes are invincible this turn.

"AND, I get to Special Summon up to two Destiny Heroes from my Graveyard."

A dark portal opened in the floor, and Devilguy rose out of it. (600 ATK)

"Fortunately for you, I only have room for one. And as for Dreadguy himself, his Attack and Defense Score are both equal to the combined Attack Scores of all my other Destiny Heroes…

"Add them up…"

(4,000 ATK)

"Ho boy…" said Andy. "All right…

"I move both Cave Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth to Defense Mode…"

Cave Dragon curled up into a defending position (100 DEF) while Behemoth covered itself with its wings. (1,200 DEF)

"Now, I'll play Polymerization!" he shouted. "I'll fuse together Goddess With the Third Eye and Rare Metal Dragon!"

"There's no Fusion Monster that uses Rare Metal Dragon…" said Diana.

"I didn't think so to until yesterday," replied Andy, as the two Monsters appeared in front of him. "But I found one. This rare Fusion Monster is normally the result of fusing it with its best friend, Familiar Knight…"

Goddess morphed into a likeness of the knight in armor, and both Monsters combined into a vortex of energy.

There was a flash of light, and another armored knight, with a breastplate shaped like a silver dragon's head and a large shield, also shaped like a dragon's head, and a helmet covering his whole head, with a purple plume, appeared. He knelt and held the shield in front of him. (2,400 DEF)

"Fusion Summoning a Monster to _defend _with it?" asked Diana.

"Yes I am," replied Andy, as he threw another card into his Disk. "You'll soon see that Metal Dragoon has more to him than you might think.

"My turn is over…"

"All right, my move…" said Diana, as she made a draw.

She paused for a minute. Then she put it with her other cards.

"I use Diamondguy's effect…" she said.

She flipped the top card on her deck.

"It's Doctor-D," she said, turning it around.

"Never heard of it," replied Andy.

"It's a Normal Spell, and that's all that matters," said Diana.

She slipped it into her discard slot.

"I move Diehardguy to Attack Mode…" she said, as the dark hero stood up. (800 ATK)

"Dreadguy, demolish his Metal Dragoon!"

The ogre roared, and lunged at the knight…

Metal Dragoon blocked the blow with his shield, and the room trembled. Dreadguy stepped back, seemingly puzzled. The shield had a big dent in it, but Metal Dragoon was okay.

"What?" said Diana.

"When Metal Dragoon is Fusion Summoned, he gains two Metal Counters," said Andy, "and he can use one of them to survive anything.

"Dark Hole, Torrential Tribute, and big, scary, lugs like that guy… He can shake all of them off."

"You don't say…" said Diana. "Diehardguy, destroy Cave Dragon!"

Diehardguy slammed its shells into the defending Dragon, blowing it to pieces.

"Diamondguy…" she said.

The blast of pure light shot from the diamond-studded hero, blowing Twin-Headed Behemoth to little bits.

"I move Dunkguy and Devilguy to Defense Mode…" she continued.

Dunkguy knelt and crossed his arms (1,700 DEF) while Devilguy shielded himself with his claws. (800 DEF)

"I end my turn…" she said.

"And that means Twin Headed Behemoth makes a recovery…" said Andy, as Behemoth reappeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, it's my move…"

He made a draw.

"I summon Masked Dragon!"

There was a burning flame, and the small Dragon wearing a metal mask appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Metal Dragoon, move to Attack Mode!" he shouted.

The Warrior stood up, and drew a longsword. (2,400 ATK)

"Time to attack!" he shouted. "Masked Dragon, attack Diamondguy!"

"They'll kill each other!" shouted Diana, as the Dragon's eyes glowed.

"That's the idea…" said Andy.

Masked Dragon shot a blast of flame at Diamondguy, and Diamondguy responded with his shimmering beam of light. The two blasts of energy collided, and both of them were blown to shards.

"The thing is," said Andy, "Masked Dragon's effect lets me Special Summon another Masked Dragon…"

A twin of the first Masked Dragon appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"And he's about to go ballistic on Diehardguy!"

The second Masked Dragon breathed flames, and Diana grunted as Diehardguy burst.

"Now for Devilguy," continued Andy. "Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack!"

Behemoth blasted its cone of flame, and Devilguy froze solid before shattering.

"Then there's Dunkguy…" said Andy. "Metal Dragoon, he's yours… Steel Metal Blade!"

The knight lifted his sword, and it shimmered in the dim light. He brought it down, and the dark athlete shattered.

"Well, he got rid of the small guys," said Francesca, "but Dreadguy is still a big problem…"

Count Bleck chuckled.

"Oh?" he said. "Take a look at him."

They all looked at the huge Warrior, who was clutching his chest in pain. (0 ATK)

"Of course…" muttered Stan. "If Dreadguy's Scores are equal to the combined Scores of all other Destiny Heroes… Andy knew he had to get rid of the others… Without them, the big guy is powerless!"

"I'll set one card face-down," said Andy, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and it's your move…"

**(A: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,000)**

Diana looked crossly at Andy as she made a draw.

"Andy…" she said, "I intended to save this card for Stan… But… I have no choice now…

"Due to Diamondguy's effect, the effect of Doctor-D now activates, and I get to Special Summon one Destiny Hero from my Graveyard…"

Diehardguy appeared again. (800 ATK)

"Then, I use the effect of the Monster I tossed to use Dunkguy's effect. By banishing Destiny Hero Diabolicguy from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon another copy from my deck."

The Monster that appeared looked like some stereotypical demon; it had horns, wings, claws, and hooves on its feet. (800 ATK)

"_That's_ a Hero?" asked Andy.

"Oh…" said Diana. "You haven't seen anything… I sacrifice my three Monsters…"

Diehardguy, Diabolicguy, and Dreadguy vanished into dark, shadow orbs.

"Three sacrifices?" gasped Stan. "Oh no, I think I know what she's summoning… Wasn't it called Destiny Hero Dogmaguy or something?"

Then the room darkened, and a chill froze them, right down to the bone. It wasn't a chill caused by cold… More like a chill caused by incredible _evil._

A bubbling pool of lava formed in front of Diana…

Then, to their horror, they realized that it wasn't lava…

…it was blood…

"She's not summoning Dogmaguy…" said Bleck, sounding a little nervous himself.

"It's something much, much worse…"

The liquid in the pool spurted up in a tall fountain of gore. Then the blood congealed, and started to take shape, turning into something humanoid and horrible…

It was a hulking demon, with an armored exoskeleton, blades on its back, a long tail, and tattered, leathery wings. Its left arm was a vicious claw, while its right one was a fiendish dragon's head, making the whole thing an evil parody of the Flame Wingman.

"It's Destiny Hero Bloo-D…" muttered Bleck.

Andy was nearly paralyzed with fear as this creature that seemingly came from the depths of Hell itself looked him in the eye… (1,900 ATK)

"The Ultimate D Card?" screamed Francesca. "HOW? There's no way that the Queen could have duplicated THAT!"

"The original one was created by accident…" gasped Stan, "after the Light of Ruin bestowed its wicked influence on what was supposed to be the most powerful Destiny Hero! Everyone knows that!"

"The Queen has recreated that vile accident intentionally," replied Bleck. "Not with the Light of Ruin, but by channeling the dark entity that _she _serves.

"I believe that Vivian mentioned it to you… The evil being that the Queen wanted her to swear allegiance to, but she couldn't due to her lack of skill? This being now enabled the Queen to recreate Bloo-D.

"And I'm afraid this card is how she has cemented her hold over poor Diana…"

"Diana, listen to me!" shouted Andy. "This has gone WAY too far!

"That costume you're wearing… you said you wore it because you admire Wonder Woman, remember? Wonder Woman is a real hero…

"The Destiny Heroes… They push the limits on what it means to be heroes at the _best _of times…

"_That _thing…"

He pointed to Bloo-D.

"That one is a hero in name only, Diana, and I'm sure that on some subconscious level, you know it!"

Diana said nothing for a minute or two.

_Yes! _thought Andy. _Please let me get through to her…_

"I use Bloo-D's effect…" growled Diana.

_No… _thought Andy, as Bloo-D spread its wings.

"If I can't destroy your Metal Dragoon," she said, "then I'll just have to _take _it!"

What happened next was like a windstorm in reverse. Or more like… a suction. Metal Dragoon struggled, and then shattered.

"HEY!" shouted Andy.

Bloo-D's wings started to undulate and bulge, as if something was trapped inside them…

"Bloo-D has the ability to absorb opposing Monsters…" said Diana, with a slight smirk. "It then gains Attack Points equal to half that Monster's Attack Score."

(3,100 ATK)

"And there's more… Bloo-D also negates the effects of all your Monsters…

"But for now… Attack his Twin-Headed Behemoth with Vengeful Rain!"

Bloo-D spread its wings again, and what came next was even more horrid than before. A literal downpour of blood struck Behemoth with the force of a hail of bullets. Andy screamed and fell to the floor.

Diana laughed evilly, and threw a card into her Disk. A set card appeared behind Bloo-D.

"Deal with that…" she said. "It's your move…"

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,000)**

_Okay, reasoning with her didn't work… _thought Andy, _not that I expected it to…_

_But… Maybe I can make more progress if I kill that thing…_

He stood up.

_Not sure how I'm gonna do that, though…_

He drew a card.

He looked at it. Then he looked at Diana's set card…

Then he looked at his Deckmaster…

He took the other card from his hand.

"I activate… Fusion Recovery," he said, as he played it.

"This Spell Card lets me take one Polymerization and one Monster that I used in a Fusion Summon from my Graveyard…"

He quickly took Polymerization and Rare Metal Dragon from his discard slot.

"Next, I'm using my Deckmaster effect," he said. "Bloo-D can't negate that. For the cost of one card from my hand, I can attack directly with a Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type Monster."

"You have some nerve…" said Diana with a scowl, as Andy discarded Rare Metal Dragon.

"Masked Dragon, attack directly!" shouted Andy.

The Dragon breathed fire at Diana, and her face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Draining Shield!" she shouted, as the flames bounced off a barrier. "Now I'm stronger than ever!"

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,400)**

_Actually, Diana, _thought Andy, _I did that because I was hoping you'd spring your Trap… Now that you've used it… Maybe I can truly bring Bloo-D down…_

He set a card in his Disk, and it appeared alongside his other set card in his Spell Zone.

"It's your move…" he said.

"Draw…" said Diana, as she made a draw.

"Bloo-D, punish him and his Dragon with Vengeful Rain!"

Bloo-D spread its wings again.

"That's just what I was waiting for!" shouted Andy. "I activate… Dust Tornado!"

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"Dust Tornado?" asked Francesca. "Wait… Diana has no Spell or Trap to destroy."

"Yes she does," said Count Bleck. "Metal Dragoon is being treated as an Equip Spell for Bloo-D, so Andy is using his Trap to destroy that."

The results were dramatic. As the tornado blew towards the wicked creature, the struggling within its wings became more vigorous, until Metal Dragoon literally tore himself free.

He looked at Bloo-D with an expression of hate before he vanished.

"That means your Monster returns to its base Attack Score of 1,900," said Andy, as the beast continued its assault, "meaning its Vengeful Rain only costs me 500 Life Points."

The shower of gore plowed into Masked Dragon, and it shattered.

"But I won't be using Masked Dragon's effect, despite the fact that I can…"

"What does he mean?" asked Stan.

"Bloo-D couldn't prevent Andy from using Masked Dragon's effect, because it's effect activated in the Graveyard," said Bleck. "But Andy is smart. He realized that because he robbed Bloo-D of one victim, it was now able to claim another. With no Monsters on his side of the field now, there are none available."

"End…" hissed Diana.

Andy drew, and then smiled.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

His Trap Card lifted up, and Cave Dragon reappeared. (2,000 ATK)

"You have no other Dragons," growled Diana. "You can't attack with that…"

"Uh, actually, I can…" replied Andy. "Bloo-D negates its effect, remember?"

Diana turned white.

"So... Cave Dragon... Destroy it. Noxious Gust."

Cave Dragon exhaled a cloud of poisonous gas, and and the false hero let out a bloodcurdling shout of agony...

Then it shattered in a shower of gore, splattering blood on Diana. She let out a scream.

**(A: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,300)**

"It's gone…" said Bleck. "And since it was a NOMI, she can't summon it again very easily."

"But did it do any good?" asked Stan.

"Why stop there?" asked Andy. "I summon Doppelganger Dragon."

The small glob of protoplasm appeared, slowly forming into a Dragon shape. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I'll pay 1,000 Life Points so that it can assume the name of Lesser Fiend.

"Then, Polymerization! I fuse both together…"

The Fusion Spell appeared, and both Monsters combined into a green and black swirl…

"I summon Fiend Skull Dragon!"

With a roar, the four-armed, diabolical-looking Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

They all looked at Diana, who had hardly made any reaction to the new summon. She was covered with foul stuff, and clutching her head with her eyes closed tightly.

"Diana?" said Andy.

"Andy…" she said.

A tear ran down her face.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen got off her throne, her eyes glowing in fury.

"Not this time…" she hissed.

She lifted her scepter, and pointed it at her crystal ball.

"I'm not giving this one up without a fight, Mr. Markova!" she shouted. "Let's see who's will is stronger…"

She chanted in an eldritch language, and there was a low howl as ghostly spirits flew into the orb…

**000000000**

Diana screamed… The phantoms started to surround her…

"Not good…" said Andy.

Diana opened her eyes, and they were glowing with evil light. He cackled as she drew a card.

"_I play The Warrior Returning Alive," _she said, in a wicked version of her true voice. _"I'll use it to recover Bloo-D from my Graveyard…"_

She took the card, and held it up.

"Yeah, your majesty?" said Andy. "I know it's you I'm talking to, by the way… You still need to swap three Monsters to summon that thing again…"

"_But I don't need even _one _sacrifice to summon something else," _replied the thing with Diana's face. _"I'm using my Deckmaster ability._

"_It lets me take any Monster from my deck with the word 'Hero' in its name that I want, so long as I banish Heroes from my Graveyard whose combined Levels equal twice as much as the one I want._

"_The one I want is Level 8, meaning that in this case, I have to banish 16."_

Phantom Magician lifted its staff, and chanted an evil spell. Dreadguy, Diamondguy, and Dunkguy appeared behind her, and then dissipated.

"_Now I not only have Bloo-D," _she continued, _"but Destiny Hero Dogmaguy as well…_

"_And seeing as you like Fusion Monsters so much, I'll play MY Polymerization to fuse the two together!"_

She played the card, and Bloo-D appeared, along with a dark hero that was just as big, covered with armor, and a horned helmet, with bat-like wings.

"I thought you said these guys didn't use Fusions…" muttered Stan, turning towards where Bleck was standing.

"I said, 'for the most part'," replied Bleck.

The two Destiny Heroes vanished, and a dark shadow started to rise…

The Monster that appeared wasn't as ugly as Bloo-D, but was no less intimidating. It was armored, had a dragon for one arm (only the left this time) and a gauntlet with a sword on it for the other. There was also a fierce dragon on its chest. Its head was covered by a demonic helmet, and it had large, leathery wings. Spikes covered its whole body.

"_Feel the wrath of the Final D card," _laughed Diana, _"The last Destiny Hero ever made… Destiny End Dragoon!"_

(3,000 ATK)

"_My Monster can easily defeat yours," _she continued._ "But if I forfeit my Battle Phase, I can simply destroy your Monster and deal damage to you equal to Fiend Skull Dragon's Attack Score."_

"You gotta be kidding…" said Andy.

Destiny End Dragoon belched black fire from the dragon head on its chest. Andy cried out in pain as Fiend Skull Dragon exploded.

"_Does THAT seem like I'm kidding?" _she shouted.

"I can beat that thing…" groaned Andy.

"_You might, but it won't stay beaten," _replied Diana. _"Even if you manage to destroy it, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard during my Standby Phase by banishing another Destiny Hero from it."_

"Oh come on…" said Andy.

"_Make your move," _said Diana.

**(A: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,300)**

"Here goes nothing…" said Andy.

He drew.

"I play the Sweet Feast card!" he shouted.

"Now I get to draw five times…" he said, as he made five draws. "But any I don't use this turn, I lose at the end of the turn, and I take 400 points of damage for each one…"

He looked at the five cards.

"Which isn't going to happen…" he said. "I play Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and in a flash of light, Rare Metal Dragon appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"Then, I sacrifice it," he said, as it vanished, "to summon Strong Wind Dragon!"

A fierce wind erupted over the field, and the large, green-scaled Dragon appeared. (2,400 ATK)

"And it gains Attack Points equal to half of Rare Metal Dragon's points…"

(3,600 ATK)

"Attack Destiny End Dragoon with Strong Hurricane!"

The windstorm increased, and the Dragon let out a roar. The demonic Warrior shattered as Diana groaned.

**(A: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,700)**

"_Weren't you listening a minute ago?" _said the thing with Diana's face, but now with a slight weakness in her voice. _"That won't keep it down for long…"_

Andy threw the other three cards into his Disk, and three face-down cards appeared.

"Move…" he said, glaring Diana in the eye.

Diana paused. Her hand shivered a little as she made a draw.

"_I use Destiny End Dragoon's effect…"_ she said. _"And banish Devilguy to Special Summon it…"_

With another dark shadow, the awful thing appeared again.

"_Wipe out Strong Wind Dragon!"_ she shouted.

The dragon head on the armor breathed dark flames again…

"I activate… Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and the strange machine that had taken him to Glitzville a second time appeared. Strong Wind Dragon vanished.

"My Trap banished my Monster until the end of the turn," said Andy. "And because Destiny End Dragoon's target was no longer there, it missed."

"And because Diana tried to use its effect, she can't attack with it!" exclaimed Francesca.

Diana held her forehead. She was starting to sweat.

"I… End my turn…" she said.

The machine appeared again, and Strong Wind Dragon reappeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"That was her real voice!" shouted Stan.

"Diana!" shouted Andy. "Can you hear me?"

Diana didn't answer.

Andy drew a card.

_Whether she can or not… _he thought, _this may be my last chance to knock some sense into her…_

"I activate Immortal Dragon!" he shouted, as one of his face-down cards lifted up.

With another gust of wind, Fiend Skull Dragon appeared with a low snarl. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack Destiny End Dragoon!" he shouted. "Once more with feeling!"

It roared, as the Death Cyclone started again…

"And to make sure it can do the job," he said, as his other set card lifted up, "Battle Fusion!"

Fiend Skull Dragon's Attack Score shot up to 5,000. Diana let out a scream as Destiny End Dragoon fell for the second time.

"Strong Wind Dragon, direct attack!" shouted Andy. "Put all you've got into it!"

The blast hit Diana hard. She didn't scream, but fell to the ground limply, like an empty bag.

**(A: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,300)**

Andy looked at her. Then he looked at the card he had drawn this turn, and set in his Disk. It appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Your move, Diana…" he said.

He waited.

Then Diana slowly started to move.

_No… _he thought.

Count Bleck's eyes started to glow red, and the knob of his cane started to do the same…

Diana stopped moving…

**0000000000**

"Get out of my head!" shouted a voice. "Get out!"

At first, Diana didn't know who was shouting…

Then she recognized the voice. It was hers.

She opened her eyes, and found herself in a dark place. Mist covered the floor.

She knew where she was. She was in her mind. And she wasn't alone.

She turned towards the shadows.

"Get out of my head!" she demanded.

"Are you going to make me, little girl?" asked the Shadow Queen's voice.

The evil monarch stepped out of the darkness.

"Greater people than you have tried to defy me," she said. "Most didn't live to regret it…

"Now pick up your cards and finish the duel. Do you really want to try to see if your will is stronger than mine?"

Diana looked at her with an angry glare.

She looked at her arm, and saw that her Duel Disk was still there. She slowly lifted it.

The Queen chuckled a little.

"Choose your battles carefully, girl…" she said. "Those who dare to challenge me face unspeakable punishments upon defeat…"

"Then how about we make it a little more of a challenge?" said Diana. "Say, a One-Shot Showdown?"

"I'm not familiar with that term," replied the Shadow Queen.

"Here's how it works," said Diana. "No Life Point counters. Both players draw six cards, and then both get one turn.

"The first player is allowed to use whatever he has to summon a Monster and play whatever cards she likes. Then the second player does the same thing.

"Then we battle, and the owner of the Monster that's still standing at the end is the winner.

"I win, you leave me alone for good… You win, I'll stop resisting, and you can do whatever you want."

"Intriguing…" said the Queen.

A Duel Disk appeared on her arm.

"I accept. But you will make the first move…"

_She just wants to be the one to make the attack, _thought Diana.

The two adversaries activated their Disks, and both made six draws.

To her great relief, the Destiny Heroes were gone. This was her real deck.

She quickly chose a Spell Card.

"I play Hand Destruction," she said. "That means…"

"I know what it does!" snapped the Queen, as she discarded two cards.

_Well, you don't have to be so rude about it, _thought Diana, as she discarded two.

They both made two draws.

"Good!" she exclaimed. "I'll summon Heroic Champion Double Lance!"

She threw the card on her Disk, and the armored Warrior with two spears appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Which means, I can Special Summon the one I just sent to my Graveyard!"

A twin of the first Double Lance appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (900 DEF)

"Then, I'll play Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and Heroic Champion Extra Sword emerged from a portal in the floor. (1,000 ATK)

"And with these three Level 4 Warriors," she exclaimed, as the Overlay Network opened, "I can Xyz Summon the mightiest Heroic Champion…"

A Warrior emerged from the portal, one that was bigger than any Monster that Diana had summoned in her duel with Stan. In fact, this one was a giant, standing at least twice as tall as Excalibur. His plate armor suggested that of Feudal Japan, and He held a glowing energy sword.

"Heroic Champion Kusanagi!"

(2,500 ATK)

"And because I used Extra Sword to summon it, it gains 1,000 Attack Points."

(3,500 ATK)

"Very pretty," said the Shadow Queen, sarcastically. "Are you done?"

Diana fit a card into her Disk, and a set card appeared behind Kusanagi.

"_Now _I am," she said.

"Now it's my move…" said the Shadow Queen.

She took a card from her hand.

"I'll start by playing D-Spirit. In case you've forgotten how the cards in that deck worked, I'll explain it again. This Spell Card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Destiny Hero from my hand, so long as I don't control any."

Diamondguy appeared in front of her. (1,400 ATK)

_So that's where the deck went, _thought Diana, nervously.

"Next, I play Over Destiny," continued the Queen. "Because your Hand Destruction Spell Card sent both Dashguy to my Graveyard, this Spell lets me summon one from my deck whose Level is equal to half of its level."

Diehardguy appeared in front of her. (800 ATK)

"Then, I summon Destiny Hero Departedguy," she continued.

In another dark aura, a tall man dressed in a white formal suit with a dead flower on his lapel, holding a cane with a knob shaped like a skull appeared. His entire face was wrapped in bandages, reminding Diana of the Invisible Man. (1,000 ATK)

Diana's heart skipped a beat. She knew that if her opponent summoned Bloo-D, she was _doomed…_

"I sacrifice my three Destiny Heroes…" said the Queen.

Diana's heart leapt into her mouth as they vanished…

Then she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't Bloo-D. It was Dogmaguy. (3,400 ATK)

"I know what you're thinking, dear," said the Queen, with an evil smile. "Don't celebrate yet… Dogmaguy is still going to win this One-Shot Showdown, as you call it…"

She played her last card.

"Especially since I have Big Bang Shot!"

(3,800 ATK)

"Show that foolish child what happens to those who defy me!" ordered the Shadow Queen. "Attack her Monster with Death Chronicle!"

Dogmaguy flew at the huge Xyz…

"Trap activate…" said Diana, as her face-down card lifted up.

The Shadow Queen burst out laughing.

"Rivalry of Warlords?" she cackled. "That can't stop Dogmaguy's attack!"

"But Kusanagi's effect can!" replied Diana. "You see, once per turn, when a Trap Card is activated, I can detach one of his Overlay Units to negate it…

"Even if the Trap Card is my own…"

She discarded Double Lance's card, and Rivalry of Warlords shattered.

"And when he does that, he gains 500 Attack Points!"

(4,000 ATK)

Kusanagi lifted his sword, and this time, it was the Shadow Queen who looked scared.

"Show this sorry excuse for a hero what a _real _one can do!" shouted Diana. "Destroy him with Sacred Sword!"

Kusanagi slashed downward, making a deep, glowing scar across Dogmaguy's chest… The Destiny Hero trembled for a minute… And then exploded into pixels.

"You lose!" shouted Diana. "I'm only going to say this once more… _Get out of my head!"_

The Shadow Queen hesitated…

Kusanagi, on the other hand, did not. He charged at the Queen in a rage. She vanished in a plume of black smoke, right before his sword hit her.

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen screamed in pain, and fell off her throne.

"My Queen!" exclaimed Grodus.

He rushed over to her.

"Let me help you up…"

"Don't touch me!" screamed the Queen.

She slugged him in the face, knocking him over.

Then she held her head. A fierce migraine was ripping through it…

But the pain was nothing compared to the humiliation…

Diana wasn't related to the Three Heroes at all… And still, she somehow had been victorious…

_How? _she thought. _How could a commoner have gotten so strong?_

**0000000000**

Diana sat up, and saw that Andy, Stan, and Francesca were standing over her.

"Andy…" she said. "The duel…"

"It seems to be over…" sighed Andy. "Both our Duel Disks shut down… Seems that the Queen decided to forfeit the duel."

"Yeah…" said Diana.

"The way I see it," said Andy, "she gave up the duel once she realized that Bloo-D had no more power. It knew it was losing its grip, but it was trying as hard as it could to keep a hold. A drowning man surfaces twice before going down for good. Destroying Destiny End Dragoon a second time sent the thing packing."

Diana drew the top five cards from her deck.

She breathed a sigh of relief. It was her real deck. The Destiny Heroes were gone.

"It isn't safe for you here, child," said Bleck's voice.

His cane started to glow again, and a portal opened in front of them.

"That will take you back to Rogueport. Leave quickly…"

"I… I dunno…" said Diana. "I'd really like revenge against that bitch…"

"Diana, please…" said Stan. "Leave this to us… If I was in your position, I'd take an opportunity to get out of here in a second…

"As much as you like to imitate Wonder Woman, you can't actually _be _her."

Diana sighed, and turned towards the portal.

Then she turned to Andy.

"Uh, Andy," she said. "That card you set on your last turn…"

Andy looked at his Duel Disk. The card he had set face-down on his last turn was still there.

He slowly removed it from the Disk.

"Uhm…" said Andy.

"Can I…" said Diana.

Then she stopped.

"On second thought…" she said. "I'd rather not know…"

She quickly rushed through the portal. As the three teenagers watched, it closed behind them.

Andy looked at the card again, and then shuffled it into his deck.

Then a card appeared, floating in mid-air.

"What's this?" he said.

He picked it out of the air.

"Hey…" he said. "This is a pretty good card… Wonder where it came from?"

"Didn't the Witty Phantom say that you could earn cards by defeating opponents here?" asked Francesca. "Maybe this is one of them."

Andy sighed. He was wary of accepting anything that the Shadow Queen gave him, but still…

"Bleck?" he said.

No answer.

"Bleck?" he repeated.

Still no answer.

"He's gone!" shouted Francesca.

"Lovely…" said Stan. "Just when he would have been useful…"

They noticed a second corridor on the opposite side of the room from the one they came. Then Stan remembered what Bleck had told him…

"_She wants you to duel her, but you must not… If you do, then even if you win, you'll be too exhausted to triumph against an even worse opponent that waits further down the corridor."_

And with those ominous words in their heads, they started down, deeper into the Palace of Shadow.

**0000000000**

**DOCTOR – D (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A nutty-looking mad scientist surrounded by smoking test tubes and beakers. (Possibly, this is a reference to _Dr. Who._)

**Card Description: **Banish 1 "Destiny Hero" Monster from your Graveyard; select 1 Level 4 or lower "Destiny Hero" Monster in your Graveyard and Special Summon it.

_Note: "Doctor-D" was first used by Edo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Phoenix Has Landed (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**METAL DRAGOON (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Level7/2,400ATK/2,400DEF**

_Rare Metal Dragon + Familiar Knight_

**Effect: **When this card is Fusion Summoned, put 2 "Metal Counters" on it. If this card would be destroyed while it has at least 1 "Metal Counter", it is not destroyed by battle, and 1 "Metal Counter" is removed from it.

**0000000000**

"**Ancient Dragon":** Dragon/Light/Level4/1,400/1,300: "Scorching Ray": If the only Monster you control is a Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type Monster, you can discard 1 card; that Monster can attack directly that turn. If you use this effect, you cannot use it again until two of your Standby Phases has passed.

**0000000000**

"**Phantom Magician":** Spellcaster/Dark/Level3/600/700: "Vindictive": Once per turn, you can select a "HERO" Monster in your deck and add to your hand by banishing "HERO" Monsters from your Graveyard whose combined Levels total twice that of the selected Monster. If you Summon the selected Monster the turn you do so, it is not affected by Spell or Trap Cards until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

_**It seems our friends may have an ally… Or do they? How much can truly trust Count Bleck, someone who Merlow doesn't seem to like at all?**_

_**The question goes unanswered for now. Again, we must turn our attention to another finalist…**_

_**Kyle: The ancient world is full of mysteries… Take Stonehenge, for example.**_

_**This set of standing stones in Great Britain had been there long before there was a written language to tell anyone who had built it. It's at least five-thousand years old…**_

_**Which begs the question… HOW was it built? Each stone weighs several tons, and the stone itself is a type found in Whales, far away from the actual site. Constructing Stonehenge using technology of that time seems impossible. Modern engineers have tried to replicate the feat using such methods, but have never managed it without resorting to modern technology. **_

_**I bring this up because someone had compared such things to my cards, and led me to a place where he promises a treasure is hid…**_

_**Not sure if I can trust him or not… But this is worth a look. **_

"_**Junk Barrage" is coming soon. **_


	42. Junk Barrage

_Author's Note: Before this goes any further, I'd like to take the time to recommend the new Shadowchaser fic "Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales" by 7__th__ Librarian. This short series of anthology stories will pave the way for a more traditional Shadowchasers story coming later._

_From what I've seen of Librarian's work, it's excellent, and tends to have an unorthodox approach (which is a GOOD thing, by the way). Any writers who want to write for this franchise could learn a lot from reading his work._

_Now, on with the story. Before this chapter starts, I'd like to remind everyone that this fic occurs right before the events of _"Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's".

**0000000000**

_**My name is Kyle Stevens… I've often called myself a "ruin maniac", which basically means I'm an archaeologist without any formal training.**_

_**As such, the ancient world fascinates me, but there are some things in it that are so mysterious. Take the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, structures like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the **__**Colossus of Rhodes, and especially, the Great Pyramids of Giza. These miracles of engineering would have been difficult to build even with modern technology, but somehow, ancient civilizations managed to construct them. **_

_**With every question that archaeology answers, it seems that two new ones are found that you have to solve…**_

_**I came to this junkyard hoping to find answers… But I have my doubts…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-TWO**

**0000000000**

**Junk Barrage**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As the three teenagers walked down the hallway, Andy spoke up.

"Guys…" he said. "How do you think Iris became the Shadow Queen?"

"I think that was pretty clear," said Stan.

"No, Stan," said Francesca, "We heard the _why, _but not the _how. _It seems kind of strange that Iris could have gone from a starving, penniless beggar to a sorceress leading an army of demons in only a year."

"Maybe she made a friend in that forest," muttered Stan. "Someone who offered her anything she wanted, so long as she signed her name on a contract that he had oh-so-conveniently brought…"

"The thought did cross my mind," said Andy, "but there is one big flaw in that theory…

"When a mortal makes a deal with the Devil, what's the mortal's end of the bargain?"

"He promises his soul, I believe," replied Francesca.

"So… Why would such a contract include immortality with the deal?" asked Andy. "The mortal would have to die in order for the Devil to collect the fee.

"It's got to be something completely different…"

Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen was watching, with a very unpleasant look on her face. She was holding an ice pack to her head to try to ease the pain from the headache that the confrontation with Diana had caused (it wasn't helping much) and what she was hearing now only made it worse.

_Well, this changes everything… _she thought. _When I get my hands on Merlow, I'm going to have him impaled…_

"My Queen…" said a voice.

The Queen turned as Grodus walked in.

"You are so lucky Grodus," she said. "If you had come in two minutes earlier, I'd have had to kill you."

Grodus froze in place. He knew better than to say anything. When the Queen said something like that, you were better off not knowing why. Especially since he was still sore from when she had slugged him fifteen minutes ago.

She turned back to the now dark crystal ball.

_Still… _she thought _If they really want to know, I guess it wouldn't hurt…_

_As soon as this headache gets better…_

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Kyle was walking down a hallway, not far from where the three of them were, cautiously looking around, his Duel Disk ready.

"Hello," said a voice.

Kyle turned around, and saw the Witty Phantom casually leaning against the wall, the brim of his hat covering his eyes.

"You again…" said Kyle, suspiciously.

"How's it going, Kyle?" asked the Duel Spirit.

"What do you want?" replied Kyle.

He still had bruises from the puzzle that he had to solve, just as Stan, Andy, and Francesca had.

The Phantom tipped the brim of his hat upward, and looked at the ruin maniac.

"Why so suspicious?" he asked. "I can't help admire that Monster of yours… That big Machine with 3,000 Attack Points…"

"Ancient Gear Golem?" asked Kyle.

"You know the story behind the Ancient Gears?" asked the Phantom. "How they're supposedly medieval machines?"

He chuckled.

"As an archaeologist, you probably know that's hogwash… A real engineer or mechanic of that time period couldn't have conceived such devices, much less built them…

"I'm not saying it's not _possible, _of course. If by some chance someone did uncover one in an archaeological dig… They would label it an… Out of Place Artifact…

"A who?" asked Kyle.

"Out of Place Artifacts!" said the Phantom, as he stood up straight. "Surely you've heard of them…

"Stonehenge… Mayan Crystal Skulls… The Moai of Easter Island… That sort of thing…

"Artifacts that by all logic, shouldn't exist, things that could never have been created using the technology available to the ancient cultures that they are identified with, but somehow _do_ exist…

"There's great power in these strange artifacts…"

He stepped aside.

"Keep going down the hallway… you'll find a duelist who'll lead you to them."

Then he turned around, and vanished into the darkness.

Kyle still didn't trust him… Yet, at the same time, his curiosity was piqued.

He slowly walked further down the hall, and found a door to the side.

_Well, I've got to start somewhere… _he thought.

He opened the door.

**0000000000**

The next thing he knew, he was in what appeared to be a junkyard.

Surrounding him were piles of garbage and rusty scrap metal. Among the piles of scrap were car corpses, mounds of old tires, and dented oil drums. Pools of black sludge were on the ground.

He looked up, and saw a dark, cloudy sky.

_Not exactly the type of place where you'd expect to find a treasure, _he thought.

_And even if there was something hidden here, how would I find it? You could hide a battleship in a mess like this…_

He started to walk forward, carefully maneuvering around the piles of scrap…

Then he stopped.

A large clearing had been made in the junk. In the center, sitting on what looked like an old car engine was a man-shaped creature, in a pose suggesting that it was thinking very hard. Sort of like Rodin's "The Thinker".

"Uh, hello?" said Kyle.

The creature looked up at him.

It was an odd-looking creature. It seemed to be a mechanical being that was put together by scrap metal and odd pieces of junk. Still, it seemed to be well-built, and in no danger of falling apart, its blue covering in rather good condition. It had red lenses for eyes, two wing-like objects protruding from its shoulders, and a white scarf around its neck.

The strange creature said nothing as Kyle looked at it and it looked back.

"Uh, hi?" said Kyle.

The Duel Spirit looked squarely at him, but didn't answer.

"Hello?" said Kyle.

Still nothing.

"Uh, hey…" said Kyle. "I was kind of expecting to find someone around here who could duel… But…"

"Duel?" said the creature.

It leapt off its seat, giving Kyle quite a shock.

(2,300 ATK)

"Yes," it said. "Yes! I _can _duel!"

It held up its right arm, and it changed shape. A collapsible Duel Disk quickly unfolded, one that, like the rest of the creature, seemed to be made of makeshift material and cast-off parts. It was rather hard to imagine that it could work.

"O-kay…" said Kyle.

He didn't know what to make of this, because it certainly didn't seem like a conversation. Still, apparently this creature did want to duel, and it was likely the only way he was going to get anywhere.

Kyle activated his Disk.

"Okay, I…"

He stopped.

"Oh, right… The Deckmaster thing…"

The odd Monster didn't say anything, so Kyle took his deck, and looked through his cards.

"Okay…" he said. "I choose…Giant Soldier of Stone!"

There was a rumble, and a very large statue holding two swords appeared behind him. (1,300 ATK)

"Then the first move is yours," said his opponent.

**(Kyle: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Junk Warrior: 8,000)**

"Eh?" said Kyle. "But…"

Then he stopped.

_Of course…_ he thought. _He's his own Deckmaster, right?_

_Okay, let's give this a shot…_

He drew his sixth card.

_All right! _he thought. _This is gonna be easy…_

"I'll throw these cards face-down," he said, as a set Monster and a set card behind it appeared. "Then we'll see what you've got…"

The creature drew a card.

"I will summon Giant Rat," it said, as the small rodent appeared with a chittering noise. (1,400 ATK)

"I then play the Continuous Spell, Weapon Change," the Duel Spirit said, as it fit a card into its Disk, causing it to appear in front of him. "And my move is complete…"

_Giant Rat, _thought Kyle, as he made another draw. _That could be trouble, but I can't give up this chance._

"I activate the Miracle Rupture Spell Card," he said, as he played a card. "I take one Rock Monster from my deck, and send it to the Graveyard…"

He discarded a Mine Golem.

"Then, I reshuffle," he said, as he shuffled his deck, "and draw once…"

He made a draw.

"Then, my Call of the Haunted activates," he said, as his Trap lifted up.

Mine Golem appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK)

"And that means I can sacrifice both Monsters…"

Mine Golem and his set Monster vanished…

Ancient Gear Golem loomed over the field, its red optic sensor flashing. (3,000 ATK)

"Smash Giant Rat!" shouted Kyle. "Mechanized Melee!"

The huge robot threw its first forward, crushing the small Beast. Strangely, its owner barely even flinched.

"I use Giant Rat's effect," said the Duel Spirit, as a sixth card materialized next to its other five. "And summon Junk Robot Camelcycle."

Another Machine appeared that could best be described as a bunch of spare parts lashed together vaguely in the shape of a camel, standing on two rickety wheels. (800 ATK)

"And due to my Deckmaster effect, whenever I Special Summon a Warrior or Machine-Type Monster with 1,000 Attack Points of less, I gain 600 Life Points.

_Junk Robots? _thought Kyle. _What in the world are those?_

"I end my turn…" he said.

**(K: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 7,000)**

The Spirit drew a card, and then played one.

"It's now my Standby Phase," it said, "so I can activate Weapon Change's effect. It lets me pay 700 Life Points to switch the Attack and Defense Scores of a Warrior or Machine-Type Monster.

"So I'll do that to Junk Robot Camelcycle."

(1,600 ATK)

"Then I use Eco Spell Reduce Waste," it continued. "Via this card, I am able to select two Junk Robots from my deck and banish them. In exchange for that, I am able to select a third from my deck and add it to my hand."

A new card appeared alongside its other ones.

"Next, I play Eco Spell Recycle," it continued, as it played another Spell Card, "which allows me to Special Summon the two banished Junk Robots. I thus Special Summon the two copies of Junk Robot Computerkong that I banished when I used the first Eco Spell."

Two strange Machines appeared in a beam of light. They were man-sized, looked vaguely like gorillas, and seemed to have been cobbled together from old computer monitors and cabinets. (1,000 ATK)

"Again, I gain 600 Life Points."

_Well, now I know what Junk Robots are, _thought Kyle. _Not sure what they DO yet…_

"Then, I use the effects of my two Junk Robot Computerkongs," said the creature. "By sacrificing one, I can increase the Attack Score of another Junk Robot by 800 points.

"I thus sacrifice both of them to increase the Attack Score of Junk Robot Camelcycle by 1,600 points."

Kyle's eyes opened wide as the two makeshift robots vanished, and the third one shot up to an Attack Score of 3,200.

_I'm never gonna live this one down… _thought Kyle.

"Attack Ancient Gear Golem," said the creature.

Bolts of fiery energy shot from Camelcycle's "eyes" and tore right through the much larger robot. Kyle covered his head as it was smashed into a pile of inert junk.

**(K: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 6,900)**

_Man, this guy is pretty good! _thought Kyle. _The way he used a bunch of weak Monsters to bring down a strong one… Not easy to do…_

"I end my turn," said the creature, "which means that the effects of Weapon Change and both Computerkongs wear off."

(800 ATK)

Kyle looked at the Duel Spirit.

"Who are you?" he asked.

It looked at him for a minute.

"Who do you think I am?" it answered.

"I have no idea…" said Kyle.

"That's the point," it replied. "Even I don't know for sure who I am. I'm not even sure if I was _anything _before I came to this place, full of trash and scrap metal…

"I know I'm here for some reason… But I'm not sure what it is…"

_This is weird… _thought Kyle.

He drew a card.

_This isn't the strongest Monster, _he thought, _but at least it can beat Camelcycle…_

"I summon Ancient Gear Soldier," he said, as he played a card.

A much smaller – but still rather large – version of Ancient Gear Golem, with a machine gun in place of its right hand appeared in front of him. (1,300 ATK)

"Attack Junk Robot Camelcycle with Rapid Fire Shot!"

The Machine aimed its gun, and fired burning hot lead at the piecemeal Monster as spent shells dropped from its magazine. Camelcycle was literally torn into its component pieces as the bullets hit.

**(K: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 6,400)**

"I'll set this," he said, as a hidden card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and I end my turn…"

The strange creature drew a card.

It set one, and a face-down card appeared in its Spell Zone.

It looked hard at Kyle.

"A Trap Card?" laughed Kyle, as he made a draw. "I suppose you don't know how Ancient Gears work… Show him, Soldier! Attack him directly!"

The Soldier opened fire, and the Spirit groaned a little.

"I knew that activating it in response to your Ancient Gear's attack was impossible," it replied, "but I actually wanted you to attack me…"

The Trap Card lifted up.

"Because since you attacked directly, I can activate Recycling Drive now that you're done attacking and Special Summon Junk Robot Teapot Kangaroo from my deck."

The Monster that appeared next had a name that fit it perfectly. It looked like an old, metal teapot standing on end, with arms, legs, and a kangaroo's head on the spout. Its pouch (which was where the teapot's lid would be) had three baby mechanical kangaroos in it, although exactly how a Machine-Type Monster could have young to care for kind of defied logic. (800 ATK)

"Again, I gain 600 Life Points from my Deckmaster effect."

**(K: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 5,700)**

"It's your move…" replied Kyle.

The creature drew a card, and put it aside.

"First, as it's my Standby Phase, I'll pay 700 Life Points to use the effect of Weapon Change on Teapot Kangaroo."

(1,200 ATK)

_Something tells me he's got something else planned, _thought Kyle.

The creature played another card.

"I use the Spell Card, Eco Spell Repair," it said, as it played a Spell Card. "Because I my Graveyard has exactly two Junk Robots that were sent to the Graveyard via their own effects, I can Special Summon them this turn in Defense Mode…"

The two robot gorillas appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF x2)

"…however, I can't use their effects _now. _But I gain 600 Life Points from my Deckmaster effect."

_Okay, I get it! _thought Kyle.

"I Equip Teapot Kangaroo with the United We Stand Equip Spell," said the creature.

Kyle's eyes opened in fright as the creature shot up to an Attack Score of 3,600.

"Attack his Ancient Gear Warrior," said the creature.

Teapot Kangaroo lifted itself up with its "tail", and kicked the Ancient Gear hard with both feet, smashing it to bits.

"Ugh…" groaned Kyle.

**(K: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 5,600)**

"I end my turn…" said the creature. "So the effect of Weapon Change wears off once again."

(3,200 ATK)

Kyle looked at his deck, and then made a draw.

It was his third Mine Golem. He looked at the card he had set, and then the other cards in his hand, Golden Form, Monster Reincarnation, Hieracosphinx, and Symbol of Heritage.

"I use Monster Reincarnation," he said, as he played the Spell. "So, I ditch this card…"

He discarded Mine Golem.

"And I get back my Ancient Gear Golem…"

He took the card from his Graveyard slot.

Then he looked at his opponent. This guy had the best poker face that he had _ever _seen, but he still had to try to sound confident.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, "I still need to swap two Monsters for it, right? Well, maybe, maybe not…"

His facedown card lifted up.

"This Trap Card is called Level Conversion Lab. First thing I've got to do is show you one of my Monsters..."

He turned Ancient Gear Golem forward again.

"Then, I roll one die," he said.

A small die fell into his hand.

"If I roll a one, I lose this card," he continued. "Any other number, and that's the Level of Ancient Gear Golem for the rest of the turn.

"So… Here we go…"

He tossed the die, and it started to roll.

_Come on… _he thought.

Then it came to rest on the three.

"Eureka!" he shouted. "That means Ancient Gear Golem is Level 3, meaning I don't have to sacrifice squat to summon it!"

He played the card, and the huge robot rose onto the field again. (3,000 ATK)

_The problem is, _he thought, _it isn't strong enough to defeat Teapot Kangaroo… If I attacked one of the Computerkongs, I'd do 2,000 points of damage, and the Kangaroo would lose 800 Attack Points…_

_But he could still summon another Monster next turn, making it risky either way…_

"Junk his Junk Robot Computerkong on the left with Mechanized Melee!" he shouted.

The huge Golem threw its mighty fist again, and one of the two defending Computerkongs was crushed like tinfoil…

"Eh…" said Kyle, as the dust started to clear.

Then, to his surprise, his opponent only had one Monster remaining, the other Computerkong.

"Wha?" he said. "What happened to your Teapot Kangaroo?"

"I used its effect," replied the Duel Spirit. "By sending it to the Graveyard when your Golem's attack struck, the damage it did was reduced to zero."

"O-kay…" said Kyle, looking at it strangely. "Think I'll be ending my turn now…"

The creature drew a card, and quickly played it.

"I activate Eco Spell Biodegradable," it said. "I can now banish three Eco Spells with different names in my Graveyard, and then make two draws."

Three cards – Eco Spell Reduce Waste, Eco Spell Recycle, and Eco Spell Repair – appeared and then vanished. It drew twice.

"But I also have to skip my Battle Phase this turn. I'll set a Monster and this as well…"

A reversed Monster and a card in its Spell Zone appeared.

"…and my turn is over…"

"Okay…" said Kyle.

He drew a card. He looked at it closely for a minute.

_Don't think I'll use that one just yet… _he thought.

"Ancient Gear Golem…" he said.

Then his opponent's Trap Card lifted up.

"Threatening Roar?" sighed Kyle. "Okay… Guess in that case, I pass this turn… It's your move…"

The creature drew. It looked at Kyle and paused.

"I flip Junk Robot Cleannaga into Attack Mode," it said.

Its set Monster flipped up, and an old-fashioned canister vacuum cleaner, its nozzle swaying menacingly like a cobra would, appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Then," is said, as it played a Spell Card, "I play Monster Reborn."

The shimmering holy symbol appeared, and Junk Robot Teapot Kangaroo appeared. (800 ATK)

"Once more, I gain 600 Life Points due to my Deckmaster effect. Now, I sacrifice my three Monsters…"

All three of the Junk Robots turned to stone, and then shattered into brittle pieces…

_Three sacrifices? _thought Kyle. _What…_

Before he could question this further, the mounds of junk and trash around them started to shake. Then, pieces of junk started to fly off the piles, towards his opponent's side of the field. Old and broken toasters, blenders, microwave ovens, television sets, auto parts, and even a refrigerator… All of this old junk started to fit together, slowly growing into a vaguely humanoid shape…

Eventually, it had turned into a mechanical being that was just as big as Ancient Gear Golem, made entirely of junk that seemed to have been put together in the most haphazard fashion. Two high-powered headlights turned on at the top, forming what could pass for eyes on its roughly-defined head. (0 ATK)

"It has no points…" said Kyle.

"Junk Behemoth starts at zero," replied his opponent. "However, despite being a Level 10 Monster, I can Normal Summon it with one sacrifice… Or with three. And its Attack Score is 1,000 per sacrifice used."

(3,000 ATK)

"In addition," it continued, "it can activate up to two effects when summoned, depending on how many of the sacrifices were Junk Robots. If at least two of them were, I get to draw twice…"

It made two more draws.

"And if all three of sacrifices were Junk Robots, it destroys all cards on the field except itself."

"No… Way…" said Kyle.

Then a blast of purple flames radiated from the base of Junk Behemoth in all directions. Incinerating the Weapon Change card and smashing Ancient Gear Golem to particles.

"I believe the correct response," replied the Duel Spirit, "is 'way'.

"Attack directly with Infernal Combustion Blast."

The creature lifted its arms, and two devices that looked like flamethrowers appeared on the sides. Kyle wanted to run, but he knew that in a duel, that was really impossible…

He screamed as the burning fire scorched his skin…

**(K: 2,500) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 6,200)**

He rubbed his head as he sat up.

_Infernal Combustion Blast? _he thought. _Really didn't take this guy for much of a sense of humor…_

"I set two cards face-down," said the creature, as two reversed cards appeared behind Junk Behemoth, "and then it's your move…"

Kyle got up.

He drew a card, and then looked at Giant Soldier of Stone behind him.

"I play Symbol of Heritage," he said, as he played a Spell Card. "Because I have three copies of the same Monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one of them, so long as I Equip it with this card."

One of his three Mine Golems appeared, kneeling and shielding itself. (1,900 DEF)

"Then, I'll set these…" as he threw two of his remaining four cards into his Disk, causing them to appear set behind Mine Golem.

"Over to you…"

The Spirit made a draw.

"I use the Spell Card, Shield Crush…" it said.

Kyle grit his teeth as the card appeared, and a bolt of energy shot towards the defending Mine Golem…

However, the bolt glanced off its rocky hide.

"Eh?" said his opponent.

"Your card didn't work," said Kyle, with a nervous smile, "thanks to my Deckmaster. See, once per turn, it can prevent a Rock-Type Monster that's in Defense Mode from being destroyed by a card effect."

"In that case…" said the creature.

One of its set cards lifted up.

"I activate the Meteorain Trap Card."

Junk Behemoth pointed again, and its infernal flame shot at Mine Golem. Kyle screamed again.

"Yeah?" he gasped. "Due to Mine Golem's effect, you lose 500 Life Points!"

"I end my turn…" said the creature.

**(K: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 5,700)**

"Here goes!" shouted Kyle.

He drew a card.

"Got it!" he shouted. "I summon Ancient Gear Statue!"

He played the card, and the small bust of Ancient Gear Golem materialized. (500 ATK)

"Next, I play… Ancient Gear Workshop!" he said, as he played a Spell Card. "It lets me recover Ancient Gear Golem again."

He took the card from his discard slot.

"And due to my Statue's effect, I can break the rules and Special Summon it by sacrificing the Statue."

The small statue appeared, and once again, the huge robot rose onto the field… But this time, something seemed very amiss. It was kneeling and crossing its arms. (3,000 DEF)

Kyle's opponent looked puzzled.

"You Special Summoned it in _Defense Mode?" _it asked.

"Yes I did," said Kyle, "after all, if I had summoned it in Attack Mode, it could only have battled your Junk Behemoth to a draw…

"But by summoning it in Defense Mode, I can use my two face-down cards…"

One of the two set cards lifted up.

"First, Zero Gravity!" he said. "Now all Monsters on the field switch Modes."

Ancient Gear Golem stood up. (3,000 ATK) Junk Behemoth, on the other hand, simply slumped down into a heap. (0 DEF)

"Yeah, I figured that guy wasn't exactly designed with defending in mind," said Kyle. "Now to finish this duel…

"Because my Monster switched its Battle Position, I can use my Quickplay Spell…"

His other set card lifted up.

"Golden Form!"

The results were dramatic. Ancient Gear Golem's rusty grey armor was quickly replaced by a shiny, shimmering, gold-plated covering.

"The Spell not only gives my Golem a spiffy new paint job, it doubles its Attack Score until my next turn."

(6,000 ATK)

"Which means… It's time to take out the trash… Attack Junk Behemoth with Mechanized Melee!"

Ancient Gear Golem Gold threw back its fist, and threw a sold punch so fierce that it made the whole junkyard shake. Kyle's opponent didn't truly scream, but was propelled backwards, crashing into a pile of trash behind him…

**(K: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (JW: 0)**

"Good lord, what have I done?" thought Kyle, as the Golem vanished.

He rushed up to where the creature had fallen…

Miraculously, while it seemed to be a little dented, it was still in one piece. It was holding its head, as if dizzy, and slowly starting to stand.

It looked at Kyle for a minute, still holding its head.

"I…" it said.

Then a sudden look of insight came into its eyes.

"I think someone is calling me…" it said. "Someone… Someone who needs me…

"I… I have to go…"

Then it simply vanished, in a dark, shadowy mist.

"Weird…" said Kyle.

He wondered if he'd ever find out what that was all about…

Then he saw a small, glowing box on the car engine where it had originally been sitting.

Cautiously, he approached it, and opened the small pine box. Inside was a stack of cards…

He looked at them.

"Eh?" he said. "OOPArts?"

He thought for a minute.

"Oh…" he said. "It's an acronym… Out of Place Artifacts…"

He started looking through the cards.

_Hmm, not without their charm… _he thought.

_Say… This one has potential…_

_Maybe I'll hold onto them for a while…_

**0000000000**

Fifteen minutes earlier…

Stan, Andy, and Francesca were still cautiously walking down the corridor…

Then they froze in fear. _She _was standing to the side in front of them, looking at them.

Previously, they had only seen the Shadow Queen through her projected illusions. Now, seeing her in person for the first time sent chills down their spines. Looking upon her dark and sinister beauty was like a waking nightmare.

Stan was even more scared than his two allies. Was this what Bleck had meant? Had she decided to finally face him personally? As much as he wanted this to be over, he wasn't sure if he could, especially now that she was right in front of him.

"Wh-what do you want…" he stammered.

"This is _my _Palace…" said the Queen. "I have every right to be here."

"Y-yeah, but we didn't expect to see you so soon…" said Francesca.

"I'd be a pretty lousy host if I neglected my guests," she replied.

She looked at them for a few seconds with a cold glance.

"You used my real name," she finally said. "Merlow told you, I assume?"

"As a matter of fact, he didn't!" shouted Stan, getting a little braver.

"And if you think we're going to tell you who did…" added Andy.

The Queen looked at them with flames burning in her eyes. Their sudden burst of courage evaporated.

Then the flames vanished, and she looked at them with a calmer, but still cross look. She leaned against the wall.

"You know…" she said, with a tired sigh. "I didn't plan to kill you three originally… I had even planned to keep your suffering to a minimum… I knew that you had never signed up for this, and that it was never your idea…

"Most people who work here think that the ninth layer of my prison is the most horrible place in this Palace, the darkest Hell my mind could create. They think that I was saving it for you three… They were wrong… Its purpose has nothing to do with you at all.

"But now that you know who I am, my plan has changed… People who know who I am can't be allowed to live…"

She just looked at them for a minute. They didn't say anything, expecting her to say something else.

Eventually, she did.

"You wanted to know how I went from 'a starving, penniless beggar to a sorceress leading an army of demons in only a year', as you put it?

"I'm willing to tell you, on one condition…"

"What?" gulped Andy.

"It counts as your last request if this whole thing turns out in my favor!" she exclaimed. "Deal?"

"Yeah I'm… I'm fine with that…" said Francesca.

Stan and Andy nodded. They had a feeling that she didn't intend to offer them much in the first place.

The Queen sighed.

"After my brothers' deaths, I fled into that forest," she said, "and I quickly became lost. In my rage and grief, I lost track of where I was going, and before I knew it, I had no idea how to get back to the city. Not that I would have gone back to beg for aid at that point… I was determined to keep the last thing I had left: my pride.

"Still… If I thought I was hungry before, I was now in even worse shape. It wasn't the right season for berries or nuts, and I lacked both the skills and the tools I needed to hunt or trap anything.

"Water was a little easier to find, but after several days, it got to a point where I knew that a whole lake of it wouldn't help me.

"Eventually, starvation took its toll. I became too weak to go any further, and collapsed.

"I lay there with my mind full of fog, almost certain that I was going to die, and even more certain that no-one was going to care. Likely, no-one would even know. I figured that if I was _very _lucky, some hunter or furrier might find my bones in ten years and bury them out of pity in an unmarked grave, the best I would ever get…

"And it was then that a soft voice spoke to me. A male voice that seemed charming and elegant. He offered to not only save my life, but make me more powerful than I could ever have hoped to be…

"All he wanted was for me to swear allegiance to him.

"I didn't know who he was then, but I was too desperate to question. I said yes.

"As I did so, I gained enough strength to sit up, and found that a bush that had peculiar fruit had sprouted up next to me. They tasted downright terrible, but by eating them, the bargain I had made was sealed.

"So I was taken to a place… A sort of institution run by demons… I won't go into detail about the eight months I spent there. I was tortured horribly by those creatures, as my body was literally taken apart, reshaped, and then put back together. It wasn't until four months into the ordeal that I met my benefactor and found out who he was, after which he visited regularly to keep tabs on how I was doing…

"It was excruciating, yes, but it was making me stronger, training me and preparing me for my new role and my new life.

"After eight months, those demonic torturers bowed before me and called me master. I was stronger than they were. I had become the Proxy of Graz'zt."

"Graz'zt?" said Stan.

"An exceptional guy," said the Shadow Queen, with a smile.

_Clearly this is the "dark entity" that Vivian spoke of, _thought Stan.

"And what's a 'proxy'?" asked Francesca.

"The greatest mortal servant of a divine entity," replied the Shadow Queen. "All such beings have mortal followers, but a proxy is the most powerful among them. Even better than a high priest who worships a god… The proxy has actually _met _the god.

"There are some detractors who say that a mortal who agrees to be a proxy is actually agreeing to become a willing slave to the entity in question, and in a lot of ways, it's the truth… Still…"

Her eyes glowed with evil light, and a ball of flame appeared in her hands.

"_Graz'zt kept his end of the bargain…" _she said. _"I became more powerful than the people in that city could have ever dreamed!_

"_So I gained my revenge…"_

"And decided not to stop there, I take it," said Andy. "Iris, it wasn't their fault for what happened to your brothers…"

"Oh, spare me!" replied the Queen, as the fires went out. "Like I've never heard _that _before, the old 'it didn't have to happen the way it did' routine.

"Let me tell you something, Andy… Maybe it could have turned out differently… But I _like _how I am. I never regretted the deal I made with Graz'zt for one minute, not even during the eight months of horrid pain I spent at that facility.

"I actually _liked _the pain after about a week, and the pain made me feel power, which I liked even more…

"I _still _like it! _Love _it, in fact."

They looked at her in horror as she smiled at them wickedly.

"So…" she said. "I recommend you keep quiet about who I am, what my real name is, and what my history is… Because anyone that you tell will die horribly once I find out.

"Continue as you were, and good luck..."

She turned around, and started to fade into the darkness.

"…you're gonna need it…"

She vanished.

"What a grouch!" exclaimed Francesca.

Then she was startled as the Queen appeared in front of her again.

"Listen, Francesca," she said with a frown, "if you had been cooped up in this place for the past ten centuries, you wouldn't be all sunshine and smiles either."

Then she vanished again.

The three of them felt their chests… It was several minutes before their hearts started beating at the regular rates, and even longer before they dared move from that spot again.

Eventually, they started walking down the corridor again.

**0000000000**

**JUNK ROBOT CAMELCYCLE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/800ATK/1,600DEF**

**Effect: **You can send this face-up card you control to the Graveyard to target 1 "Eco Spell" card in your Graveyard. Add the selected card to your hand.

**0000000000**

**JUNK ROBOT CLEANNAGA (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **You can send this face-up card you control to the Graveyard to target 1 "Junk Robot" Monster in your Graveyard. Add the selected card to your hand.

**0000000000**

**JUNK ROBOT TEAPOT KANGAROO (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/800ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **If you would take Battle Damage, you may reduce the damage you would take to zero by sending this card you control to the Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**JUNK ROBOT COMPUTERKONG (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **You can send this face-up card you control to the Graveyard to target 1 face-up "Junk Robot" Monster you control. It gains 800 Attack Points until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**ECO SPELL RECYCLE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The image on this card was unclear.

**Card Description: **Target 2 "Junk Robot" Monsters that were banished via the effect of an "Eco Spell" card. Special Summon them.

**0000000000**

**ECO SPELL REDUCE WASTE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The image on this card was unclear.

**Card Description: **Select 2 "Junk Robot" Monsters from your deck, and banish them. Then, add 1 "Junk Robot" Monster from your deck to your hand.

_Note: The Junk Robot and Eco Spell cards were first used by Obomi in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Battle with the Bot". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**GOLDEN FORM (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Gogogo Golem surrounded by an explosive, golden aura.

**Card Description: **Activate when 1 (exactly) Defense Position Monster you control is moved to Attack Position. The ATK of that Monster is doubled until your next Standby Phase.

_Note: "Golden Form" was first used by Yuma in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode #062. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**ECO SPELL REPAIR (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Junk Robot Computerkong trying to fix a broken Junk Robot Camelcycle.

**Card Description: **If you have 2 (exactly) "Junk Robot" Monsters in your Graveyard that were sent to the Graveyard via their own effects: Special Summon them in face-up Defense Position. This turn, the Special Summoned Monsters cannot use their effects and cannot be Tributed.

**0000000000**

**ECO SPELL BIODEGRADABLE** **(Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Junk Robot Cleannaga vacuuming up several Duel Monsters Spell Cards, "Pot of Greed", "Graceful Charity", "Pot of Avarice", and "Mirage of Nightmare" among them.

**Card Description: **Select 3 "Eco Spell" cards in your Graveyard that have different names and banish them. Draw 2 cards. Skip your Battle Phase this turn.

**0000000000**

**RECYCLING DRIVE ** **(Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **The guy from the "Junk Dealer" card examining the head of a Junk Robot Computerkong with the body leaning against a bin that holds an inert Junk Robot Camelcycle and Junk Robot Cleannaga.

**Card Description: **Activate at the end of your opponent's Battle Phase if you took damage from a direct attack this turn. Special Summon 1 "Junk Robot" Monster from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**JUNK BEHEMOTH (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl10/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **You may Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1, 2, or 3 Monsters (you cannot set this card). This card gains 1,000 Attack Points for each Monster used in its Tribute Summon. When this card is Tribute Summoned, activate the following cumulative effects depending on the number of "Junk Robot" Monsters used as a Tribute for its Tribute Summon: 2 or 3: Draw 2 cards. 3: Destroy every card on the field except this one.

**0000000000**

"**Giant Soldier of Stone":** Rock/Earth/Level3/1,300ATK/2,000DEF: "Solid Rock": When a Rock-Type Monster you control is in face-up Defense Position, once per turn, it cannot be destroyed by a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect.

**0000000000**

"**Junk Warrior":** Warrior/Dark/Synchro/Level5/2,300/1,300:"Blessed Are the Meek": When you Special Summon 1 or more Warrior or Machine-Type Monsters with 1,000 ATK or less, gain 600 Life Points.

**0000000000**

_**The heroes have learned the full origin (it seems) of the Shadow Queen, but at what cost? She's signed their death warrants now, and the penalty for losing will be more horrible than ever. Even worse, it will soon become very clear that one can bend the rules VERY far without outright breaking them…**_

_**Stan: My first opponent in this tournament was the Witty Phantom, and he used a Gamble Deck. I've never put much stock in such strategies, with so much depending on chance. It worked for Katsuya Jonouchi most of the time, but even his luck wasn't perfect.**_

_**Now, the Phantom has demanded a rematch, and he claims that this time, his luck will truly be better than mine…**_

_**Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that he might have a set of loaded dice up his sleeve?**_

"_**Dice Re-Roll" is coming soon. **_


	43. Dice Re Roll

_Happy Turkey Day!_

_Whether you're waiting for dinner to be served, or whether you've already had it and you're trying to shake off the effects of the tryptophan, I thought that a new chapter may be in order._

**0000000000**

"_**You gamble too often and the house will win".**_

_**I think that one of Yukai Judai's allies said that to a duelist who played a gamble deck. Not sure who right now.**_

_**The statement is true, more or less. No-one who depends entirely on luck can expect to beat the odds indefinitely, especially in cases where the odds are clearly against them. State lotteries are the worst example. People continually shell out money for a chance at a fortune, even though the chance of winning is literally less than the chances you'll be struck by lightning twice in the same night.**_

_**Want to know something ironic? One state that has no state lottery is Nevada. That's right. Their state government is fine with craps, blackjack, roulette, and slot machines, but not state lotteries. **_

_**If the Witty Phantom wants to duel me again, and wager everything on a bunch of cards that use chance, then I'm okay with it…**_

_**Or I would be… If not for a nagging feeling that he knows something that I don't…**_

_**Tenjouin Asuka, she's the one who said it… Glad I remembered.**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-THREE**

**0000000000**

**Dice Re-Roll**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The Shadow Queen may have left…

But her haunting image was still clearly in their minds, as were the words she spoke to them… It was like a nightmare that they couldn't awaken from.

"I wish Merlow was here…" moaned Andy, as they walked down the hallway.

"Just when he would be useful…" added Francesca.

"Well he isn't, and moping isn't going to bring him here!" snapped Stan.

He sighed. He wanted Merlow's advice now as much as they did, maybe even more, but he felt like he had to sound confident. After all, there was a good chance that the Queen was going after him next…

Then they heard a found like running water up ahead. They started to walk quicker.

The corridor opened into a vast, cathedral-like room. The running water was a fountain in the far, as well-made and elaborate as the Trevi Fountain in Rome…

But while it was similar in general outline, there was one difference. Neptune was replaced by a diabolic-looking man riding a chariot pulled by demonic horses. Abundance and Salubrity were both replaced by harlots with fiendish wings on their backs.

"Holy…" said Francesca.

They looked around. Ugly, fiendish gargoyles were looking down on them from every corner of the ceiling.

"Wrong choice of words, Fran," said Andy.

"Cozy place, isn't it?" asked a voice.

They knew that voice.

They turned, and saw the Witty Phantom sitting on a bench at the other side of the room. (1,400 ATK)

"What now, pal?" asked Stan. "If you think we're going to go through more of your dumb games…"

"No 'dumb' games," replied the Phantom, standing up.

He lifted up his left arm, where he was wearing a Duel Disk.

"Unless you consider the one you're most familiar with to be dumb."

_THIS is the __even worse opponent that Bleck warned me about?_ thought Stan. _This guy couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag…_

_When we see Bleck again, he's going to have a lot to answer for…_

"You want to duel me again?" he asked. "Maybe your memory is rusty… The only thing I got out of that Gamble Deck of yours is a big laugh."

"I'm feeling _very _lucky lately…" said the Fiend, with an evil grin.

Stan sighed.

"Oh, all right…" he said. "With what just happened, I can use something easy…"

The Phantom grinned a little wider. It made Stan a little nervous.

"Now then…" said the Phantom. "Before we begin…"

"I know the drill!" said Stan, as he took his deck from his holder.

He lifted a card, and Gagaga Magician appeared behind him. (1,500 ATK)

"He'll be my Deckmaster this time. What's yours, pray tell?"

"I'm a Duel Spirit, remember?" laughed the Phantom. "I'm both the duelist AND the Deckmaster! Two threats in one!"

"Is this guy for real?" asked Francesca.

"Dunno," said Andy. "Right now, this guy is making me remember a part of an odd entrée in a book by Dr. Seuss…"

"Oh, so I'm a ham, am I?" asked the Phantom, looking at Andy with an angry glare. "We'll see about that, Mr. Markova!"

Stan took hold of his cap, and then turned it backwards. Then he activated his Disk.

"Duel…"

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Witty Phantom: 8,000)**

"I'm going first, Mr. Mason…" said the Fiend.

He drew his first card.

"I'll start by setting a Monster," he said, as he set a card.

"Dice Jar, right?" asked Stan.

"No, for your information, it isn't!" snarled the Phantom, as he set another card, causing another set card to appear behind it.

"Just move, okay? And to think, folks like you say that the bad guys are annoying…"

Stan made a draw, and looked over his hand, which contained Magician's Valkyria, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Gagaga Kaiser, Gagaga Gardna, Familiar Knight, and Goblindbergh.

_Even if he's lying, _he thought, _I'm pretty sure at this point that my luck is better than his…_

He played a card, and Kycoo leapt onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

"Destroy his Monster!" he shouted. "Spell of Banishment!"

Kycoo lifted his hand, and called lightning to it, then shot it at the facedown card, blowing Sangan to particles.

"Thank you, Mr. Mason," said the Phantom, as he took a card from his deck. "And just to show you I'm such a nice guy…

"I'll show you what this card is…"

He turned it around… And the three teenagers burst out laughing.

"Reaper of the Cards?" laughed Francesca.

"Eh, you're right…" sighed the Phantom. "It's an old card that's rather worthless in this day and age… Its Scores and effect are both rather pathetic for a Level 5 Monster, and to make things worse, it's a Flip Effect Monster…

"Unless… Unless there's some use for it that you three don't know about…"

"What do you think he's talking about?" asked Andy.

"I have NO idea…" replied Francesca.

"It's your move…" said Stan.

"Before your turn truly ends…" said the Phantom.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"…I'll use Limit Reverse to summon Sangan again…"

The spherical Fiend appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK)

"Now I'll draw…" he said, as he drew a card.

"And I'll move Sangan to Defense Mode…"

Sangan shielded itself with its claws.

"Doesn't he know that if a Monster that's summoned with Limit Reverse tries to defend, it's destroyed?" asked Andy.

Sangan shattered.

"I think he knew too well…" said Francesca. "Now he gets to use its effect again…"

"That's right!" laughed the Witty Phantom, as he took another card from his deck. "Now I have both Reaper of the Cards and Snipe Hunter!

"These two Fiends are exactly the card I need for a Monster that's truly an ace up my sleeve…"

He played a card, and Polymerization appeared in front of him. The two demons appeared, and then turned into two large, black dice. They rolled, and then turned into sinister-looking mist, that formed into a skull…

A dark, black-robed figure holding a scythe appeared in front of the Phantom. His face was a bare skull with a fanged mouth, and pinpoints of light were in its empty eye sockets. A pair of black dice hung from its belt. (2,700 ATK)

"Okay…" said Stan. "Didn't expect _that…"_

"It's called the Dice Reaper," said the Phantom, "and you'll see what it can do in a minute…

"But first… I'm going to use my Deckmaster effect. I can only use it once, but it's a potent one. I choose one Fiend on the field, and give it a Compact Counter…"

What looked like a pitch-black heart appeared, and was absorbed into Dice Reaper's chest.

"…and so long as Dice Reaper has it, it can't be destroyed by any means other than battle…"

He chuckled a little.

"Consider yourself lucky that my deck is short on Wicked Gods…

"Now I play… Sun Scales…"

He fit the card into his Disk, and a strange-looking Continuous Spell appeared in front of him.

"I can use this card's effect every turn," he said. "I roll one die. If I roll a six, then all of your Monsters are destroyed. Any other number, and all of my Monsters are destroyed."

"But your Dice Reaper is protected due to that Compact Counter, right?" asked Stan, as he rolled his eyes. "The odds are still _very _much against you…"

"That card may well be the riskiest gamble I've ever seen in this game…" said Francesca.

"I think the odds are more in my favor than you may think," said the Phantom. "You see, as long as Dice Reaper is here, I won't be the one rolling any dice for the effects of my cards…"

The Dice Reaper lifted its thumb and index finger, and a die appeared in them.

"_He'll _be the one doing that… You know… In ancient times, dice used to be made of bones, and to this day, 'rolling the bones' is still a slang term used by gamblers for rolling dice.

"Dice Reaper takes this literally. If I simply pay 500 Life Points, then he'll make the die fall on whatever number I want."

"Say WHAT?" shouted Stan.

"Six," said the Phantom, turning to Dice Reaper.

The Fiend nodded, and tossed the die to the ground. As the Phantom said, it landed on a six. The Sun Scales glowed with radiant light, and Kycoo grunted before they completely overpowered him, and he was vaporized.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Stan. "A card that powerful must have some sort of catch…"

"Maybe it does…" replied the Phantom, "but don't think I'm going to tell you what it is…"

Dice Phantom lifted its scythe.

"Attack him directly!"

The demon floated towards Stan.

"Not gonna happen…" said Stan. "I use Gagaga Gardna's effect to summon him from my hand!"

Globules of light appeared in front of him, and the veiled Warrior appeared, holding his shield. (2,000 DEF) He parried against the nasty blade.

"And by ditching a card from my hand," said Stan, as he discarded Gagaga Kaiser, "I can protect Gardna from being destroyed."

"You have more lives than a cat from Hell," said the Phantom. "I'll set this for later…"

A face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

_Fairy Box? _thought Stan. _Well, if it is, his Dice Reaper can't help him with that…_

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 7,500)**

"It's my move…" he said.

He drew a card.

_First thing to do, _he thought, _is get rid of Dice Reaper… And I think I can do it…_

"I summon Familiar Knight!" he shouted, as the Dark knight in armor appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Then, by using MY Deckmaster effect, because I have exactly two Monsters, and each one is either a Warrior or a Spellcaster, I can pay 1,000 Life Points to make the Level of one of them the same as the other."

Gagaga Magician waved his hand and chanted. Eerie energy surrounded Gagaga Gardna.

"That means Gardna's Level is now 3, so I now have just what I need to Xyz Summon a Rank 3 Monster…"

The two Warriors vanished as the Overlay Network appeared.

Again, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" started to play as Muzurhythm appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Of course, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' may be more appropriate, because when I use his effect when I attack, Muzurhythm is going to have 3,000 Attack Points, enough to smash tall, dark, and spooky!

"Get 'im!"

The String Djinn rushed at Dice Reaper, strumming his guitar.

"Activate… Dice Crisis!" shouted the Phantom, as his face-down card lifted up.

"That's not Fairy Box!" gasped Stan.

"That's right," said the Phantom, as the die appeared in Dice Reaper's hand again. "If my pal here rolls a six – and he _will – _your attacking Monster becomes mine!"

The dice rolled, and it did indeed land on the six. Muzurhythm stopped playing, and was dragged over to the Phantom's side of the field.

"The downside is," continued the Phantom, "Muzurhythm's Attack Score becomes a big goose-egg."

(0 ATK)

"But it seems my Reaper is safe."

"I end my turn…" growled Stan.

**(S: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 7,000)**

The Phantom made a draw…

Then he laughed out loud.

"Oh, Francesca?" he giggled. "Remember when you said that Sun Scales was the riskiest gamble in the game? Well, you were wrong…

"THIS card is. I play Take a Chance!"

A new Continuous Spell appeared.

"It works as follows… I get to use it once per turn, and I roll a die. If I roll 6, then my current Life Points multiply by five!"

"You gotta be kidding…" said Andy.

"But the thing is, every time I use this card," continued the Phantom, "I have to wager the whole pot, so to speak. If I ever don't roll six, my Life Points go back to what they were before I first used it. After that, the card causes me to take 1,000 points of damage per turn, and prevents me from using _any _cards that require dice."

"But you can't miss because of that Dice Reaper…" said Stan.

"True," replied the Phantom, as his Life Points fell to 6,500. "So, if you will…"

The Dice Reaper threw the die, and it landed on the six again. The Phantom cackled as an intense golden aura of light surrounded him, feeding energy through his pores.

"Just what I needed," he said, as Dice Reaper lifted its scythe again. "Now that I've increased my points… I'll start lowering yours! Attack him directly!"

Stan screamed in pain as the razor-sharp blade slashed across his chest.

**(S: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 32,500)**

_Figures… _thought Stan.

He looked at Dice Reaper.

_That… thing… It's no ordinary card… I don't know if the Phantom knows it or not, but this has become a Shadow Duel…_

"Seems I'm not such a bad duelist after all, huh?" asked the Phantom.

"Are you out of your mind?" shouted Francesca. "That Fusion Monster proves that you're a_ terrible _duelist and a _worse _gambler!"

"Eh?" said the Phantom.

"Francesca is right," snarled Andy. "You're practically using a Gamble Deck with loaded dice!"

"Phantom, let me tell you something…" said Stan, as he got up.

He brushed himself off.

"My uncle has told me about a lot of colorful inmates that have come through the system… One that tends to stick out is a mob boss named Fredrick Black, known in the underworld as Ball Point Blackie.

"Now, Ballpoint Blackie was a guy who loved to play poker…"

"I like him already!" exclaimed the Phantom.

"He played Texas hold 'em, Pai Gow poker…" continued Stan. "He'd gamble in a game of pinochle if he could…Oh course, being a mobster, he wasn't the type of guy you'd ever want to meet. He engaged in all sorts of illegal activities… Extortion, gun running, drug dealing, loan sharking… There were even a few rumors about human trafficking…

"Want to know who arrested this mobster? Nobody. He turned himself in!"

"Eh?" said the Phantom.

"My uncle said that he couldn't begin to describe the looks on the faces of the police at the main police plaza in Baltimore when he walked in and told them to arrest him… He plead guilty to everything… Even agreed to turn over the files he had on some other mob bosses.

"There was a lot of speculation as to why he turned himself in… Until he talked to a therapist while in prison.

"See, Blackie loved to play cards, but he wasn't an honest player. He cheated. He claimed that he knew over a hundred ways to cheat at card games.

"The thing is, when you're a mobster, you tend to play cards with other mobsters, and eventually, one of them caught him cheating. Before he knew it, everyone in the underworld who had lost money from him had a price on his head.

"He considered fleeing the country, but he couldn't think of a place where at least one of the crooks he scammed couldn't reach him. Eventually, he knew that jail was probably the safest place he could be.

"Well, even with the plea bargain he made, he won't be eligible for parole until he's sixty-seven years old, and even then, there's no guarantee that those big-name crooks that he scammed won't still be around, or have children or grandchildren who might want him dead. Memories last long in the world of organized crime.

"The moral is clear… Cheaters only cheat themselves."

The Witty Phantom chuckled.

"Nice story…" he said. "Of course… In the end, it all comes down to who's holding the scythe, huh?"

_In one ear and out the other… _thought Stan.

"Still my turn, I believe…" said the Phantom. "I'll set one card, and then move Muzurhythm to Defense Mode."

A face-down card appeared behind Dice Reaper, and then the String Djinn shielded itself with its guitar. (1,000 DEF)

"That's enough for one turn, I believe…"

_Here goes… _thought Stan.

He drew a card, and then played one.

"I summon Goblindbergh!" he shouted.

There was the roar of engines, and the goblin biplane pilot flew onto the field with a cackle. (1,300 ATK)

"By doing so, I can Special Summon Magician's Valkyria from my hand…"

Valkyria leapt onto the field with a triumphant pose. (1,600 ATK) Goblindbergh landed its craft. (0 DEF)

"Before you do anything with those two…" said the Phantom.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate… Taunt. This means if you're going to make any attacks this turn, you're going to have to attack Muzurhythm first."

Stan frowned. He pointed, and Valkyria blasted her spell from her scepter, blowing the String Djinn to particles.

"Didn't think I'd do it, did you?" asked Stan.

The Phantom looked at him with a scowl.

"I'm willing to make ANY sacrifice to beat you, Phantom!" shouted Stan.

"Now I'll move to Main Phase 2, and Overlay both my Monsters…"

The Overlay Network opened again, and Goblindbergh and Valkyria were drawn into it. Then Maestroke emerged, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,300 DEF)

_That Trap Card cost me another chance to destroy Dice Reaper… _thought Stan. _Damn it… Still, hopefully, Maestroke can protect me for a while…_

"I end my turn…" he said.

"My draw…" said the Phantom, as he drew a card.

"First," he said, "I'm using the effect of Take a Chance… Let's see that six again, Dice Reaper!"

His Life Points went down to 32,000, and the Reaper rolled the die. Again, it landed on the six, and the Phantom laughed manically.

_I'm beginning to realize how Custer must have felt at Little Big Horn… _thought Stan.

"Do you know if there's a record for amount of Life Points gained?" asked Francesca, turning to Andy.

"Uh…" said Andy. "Not offhand… But… I did hear rumors about Yugi's duel against Dartz, where Dartz's Life Points were 20,000…

"Of course, Dartz was using…"

He shuddered. He shook his head, unable to say it.

"What the Seal of Orichalcos?" asked the Phantom.

All three teenagers shivered in fear at the name of the dreaded Field Spell.

"Bah, who needs ancient forbidden magic?" laughed the Phantom. "I shattered that pathetic wannabe's record last turn! I've got all I need here!"

"He's clearly drunk with power…" muttered Francesca.

"I use the effect of Sun Scales! Go, Dice Reaper!"

The Fiend tossed the die gain, and again, it landed on the six.

"Sorry, fellah," said Stan, as the overpowering light started to cover the field again, but due to Maestroke's effect, I can get rid of one of his Overlay Units to protect him."

He discarded Valkyria's card, and the glow subsided.

"Dice Reaper, destroy him!" shouted the Phantom.

The Fiend lifted its scythe.

"I use Maestroke's _other _Overlay Unit!" shouted Stan, as he discarded Goblindbergh.

He discarded the card, and the scythe bounced off an invisible shield.

"Your turn…" chuckled the Phantom.

**(S: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 159,500)**

Stan made a draw, and the Phantom chuckled again.

"Give it up," laughed the Phantom. "Can't you see I'm invincible?"

Stan threw the card into his Disk, and it appeared set behind Maestroke.

"There's my answer, fellah," he said. "Move…"

"Oh, I will," said the Phantom, as he made a draw.

"I'll use the effect of Take a Chance again!"

The die landed on the six again, and the Phantom laughed like a madman.

**(S: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 795,000)**

"More power!" he laughed. "I'm stronger than you all can dream, and I'll get stronger still… _I'll touch the stars!"_

"He is truly mad…" said Andy.

"I activate Roll of Fate!" laughed the Phantom, as he played a Spell Card. "I roll one die, and get to draw a number of cards equal to the amount."

"Bet you're gonna use Dice Reaper's effect for this too," sighed Stan.

The Phantom didn't answer. His Life Points simply fell to 794,500 as the Dice Reaper rolled, causing the die to land on a six. The Phantom made six draws.

"Then I have to banish the next six…" said the Phantom.

He grabbed the next six cards off his deck, and to Stan's shock, he threw them away as if they were trash.

"But who needs them?" continued the Fiend. "Now, I use Scales of the Sun once more…"

The Dice Reaper rolled, and the Phantom's Life Points fell to 794,000 as it landed on the six again. The incredible light covered the field, vaporizing Maestroke.

"Time to die, Mr. Mason…" chuckled the Phantom. "I summon Fabled Raven…"

He played a card, and a sinister-looking Fiend wearing a cowl with razor-sharp wings on his arms appeared. (1,300 ATK)

"Then, I use the One for One Spell Card," he continued. "I'll send one Monster in my hand to the Graveyard…"

He discarded a card.

"…and summon Dice Leveler from my deck…"

A weird Monster appeared in front of him. It looked like an M-shaped prism, with six dice in its center arranged in the shape of a cross, each one showing a different face of a six-sided die. It also had a pair of large, black hands. (100 ATK)

"Now, I'm using Dice Leveler's effect," he continued. "I'm rolling a die, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's gonna land on the four…"

"Four?" asked Stan.

The Dice Reaper tossed the die again, as the Phantom's Life Points fell to 793,500. As he said, it landed on the four.

"Yes, four," he said. "Want to know why?

"Because, Dice Leveler's Level is now increased by that number, making it Level 5, which means I can now Tune my Level 2 Fabled Raven and my Level 5 Dice Leveler…"

Fabled Raven smiled an evil smile, and flew towards the ceiling with Dice Leveler in tow. The Synchro rings appeared, and both Monsters flew through them.

"_Majestic wanderer of the Astral Plane, flying between all realities, the Music of the Spheres playing in your wake! Clustering stars light the way to the mortal realm..."_

**(*2 + *5 = *7)**

"_Synchro Summon... Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"_

The Monster that appeared looked like a dragon, but the type that Andy used. It was clearly the oriental variety, serpentine, with a long mane of golden hair, silvery scales, and a face that echoed wisdom. (2,100 ATK)

"Let me explain how this creature works," said the Phantom. "When I have more Attack Points than you do, it gains Attack Points equal to the difference in our scores."

(790,800 ATK)

"That's overkill!" screamed Francesca.

"So what?" laughed the Phantom. "Bye-bye, Mr. Mason!

"Attack directly with Hyper Blaze!"

The giant creature started to power up a tremendous blast of energy in its jaws…

"That's the problem with thinking you're invincible, Phantom…" said Stan.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"You start to get… Careless…"

"Magic Cylinder?" gasped the Phantom, as his eyes bugged out.

"WAIT! STOP!"

It was too late. Ancient Sacred Wyvern let out a thunderous blast of energy at Stan, only for it to be reflected back at the Witty Phantom. He let out a scream that echoed through the whole Palace of Shadow as he was violently propelled into the demonic fountain behind him, smashing the whole structure into rubble from the impact.

**(S: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 2,700)**

Everyone looked at the Phantom. His clothes had been torn to shreds, and he was lying in the broken ruins of the fountain, with water dripping on him.

"Hyper Blaze?" asked Andy. "Isn't that the name of the attack used by Uria, Lord of Searing Flames?"

"Yeah…" said Francesca, with a sigh. "He was so drunk with power, he thought he was channeling actual divine might…"

Then, to their shock, the Witty Phantom started to move.

"No… way…" said Francesca. "That's impossible…"

To their unbelieving eyes, the impossible was happening. The Witty Phantom slowly dragged himself to his feet, picking up his cards. He had a black eye and blood was trickling from the side of his mouth, but miraculously, he was alive.

He just looked at Stan for about a minute…

"Still my turn…" he hissed, quietly. "Dice Reaper… Attack Stan directly…"

Stan screamed again, as the wicked blade cut across his chest.

**(S: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 2,700)**

"This isn't over Stan…" whispered the Witty Phantom. "I still have my Dice Reaper, and I still command his power…"

He played a card.

"I activate The Shallow Grave… By doing so, I can take the Monster I tossed when I used One for One, and set it on my field…"

A set Monster appeared in front of him.

"…and this time, it IS a Dice Jar, I'll have you know…"

"Yeah, well I get to summon one too," said Stan, as a set Monster appeared in front of him.

The Phantom set another card, and a face-down card appeared in front of him.

"Make your move…" whispered the Fiend.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Queen was watching with Grodus standing nearby.

"Okay, I'm stumped," said Grodus. "How DID he survive? It's a Shadow Duel… After taking _that_ much damage, we should be scraping him off the wall with a putty knife right now."

"The Dice Reaper," said the Queen. "The Phantom fails to realize just who's actually been in charge since he summoned it. It's not him.

"Anyway… The arrangement he's been in since he summoned the thing makes him pretty much impossible to kill…

"…for now…"

**0000000000**

_Dice Jar, _thought Stan. _A card that can be one of the most powerful gamble cards in the game, and one of the riskiest._

_When he flips it, we'll both roll a die, and whoever rolls lower takes 500 points of damage times the difference in the two rolls…_

_Unless the winner rolls a six – which he's guaranteed to do, due to Dice Reaper – in which case the loser takes 6,000 points of damage!_

_Attacking it will only trigger its Flip Effect sooner… That means I have to destroy Dice Reaper on this turn…_

He looked at his set Monster.

_And to do that, I have to draw the right Monster NOW!_

He closed his eyes. He drew the top card off his deck…

He opened his eyes.

"Heh…" he said. "Guess my luck is about to change… Goombella, come on out!"

He threw the card on his Disk, and the small, ponytailed Goomba appeared in front of him. (500 ATK)

"Now, let's see what her Tattle shows me this time…"

Three cards appeared in front of him – Marauding Captain, Resonance Device, and Mystical Space Typhoon.

"Well, what have we here?" he asked. "I'll keep this one, and then send this one back to my deck…"

He discarded Resonance Device, and slipped the Warrior back into his deck.

"That means I get to keep this one," he said, as he lifted up Mystical Space Typhoon. And I think I'll use it!"

He played the card, and the cyclone honed in on the Phantom's set card, blowing it to pieces.

"Bottomless Trap Hole, huh? Well, now that it's gone…

"I flip Magician's Valkyria into Attack Mode…"

The card flipped up, and Valkyria leapt onto the field again. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, by opening the Overlay Unit one more time," he said, as the vortex appeared again, "I can Xyz Summon the newest member of my team!"

The two Spellcasters disappeared into the vortex…

Then there was a dead calm. Some eerily familiar music started playing as a cloaked figure appeared kneeling in front of Stan…

"That music…" said Andy. "I can't put my finger on it… Some old Clint Eastwood flick?"

"Yeah…" said Francesca. "_The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, _I think…"

The figure stood up. It did indeed look like the sort of lonely cowboy from the old "Spaghetti Western", with the buckskin, hat, and tattered cloak. He also had a bandana covering the lower half of his face. (1,500 ATK)

"What do you think of Gagaga Cowboy?" asked Stan.

"Eh, you were better off with Valkyria," growled the Phantom.

"I beg to differ," said Stan, "you see, if this guy is in Attack Mode, his effect lets me get rid of an Overlay Unit when he attacks a Monster. When he does so, his own Attack Score rises by 1,000 Points, while the Attack Score of his target decreases by 500."

Gagaga Cowboy drew his six-shooters and twirled them dramatically as the Witty Phantom's eyes opened wide in horror.

"What that means is," said Stan, "your Dice Reaper has as much of chance now as Billy Clanton did at the O.K. Corral!

"Plug that Reaper with Double Revolver Blast!"

The Xyz Cowboy fired twin shots of hot lead from his six-shooters as his Attack Score rose to 2,500 and Dice Reaper's fell to 2,200. The wicked Fiend groaned…

Then the Witty Phantom screamed as Dice Reaper finally shattered.

**(S: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 2,400)**

But that wasn't the only thing that happened. Dice Reaper wasn't the only thing that Gagaga Cowboy's attack destroyed. Ancient Sacred Wyvern, the set Dice Jar, both of the Phantom's two Continuous Spells, and the cards in his hand all turned to dust.

"Well…" said Stan, as he crossed his arms. "It seems Dice Reaper had a very _large _catch to it… Because I destroyed it, you literally lost everything you had. It was the ultimate gamble, and you lost.

"It's your move…"

"I can't…" growled the Phantom. "Because you destroyed Dice Phantom, it also costs me my Draw Phase this turn…"

"Can't do anything?" asked Stan. "Well then…"

He drew a card.

"Gagaga Magician, move to the field!"

His Deckmaster leapt into position beside Gagaga Cowboy. (1,500 ATK)

"Both of you…" he said. "Finish him off!"

Gagaga Magician cast his black magic, and Gagaga Cowboy fired again. The Witty Phantom screamed...

**(S: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (WP: 0)**

Stan sighed.

_My deepest apologies, Bleck…_ he muttered. _Seems you weren't lying after all…_

Then another card appeared, hovering in the air in front of Stan.

"Hello?" he said.

He plucked it out of the air.

"Another prize for winning a duel?" asked Andy.

"Yeah, and it looks like a good one," replied Stan. "Why on Earth is the Queen being so good to us?"

"I have one theory…" said Francesca. "It's kind of… Well, it's just crazy enough to make sense…"

She looked at the ceiling.

"You going to tell us?" asked Stan.

"I'd better not…" she replied. "If the Queen is watching us, I don't want her to hear it…"

She looked around.

"Let's get out of this place…"

**0000000000**

The Witty Phantom was shaking like a leaf as he was kneeling before the Shadow Queen.

"W-what are you going to do to me?" he stammered.

The Queen paused before noticing a dark energy slowly creep out from the Phantom's Duel Disk and gathering behind where he was kneeling. A sinister smile came over her face.

"Me?" she said softly. "Nothing."

Just when a look of incredible relief came over her servant's face she added, "But I'd be more concerned about _him_, really."

Witty Phantom looked confused before a shadow fell over him. Slowly, he turned his head…

…and his eyes bulged upon seeing Dice Reaper loom over him, its scythe gleaming in the darkness.

"You were warned using that card would be dangerous Phantom," said the Queen, as she stood up, "and now it's time to fulfill _your_ end of the deal. The Reaper was promised a soul, and a soul he shall have."

She turned around. Behind her, a scream came from the Witty Phantom… Then there was silence…

Then she turned around again, and saw the Dice Reaper card lying on the ground. She picked it up. A slight smile was on the Fiend's bony mouth that hadn't been there before…

She sighed, and touched her necklace again, opening the portal to her vault again. Then she hurled the card into it.

"Back you go," she sighed, "to wait for another fool who thinks it's easy to thumb his nose at the Goddess of Luck…"

She sighed again, and walked out of the room, leaving the Phantom's body where it was.

She had bigger things to be concerned about right now…

**0000000000**

**ROLL OF FATE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A split screen, showing a morose warrior's face on the left side and a cheerful, beautiful woman's face on the right, with a die separating them.

**Card Description: **Roll 1 six-sided die. Draw a number of cards equal to the result. Then, banish an equal number of cards from the top of your deck.

_Note: "Roll of Fate" was first used by Jonouchi in the original anime episode "Fighting for a Friend (Part 3)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DICE LEVELER (Monster Card)**

Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl1/100ATK/100DEF

**Effect: **Once per turn, you may roll 1 six-sided die. Increase the Level of this card by the result until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**TAKE A CHANCE (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A twenties-style gambler seated at a craps table with a huge amount of chips, seen from the view of an unseen opponent with only a few of them.

**Card Description: **Once per turn, you may roll 1 six-sided die. If the result is 6, multiply your Life Points by 5. If the result is not 6: your Life Points become the amount they were before the first activation of this card's effect; also, for as long as this card remains on the field, you take 1,000 points of damage during each of your Standby Phases, and the effects of your cards that require die rolls are negated.

**0000000000**

**SUN SCALES (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **An old fashioned balance made of bronze shaped like a solar disk weighing sand on one side and a skull on the other.

**Card Description: **Once per turn, you may roll 1 six-sided die. If the result is 6, destroy all Monsters your opponent controls. If the result is not 6, destroy all Monsters you control.

**0000000000**

**DICE CRISIS (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A Thousand-Eyes Idol holding a die as big as itself; the six side is on top, and the "dots" are glowing with energy.

**Card Description: **Activate when an opposing Monster declares an attack. Roll 1 six-sided die. If the result is not 6, destroy this card. If the result is 6, take control of the attacking Monster, and Equip this card to it as an Equip Spell. The Equipped Monster's ATK becomes zero. When this card leaves the field, return control of the Equipped Monster to its original owner. If the Equipped Monster leaves the field, destroy this card.

_Note: The preceding four cards were all used by Charlie McCoy in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Life is a Carnival". Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes._

**0000000000**

**DICE REAPER (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Lvl8/2,700ATK/2,000DEF

"_Snipe Hunter" + "Reaper of the Cards"_

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except via Fusion Summon, and only by using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. If you activate the effect of a card that involves rolling 1 six-sided die, you may pay 500 Life Points to forego the die roll and state 1 number from 1 to 6. The stated number is treated as the result applied to the card's effect. If this card is removed from the field, send all cards you control and in your hand to the Graveyard; skip your next Draw Phase after this effect occurs.

_Credit for this card goes to Metal Overlord 2.0, who designed the original._

**0000000000**

"**Gagaga Magician":** Spellcaster/Dark/Level4/1,500/1,000: "Resonation": Once per turn, if you control 2 (exactly) Spellcaster and/or Warrior-Type Monsters, you may pay 1,000 Life Points to make the Level of 1 of them the same as the other.

**0000000000**

"**Witty Phantom":** Fiend/Dark/Level4/1,400/1,300: "Infernal Compact": Select 1 Fiend-Type Monster you control and place 1 "Compact Counter" on it. A Monster with a "Compact Counter" is not affected by Spell, Trap, or Monster effects. You can only use this effect once per duel.

**0000000000**

_**The Witty Phantom is no longer a threat, and as the Queen prepares her greatest trap to date, it is time once again to move away from the three protagonists briefly…**_

_**Raven: Ever read an old black and white comic called **_**Sin City? **_**No, it wasn't about Las Vegas. It was about a city where criminals were in charge. The whole police department in this fictitious town was bought (with the notable exception of **__**John Hartigan, which made you wonder why he survived as long as he did) and the justice system was a joke. The few good guys who lived in Sin City knew that they couldn't make a very big difference… They could only make small ones.**_

_**Madripoor is even worse than Sin City is supposed to be. You could technically say that criminals don't own the cops, but the government does, and the government is even worse than the criminals.**_

_**Now… I'm facing something that Madripoor doesn't have… A fair and impartial judge who is willing to look at all extenuating circumstances.**_

_**So why am I scared?**_

_**Because even so, she's far more intimidating than any judge I've faced before, and if her verdict is guilty, I'll have no avenue of escape this time…**_

"_**Solemn Authority" is coming soon. **_


	44. Solemn Authority

_**Here's a riddle: What type of person does **_**nobody **_**ever want to have to deal with, but whom **_**everybody **_**wants on their side?**_

_**Don't worry, this isn't a quiz. I'll **_**give**_** you the answer: a judge. No-one wants to deal with a judge. Unless you're a lawyer, in which case it's your job, and even then, you don't want one getting angry at you.**_

_**In Madripoor, facing a judge was doom. They delivered whatever verdict that their bosses – the ruling council of the place – told them to, and rarely cared about the defendant's guilt or innocence. I was lucky. I had Faustus and the rest of my gang able to get me out of there if worse came to worst.**_

_**But they aren't around now, and the judge I'm facing is more intimidating than any I ever stood before. Even worse, she's competent. Threats and bribes aren't going to work now…**_

_**So how do I plead? Getting down on my knees might be a good way to start…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-FOUR**

**0000000000**

**Solemn Authority**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Raven was wandering through the Palace right now, and she had to admit, she was a little disappointed.

She had kind of hoped to find artwork and golden artifacts lying around, but there wasn't really anything of the sort so far. Just a lot of creepy rooms and passages with the same feeling of despair permeating the structure.

_Whoever lives here must really be depressed, _she thought. _Man, I'm going to go stir crazy if something doesn't happen soon…_

No sooner did she think that, a trap door opened under her feet.

**0000000000**

Raven landed on her behind with an "OOF!"

She didn't seem hurt, so she got up and looked around… And then shivered in fear.

She was in the type of room she dreaded the most: a courtroom. It even seemed to be the type of courtroom she was used to, the old fashioned type found in Madripoor, sort of the style of a frontier court.

There was no jury box (also often the case in Madripoor, as only aristocrats there were allowed jury trials) and the witness stand was the type where the witness stood facing the bench.

Still, Raven seemed to like this a little better… No judge, no bailiffs, and no spectators to jeer and mock her. She seemed to be alone here.

"All rise," said a voice.

_I knew it was too good to be true, _thought Raven.

A figure appeared behind the bench. She was an angelic, winged woman with blue skin, wearing Egyptian-style clothing.

_A female judge? _thought Raven. _Guess the folks here are more equal opportunity._

"The Agent of Judgment – Saturn presiding," said the Duel Spirit. (2,400 ATK)

"Now then… Lidia Sinclair, aka 'Raven'…"

"Am I on trial again?" asked Raven.

"I will ask the questions here, Ms. Sinclair!" snapped Saturn.

Raven was a little shocked by this powerful demand.

As she watched the Agent pick up a folder, she realized that things might actually be going better than usual. This judge had called her 'Ms. Sinclair', something that NO official in Madripoor had ever been respectful enough to do.

"Let's see…" said the angel. "Fifty-seven counts of petty larceny, thirty counts of burglary, twenty-four counts of grand larceny, twelve counts of extortion…

"How does the defendant plead?"

"Uh…" said Raven. "Guilty with an explanation."

"And what explanation is that?" asked Saturn.

"Uhm…" said Raven. "Because it was either that or starve?"

Saturn looked at Raven with eyes that seemed to look _through _her. Raven shivered.

"Look…" said Raven, nervously. "I never stole from someone who wasn't a bigger thief… I know that isn't much of a defense as far as the law is concerned, but surely someone like you can…"

Saturn looked Raven directly in the eye again. Then she stepped down from the judge's bench. This made Raven even more nervous… Forget the fact that no judge in Madripoor had ever done that. The Duel Spirit in front of her was nearly seven feet tall.

"…understand?" said the Agent of Judgment, finishing her statement. "Maybe, but whether everything you did was justified is not as clear cut…

"Let me tell you about two thieves I once dealt with in one day… The first one stole a large bag of gold. The second one stole twenty shillings.

"In your opinion, which thief deserved the bigger punishment?"

"Uh…" said Raven. "I would have to say the one who stole the bag of gold?"

"Wrong…" said Saturn. "Although his ill-gotten gains were more valuable, the other thief's crime was much worse.

"You see, Ms. Sinclair, with thieves, the severity of the crime is measured not by the monetary value of the goods, but by the harm the crime does to the victim. The first thief stole the bag of gold from a very wealthy merchant. It did little more than make him angry. To him, it was pocket change.

"But the second thief… He stole the twenty shillings from a poor woodcutter. It was his whole week's salary, and losing it caused him and his family to go hungry. His crime was a far more terrible one that the first thief's crime, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess…" said Raven, nervously.

"Let me give you another example of how such things are measured," continued Saturn. "Say a man is unjustly convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and is locked up, awaiting execution… To escape, he has to kill a jailer…"

"Faustus never did that!" shouted Raven.

Saturn glared at her, and Raven quickly cowered back.

_Note to self… _she thought. _Don't interrupt the Goddess of Justice…_

"It wouldn't be a pleasant thing…" continued Saturn, "and he might feel bad about it for a while… But he did what he had to do to escape an unfair fate, and it's too grey to draw the attention of the evil beings that tempt mortals.

"But… If he had tortured the jailer before killing him, even to gain information… _That _is much darker. It would shift his soul towards evil and start him on the road that leads to damnation…

"You see, Ms. Sinclair, where I come from, we take all mitigating factors into consideration… You claim that what you did was justified?"

She walked back to the judge's bench and sat down again.

"If you truly only stole to feed and clothe yourself, then yes, it was justified…" she said. "Still… I don't know…"

Raven shivered a little as she picked up the folder again.

She looked around, and it suddenly occurred to her _why _there were no bailiffs. There was really nowhere for her to run. The room had no exits that she could see. And just looking at Saturn, it was obvious that she could restrain a defendant by herself if she had to.

"According to this," continued Saturn, "there were four cases where you burglarized the homes of judges or prosecutors who had earlier convicted you or one of your friends for earlier acts of theft. Are you certain that you weren't motivated at least partially by revenge in those cases?"

Raven trembled, not knowing how to answer.

"And here's a case where a judge was coerced into dismissing the charges against you..." said Saturn, "and when he told you that you were free to leave, you stole his wallet, his watch, and the gavel from his bench."

_How did she know? _thought Raven, her eyes opening wide. _Not even Faustus knew I did that!_

"Seems to me that your motive there was simply to humiliate him!" said Saturn, sternly.

She stepped down from the bench again.

"Well… I'll give you something that they never gave you in Madripoor…"

"What?" squeaked Raven, in fright.

"A trial that's fair and impartial," said Saturn.

She took a step backwards, and a Duel Disk appeared on the Spirit's arm. It was silver and shiny, with a tray shaped like the feathers in her wings.

"Trial by combat?" asked Raven.

"No, by fire," replied Saturn. "Do you know how primitive cultures used to burn suspected murderers, thinking that an innocent man wouldn't burn? Nonsense, of course, but I have a similar method that actually works.

"As the Goddess of Justice, I can't be beaten in a duel by a guilty defendant. But… If your intentions were as benign as they claim, you should win easily."

"So we duel?" asked Raven.

"Defeat me, and I'll wipe your criminal record clean," said Saturn. "The courts of Madripoor will forget about you completely. But be warned… Lose, and you'll find no way to blackmail _this _judge… You _will _answer for your crimes."

She looked at Raven.

"You seem to be shivering Ms. Sinclair," she said. "And it's quite warm in this room…

"To show you I am fair, you are allowed to have an attorney present. Your Deckmaster will fill that role."

Raven sighed as she took her deck from her Duel Disk. She was pretty sure that none of her Monsters had a license to practice criminal law, but if it was the best that she was going to get…

"All right…" she said. "I choose… Battlestorm!"

She held up the card, and the smiling, Dark Winged Beast appeared behind her. (1,700 ATK)

"All right, Blackwings," he said, "it's time to fly!"

_Whoa, _thought Raven, _he talks!_

"Very well…" said the Agent. "I'll be serving as my own Deckmaster…

"Now let's begin…"

**(Raven: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Saturn: 8,000)**

"Normally, the prosecution makes its case first," said Saturn. "However, due to the rules of this place, I have to give you that honor.

"So call your first witness."

"All right…" said Raven, as she drew her first card.

"I summon Blackwing – Falalla the Flashing Blades!" she shouted.

She threw the card on her Disk, and a Blackwing with definite female features that was dressed in a tattered white shirt with a midriff and a skirt appeared in front of her. Her wings that were separate from her arms and she had a long ponytail, plus a cybernetic right eye. She was holding two long machetes. (1,500 ATK)

"I'll end there…" she said.

"Then it's my move…" said Saturn.

She drew a card.

"I summon Hieratic Dragon of Nuit," she said.

She played the card, and a beam of light fell from the ceiling. The Monster that appeared only looked vaguely like a Dragon… It was more like a humanoid in gold armor, with vaguely draconic features. It had a face that wise and bestial at the same time, and wings that seemed to be made of equal parts gold and pure light. (1,700 ATK)

_A Hieratic Monster? _thought Raven.

"You'll soon see, Ms. Sinclair," said Saturn, as Nuit spread its wings, "that my Monsters are utterly ruthless when making cross-examinations…"

Two blades of light shot from the creature's wings, slicing through the Blackwing and cutting her in half. Raven clutched her stomach in pain.

**(R: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)**

_That… _she thought. _That hurt a lot for 200 points of damage…_

"I'll set one face-down card," said Saturn, as she fit a card into her Disk, "and then it's your witness."

"Uh…" said Raven. "Oh, yeah… My move, right?"

She drew a card.

_Nice… _she thought.

"I summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!" she shouted.

She played the card, and a fierce wind ripped through the courtroom as a small Blackwing appeared. It had a green plume on its head, and large wings built into its arms. (1,300 ATK)

"And this little guy really lived up to his name," continued Raven, "because once per turn, he can cut the Scores of one of your Monsters in half!"

Gale beat its wings, and Nuit struggled as the wind picked up again. (850 ATK)

"I activate my Monster's effect," replied Saturn. "When it's targeted by a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect, I can Special Summon a Dragon-Type Normal Monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard.

"Of course, the downside is, both the Attack and Defense of the Monster fall to zero… But that's redundant if the Monster's Scores were zero to begin with."

There was a blinding aura of light, and a huge, golden sphere rose from behind Saturn. It looked partially mechanical, and had the Eye of Wdjat on the front. (0 DEF)

Raven was horrified… It looked almost exactly like the Sealed Form of the Winged Dragon of Ra!

"Get ahold of yourself!" shouted Battlestorm.

He grabbed hold of Raven and started shaking her.

"She said a Dragon-Type Normal Monster! Ra hardly qualifies."

"Please, Raven," said Saturn, "do you actually think I have _that _much pull? This Monster is called Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord.

"Still… I may not have The Winged Dragon of Ra in my deck, but these Monsters do have a relation to it. The Hieratic Dragons are descendants of the mightiest of the Egyptian God Monsters.

"And just as Ra was able to gain Attack Points based on the Monsters sacrificed to summon it, the Hieratics have powers that involve the sacrifice of other Dragons."

Raven looked at the huge thing.

"Nomal Monster, huh?" she said. "And with zero Defense Points... It's all bark and no bite... It's still my turn.

"Next, because I control one Blackwing I can Special Summon Blackwing – Bora the Spear!"

She played another card, and a larger Blackwing with an orange plume, holding a very large lance appeared next to Gale. (1,700 ATK)

"I'm not done…" said Raven. "Remember Falalla? She has an effect that I can use _once._

"Since she's in my Graveyard, and I have a Blackwing on the field that's Level 3 or lower, I can summon her back to the field."

In an aura of darkness, Falalla appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

"However, I'm not allowed to Synchro Summon this turn because I did that. Still, I don't need to. Gale, rip that Dragon to pieces with Raptor Wing Strike!"

Gale flew towards the Hieratic and did a flip in mid-air, raking with its rear talons. The golden creature grunted, and then shattered.

"Bora, smash that big globe!" she shouted, as Bora flew towards the Hieratic Seal.

Bora stabbed with his lance, and the huge sphere shattered like glass.

"And due to his effect, you take damage even though it was in Defense Mode!"

She looked at Saturn, and then looked at her last Monster.

"I've always wanted to do this…" she said, with a grin.

"Oh, I bet you have…" said Saturn, with a frown.

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Hieratic Seal From the Ashes," she said. "I can use the effect of this card during every one of your turns to send a Hieratic Monster from my deck to the Graveyard…"

She quickly took a card from her deck, and discarded it.

"It has other uses too, but we'll get to them if the need arises.

Then Falalla made a rush at the Agent, making two deep cuts across her chest with her machetes.

**(R: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,350)**

"Just how many courts are there where the defendant is allowed to do _that?" _she asked.

"This is pretty much the only one," said Saturn, as if nothing had happened. "Are you done?"

"Uh…" said Raven.

She looked at her remaining four cards. She fit one of them in her Disk, and a set card appeared.

"I think so…"

Saturn made a draw, and then played a card quickly.

"The next witness I'm calling is Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb," she said.

Another humanoid Dragon in golden armor, this one slightly more muscular than the first, with smaller wings, appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"But I'm dismissing him quickly, because I'm sacrificing him to Special Summon someone else…"

Gebeb vanished, and a Dragon appeared that looked more like a Dragon in actual shape. It was still covered in golden armor, along with a helmet, and at least part of its body seemed to be made of pure light. (2,000 ATK)

"Hieratic Dragon of Nebthet," continued Saturn. "But before we get into what this one can do, Gebeb's effect activates. Because it was sacrificed, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Normal Dragon from my hand, deck, Graveyard with the word 'Hieratic' in its name.

"And because Gemini Monsters count as Normal Monsters while in the Graveyard, I'll summon the one I sent there with my Trap Card... Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King."

Raven watched as yet another large, golden sphere appeared. It looked very much like the first one, but after what Saturn had said before, it was hard to be as afraid of it this time. (0 DEF)

"So… What does this one do?" asked Raven, looking at the large sphere.

"Like I said, it's a Gemini Monster…" replied Saturn, "which means it can't do anything right now. But you'll soon see that just because it's powerless doesn't mean it's worthless."

She held up a Spell Card.

"I activate Hieratic Seal of Supremacy," she said, "which lets me Special Summon another Hieratic from my hand. I choose to summon Hieratic Dragon of Su."

The Hieratic that appeared this time was just as big as Nebthet. It had metallic blue skin, the same gold armor, and wings made of light. (2,200 ATK)

"Attack Gale the Whirlwind and Bora the Spear with Divine Fury!"

Su and Nebthet exhaled brilliant violet flames at the two Blackwings, and Raven let out a scream as they were reduced to scorched feathers.

"Raven…" said Battlestorm.

"It's okay, I'll hold together…" replied Raven.

She grunted.

_Come on, hold together… _she thought.

**(R: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,350)**

"I move to my second Main Phase…" said Saturn.

The familiar vortex appeared, and drew Hieratic Dragon of Su and Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King into it.

"…and by calling on the power of the Overlay Network, I can use my two Level 6 Monsters to Xyz something even more powerful…"

A far more intimidating Hieratic rose from the vortex. It had the same general shape as Nuit and the same golden armor, but its coal-black skin and burning eyes suggested a much less benign nature.

"Behold, Hieratic Dragon King of Atum," said Saturn.

(2,400 ATK)

"Fortunately for you, my Battle Phase is over, but by detaching one of its Overlay Units…"

She took Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King from beneath the card, and discarded it.

"…I can Special Summon any Dragon I want from my deck. Again, I must reduce both its Scores to zero.

"I use this effect to Special Summon a second Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord."

Again, the large, shining, golden sphere appeared above the Agent. Raven was starting to become a little nervous seeing these weird things… (0 DEF)

"I end my turn…" said Saturn, "which means my Deckmaster effect now activates. If I manage to summon two or more Level 6 or higher Light Monsters during a single turn, I get to draw two cards during my End Phase.

"And I summoned three such Monsters that turn."

She made two draws.

"It's your move…"

"Okay, here goes…" said Raven.

She drew a card.

"As you remember…" said Saturn, as Hieratic Seal From the Ashes started to glow, "my Trap Card's effect activates during each of your turns, letting me cast a Hieratic Monster into my Graveyard…"

_But what's the point? _asked Raven, as she watched her opponent discard another card.

She looked at the card she had drawn.

_I don't have anything that can defeat that Xyz Monster… _she thought, _but I _really _don't like that big round thing…_

"I set a Monster," she said, as a reversed Monster appeared, "and then I attack with Falalla!"

The Blackwing flew at the huge sphere, and made two swipes with her blades. The whole thing was smashed to pieces again.

"Wasn't so tough…" said Raven.

"Fortunately, it was in Defense Mode…" said Saturn.

Raven tossed a card into her Disk, and a new reversed card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"That's all I can do now…" she said.

"Then it's my move…" said Saturn.

She drew, and looked at the card.

"Dragon King, smite Falalla the Flashing Blades with Bolt From the Blue!"

The Dragon King of Atum lifted its hand, and lightning flashed, striking the Blackwing. Raven let out another scream.

**(R: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,350)**

"Only one Monster left," said Saturn, "and Su will obliterate it…"

Su blasted its divine flames, and a Blackwing wearing a bandana on its head holding a cutlass appeared on the card before it was burned up.

"Fooled you!" laughed Raven. "You just destroyed Blackwing – Cran the Crescent Moon, and when that happens, I get to Special Summon Blackwing – Wan the Windblade from my deck!"

Flowers fell from the ceiling, and another female Blackwing dressed in a violet leotard and a veil over the lower part of her face appeared. Her soft wings were folded on her back. She slowly opened two decorated steel fans as she knelt in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

"I end my turn…" said Saturn.

"Gladly…" said Raven, as she drew a card.

"Once again," said Saturn, as she discarded a card, "I use the effect of Hieratic Seal From the Ashes."

"I have a good Trap Card too…" said Raven, as one of her reversed card lifted up. "The Transmigration Prophecy!

"I'll use its effect to send Bora the Spear and Cran the Crescent Moon back to my deck."

She shuffled her deck.

"That means I can use Wan's effect, and pay 800 Life Points to summon Cran again!"

Wan's fans started to glow, and Cran appeared again, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"This might be a good time to mention… Wan is also a Tuner Monster."

The two Blackwings spread their wings and flew towards the ceiling.

"Which means I can Tune my Level 2 Wan the Windblade and Level 3 Cran the Crescent Moon…"

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

"…to Synchro Summon… Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star!"

There was a blast of silvery stars, and a new, much taller Blackwing appeared. It had huge, feathered wings, wore a silvery tunic and helmet, and held a long saber. (2,200 ATK)

"By Synchro Summoning Gram," she continued, "his effect activates, letting me Special Summon a low-Level non-Tuner Blackwing from my hand."

She played a card, and Kris the Crack of Dawn flew onto the field. (1,900 ATK)

"But he can't use his effect. Next, I summon Blackwing – Durn the Dervish!"

There was a laugh, and a Blackwing with a toucan-like beak dressed in a jerkin, and wearing a mask over his eyes, holding a long rapier, leapt onto the field. His wings were folded in a way to resemble a black cape. (1,700 ATK)

"Now, I'll play the Battle-Tuned Spell Card!" she exclaimed, as she threw a Quickplay Spell into her Disk.

Wan's card appeared behind her, and then evaporated into mist.

"By banishing a Tuner Monster from my Graveyard, Gram gains Attack Points equal to _her _Attack Points!"

(3,000 ATK)

"Destroy Hieratic Dragon King of Atum with Shimmering Sword Slash!"

The Blackwing flew at the huge Hieratic and cut across its chest with its blade. The Dragon shuddered for a minute, and then burst into a pyrotechnic display of colored sparks.

"Your turn…" said Raven. "I have to say, I like this _much _better than anything in Madripoor…"

**(R: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,750)**

Saturn frowned as she made a draw.

"Be careful, Ms. Sinclair," she said. "People with sharp tongues can often cut their own throats…

"Hieratic Dragon of Su…"

The sacred Dragon prepared to deliver its divine flame again…

"Destroy Durn the Dervish!"

The blast of violet flames enveloped the swashbuckler and burned him to ashes…

But to the Agent's surprise, Durn's rapier was sent spiraling through the air as a result. It impaled the Hieratic, who roared before shattering.

"What?" exclaimed Saturn.

"You took the bait!" laughed Raven. "When Durn is destroyed by the attack of an opposing Monster, I take no damage, and the Monster that attacked him is toast.

"And now you're defenseless!"

"I don't think so…" said Saturn, as she played a card. "I activate Nightmare's Steelcage!"

She played the card, and a large, domed cage formed around Raven.

"You think that scares me?" asked Raven. "I've been in worse…"

"Well, it will prevent either player from making an attack for two turns," replied Saturn. "In the meantime, I end my turn…"

Raven made a draw, and looked at it.

_Dark Eruption… _she thought.

"I use the effect of Hieratic Seal From the Ashes again," said Saturn.

"Just how many times are you gonna do that?" asked Raven.

Saturn didn't answer. She just discarded a card.

"Yeah, well I play Dark Eruption," continued Raven.

She took a card from her discard slot.

"It lets me salvage a Dark Monster from my Graveyard that has 1,500 Attack Points or less.

"So, once again, here's Gale the Whirlwind!"

She threw the card on her Disk, and Gale appeared amid the wind storm again. (1,300 ATK)

"Next, I'll Tune together Gale and Kris the Crack of Dawn…"

Gale flew towards the ceiling, with Kris following. The two Blackwings faded as they flew through the set of rings.

**(*3 + *4 = *7)**

Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe landed, and dramatically lashed his whip. (2,600 ATK)

"Since I can't attack, I'll end my turn there…"

Saturn drew, and then made a devious-looking sideways glance towards Raven.

"Now we get into why I was using my Hieratic Seal From the Ashes so much," she said. "Because of it, I now have three Dragon-Type Gemini Monsters and three Dragon-Type Normal Monsters in my Graveyard.

"Like I said before, Gemini Monsters are considered Normal Monsters in my Graveyard, and to summon one of the most powerful Hieratics, I have to banish three Normal Dragon-Type Monsters from there."

Three of the strange, spherical things appeared, and then vanished.

"Behold…" said Saturn, as a huge, hulking shape started to rise on her side of the field. "Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh!"

The Dragon that appeared this time was not only bigger, it was bulkier, and rather than dressed in golden armor, it seemed to be completely covered by an exoskeleton of solid gold. It also had an angry sneer on its face as it looked at Raven. (2,800 ATK)

Raven wasn't exactly an expert on Egyptian mythology, but she knew that the names of these creatures seemed to be variants of the names of various gods. And this one…

_Sutekh? _she thought. _As in Set? Man, that can't be good…_

"All right…" said Saturn. "You already know what Hieratic Seal From the Ashes can do during your turn… It also has an effect that I can use during my turn. Once per turn, I can use it to return a banished Dragon-Type Monster to my Graveyard…"

She took Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord and slipped it into her discard slot.

"It's your move…"

Raven took a deep breath, and drew a card.

_Sharnga the Waning Moon? _she thought._ Not much help there…_

She motioned to Battlestorm, and he bent over to listen.

"Uh, you don't think she might accept a plea bargain, do you?" she asked.

"I kinda doubt it," said the Spirit, "still, given what may well be coming next, there is one thing that might work…"

He quickly whispered into Raven's ear.

"Really?" she said. "Okay…"

She spoke out loud.

"I'm gonna pass this turn…" she said, as the Nightmare's Steelcage started to dissolve. "It's your move…"

Saturn made a draw, and then Hieratic Seal From the Ashes started to glow again.

"I use the effect of my Trap Card to return Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King to my Graveyard," she said.

"Then, I play Magic Planter, to send Hieratic Seal From the Ashes to the Graveyard."

She played the card, and vines sprung up from the floor, constricting around the Trap Card and crushing it.

"Not only does this let me make two draws," she continued, as she drew two cards, "but sending Hieratic Seal From the Ashes to the Graveyard activates its final effect, letting me Special Summon a Hieratic from my Graveyard."

In a flash of light, Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord rose onto the field. (0 ATK)

"Now, I build the Overlay Unit again…" she said.

The two Monsters in front of her turned into orbs of light. Then, an even bigger golden orb covered with hieroglyphs slowly rose from the center of the room, glowing with radiant light.

"Prepare yourself Ms. Sinclair…"

The orb slowly started to unfold…

"What you are about to see is the true judge in this trial… And will be your executioner later…"

More of the orb started to unfold, quickly transforming, much like the Sealed Form of Ra did, into a large creature…

…until it finally stood before Raven, in all its glory.

Raven was more frightened than she had _ever _been as the biggest Monster she had seen in her career as a duelist looked at her. It didn't look like Ra, but it was just as intimidating. It almost filled the room, a giant, hulking, armored Dragon with scales the colors of a sunrise, glowing with pure, radiant, divine light.

It looked down on her and though she tried to face it, it was painful to do so… It was almost like looking this creature in the eye was like looking into the sun, something that _everyone _knew was dangerous to do…

"Behold the power of Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis," said Saturn.

(3,000 ATK)

"Now I use its effect," continued Saturn. "I detach one Overlay Unit, and for each Monster I sacrifice from the field or my hand, I can destroy one card."

She took two cards from her hand – Hieratic Dragon of Eset and Hieratic Dragon of Asar – and they vanished. Bolts of lightning fell from the ceiling, blowing both of Raven's Monsters to particles.

"I use my Deckmaster effect!" shouted Raven. "When any of my Blackwings are destroyed via a card effect, I can pull one Spell Card from my deck for each Blackwing destroyed!"

Two cards appeared in her hand.

"However… Actually using one of them costs 800 Life Points…"

"A powerful effect, yes…" said Saturn. "But I doubt you'll get a chance to use them. First, because I sacrificed Eset, I'm able to Special Summon a Dragon from my hand, deck, or Graveyard. Once again, I must reduce both its Scores to zero.

A Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King appeared in front of her. (0 DEF)

"And now I'm going to sacrifice it…"

The Seal turned into shards of light.

"…for Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit."

There was another blast of light, and a slim, limber Dragon appeared. It was again made of solid gold, but it was much more serpentine, and had a golden, catlike face. It had feathered wings that seemed to be equal parts gold and light. (2,100 ATK)

"Overlord of Heliopolis…" she exclaimed. "Punish her with Solemn Retribution!"

"Raven, your Trap Card!" screamed Battlestorm.

Raven hit the switch on her Disk, and her set card flipped up…

Then, what happened next was something Raven would not forget for a _long _time. Lightning crashed all around her, seemingly burning every square inch of her skin. It wasn't simply burning lightning… It was raw divine energy…

She collapsed on her back.

"Hmm…" said Saturn.

**(R: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,750)**

"What the…" said Saturn.

Raven would later describe it as harder than swimming against an ocean current, but somehow, she managed to stand up.

"I activated… Nutrient Z…" she groaned. "So I gained 4,000 Life Points right before your Monster's attack hit me…"

Saturn lifted an eyebrow.

Then a bolt of light shot from Tefnuit's face, and Raven hollered again.

It took a lot of effort, but Raven managed to pull herself up. Saturn looked at her with a look that seemed a combination of wonder and shock.

**(R: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,750)**

"You know…" said Raven, "Faustus may not be here to pull my ass out of the fire… But my deck is doing a pretty good job, wouldn't you say?"

"Maybe my initial judgment was too harsh," said the goddess. "Hmm…

"Still… No ruling will be made until this duel is over…"

She took a card from her hand.

"I Equip my Overlord with Hieratic Seal of Might," she said. "With a Hieratic Equipped with this card, if it ever battles a Monster with higher Attack Points, this Equip Spell destroys itself to grant the Monster 1,000 Attack Points."

This startled Raven a little. She looked at the two cards she had gotten using her Deckmaster's effect. Monster Reborn and Rush Recklessly.

She had planned to summon Hawk Joe with the first and use the second to make him strong enough to defeat Overlord…

_But with that Equip Spell… _she thought. _It won't be enough!_

"I move to my End Phase," continued Raven, "and play the Spell Card, Super Rejuvenation… I can now draw one card for each Dragon I sacrificed this turn."

She made three draws.

"Then there's my Deckmaster effect… Which, if you remember, lets me draw two cards because I summoned at least two Level 6 or higher Light Monsters."

She made two more draws.

"And my turn is over…"

"Calm down, Raven," said Battlestorm. "You haven't lost yet…"

"But if I don't get something good on this turn…" replied Raven, "I've quite literally had it…"

She slowly drew a card.

_Okay… _she thought. _This might work, but it's going to take perfect timing… Otherwise, I'm dead meat…_

"Okay, your honor," she said, "first I'll set these cards…"

She threw two cards into her Disk, and two set cards appeared in front of her.

"Then, I summon Blackwing - Sharnga the Waning Moon."

She played the card, and the small Blackwing chick wearing a crown appeared, aiming its bow at the much bigger creature in front of it. (500 ATK)

"Next, I play Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the glowing ankh appeared. Hawk Joe reappeared, and pulled his whip taunt. (2,600 ATK)

"Now, since I got that card with my Deckmaster's effect, it cost me 800 Life Points," she continued. "But now I can use Hawk Joe's effect and Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Blackwing from my Graveyard. So I'm calling back Gram the Shining Star!"

Hawk Joe lashed his whip, and the tunic-wearing Winged Beast appeared again, swinging his steel blade. (2,200 ATK)

"Then," she said, as Sharnga and Gram started to fly towards the ceiling, "I Tune together Sharnga the Waning Moon and Gram the Shining Star…

"_Let these mighty birds of prey fly to the loftiest heights where the eagles cry! Let their wings beat as one…"_

**(*2 + *5 = *7)**

"_Synchro Summon… Blackwing Armor Master!"_

The Monster that touched down was an unlikely Winged Beast. It was a humanoid figure clad completely in robotic armor, jet black, with razor-sharp metal wings on its back. (2,500 ATK)

"Hawk Joe, the smaller one is yours. Black Lash!"

The Blackwing Tamer lashed his whip forward with a loud crack, and Tefnuit fell backwards with a shriek, dissolving into grains of light.

"All right Armor Master…" said Raven.

She took a deep breath.

"Attack Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis with Black Hurricane!"

The armored Blackwing spread its wings, and a wind even stronger than that caused by Gale erupted in the courtroom…

"Order!" shouted Saturn.

Armor Master slammed its fist into the huge Dragon. It made an annoyed grunt, and Armor Master slowly backed off…

"Thanks to Armor Master's effect, he survives…" said Raven, slowly. "And I take no damage…"

Her eyes slowly moved to the spot on the Dragon's chest where Armor Master had punched it… A small shard of metal was embedded in its hide.

She didn't know whether Saturn knew it was there or not. She could only hope she could survive long enough to use it.

"I end my turn…" she said slowly.

**(R: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,350)**

"Draw…" said Saturn, as she made a draw.

"And now I use the effect of my Overlord again," she said, as she held up two cards, "and sacrifice these two Dragons to destroy your two Monsters."

The lightning storm started a second time…

"Objection!" shouted Raven.

"Objection?" asked Saturn.

"Isn't that what you say when you disagree with someone in a court?" asked Raven.

One of her set cards lifted up.

"I activate Black-Winged Arrow!" she shouted.

An arrow with ebony wood and black fletching shot out of the card, and hit Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis in the chest.

"I can use this Trap Card if I have four or more Blackwings in my Graveyard. It stops your Monster from using its effect!"

"Well, fine…" said Saturn. "In that case… Sustained.

"_However… _Seeing as I still sacrificed Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb, its effect activates, and I'm able to Special Summon Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King from my Graveyard once again."

Again, the large golden globe appeared again; this time, however, Raven had a hard time feeling nervous about it. (0 ATK)

"Next, I Gemini Summon it," continued Saturn, "which means I can use its true effect, and sacrifice it..."

The globe started to unfold again.

"...to summon any other Hieratic from my Graveayard. I choose Hieratic Dragon of Asar."

The sphere completely unfolded again, forming another Dragon. It was as big as Sutekh, but not nearly as beautiful as _any _of the Hieratics. It was serpentine in shape, but its hide seemed to be made of rock rather than gold, and its head was covered with green scales. Its wings still seemed to be made partially out of light. (700 DEF)

"Heh…" said Raven. "It's in Defense Mode…"

"An unfortunate side effect of summoning a Hieratic with Seal of the Dragon King's effect…" said Saturn. "But I also have this…"

She played a card, and a familiar-looking Monster appeared. It looked very much like Dragon Piper, except that it was covered in gold plating, and the flute it was playing was sounding very low notes. (0 ATK)

"It's called a Hieratic Idol," she continued, "and I can Special Summon it because I control at least two Light-Attribute Dragons. Now I can sacrifice this Monster, and Asar will no longer be defending."

Hieratic Idol vanished, and Asar moved into an attacking stance as it glowed with powerful energy… (2,600 ATK)

"Hieratic Overlord, destroy her Blackwing Tamer," she commanded.

"I activate Hawk Joe's other effect!" shouted Raven, as the lightning storm started again. "If he's attacked, I can force the attacking Monster to attack _another _Blackwing!"

Armor Master shielded itself with its wings as the lightning honed in on it.

"And again…" said Raven. "Due to its effect, it's unharmed, and I take no damage…"

"Your Blackwings may be safe, but _you _aren't," said Saturn, as she played a Spell Card. "I use Hieratic Seal of Judgment.

"I can use this because my Hieratics failed to destroy any of your Monsters or inflict any Battle Damage this turn. What it does is let me select one of my Hieratics, and deal damage equal to half its Attack Score."

Before Raven could even question this, she screamed as super-hot flames from the Hieratic Overlord covered her. She collapsed again.

**(R: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,350)**

She groaned as she sat up.

_Never thought I'd actually _want _to change my plea to guilty… _she thought. _This is brutal…_

"Raven, you're in the home stretch!" said Battlestorm's voice.

She looked at him.

"Every time you were brought to trial in Madripoor, Faustus either had to threaten, bribe, or break you out…

"This may be the first chance for you to walk away from a courtroom the honest way… Brutal as it is, you can't tell me that it's never been a dream for you."

Raven sighed.

"Yeah, I guess…" she said. "I guess it is…"

"Then stand up!" he shouted.

Raven was a little startled, but she leapt to her feet.

Saturn threw a card into her Disk, and a set card appeared behind her two Monsters.

"It's your move, Ms. Sinclair," said Saturn.

Raven made a draw, and then turned to the huge Dragon.

"Okay…" she said, "first thing I'm going to do is use Hawk Joe's effect to summon Gram the Shooting Star from my Graveyard!"

In a flash of dark shadow, the Blackwing swordsman appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

"Then I'm going to use that Wedge Counter that Armor Master wedged in your Monster last turn.

"That was why he made that attack, to put the Wedge Counter there. And by getting rid of it, I can render your Monster powerless!"

The huge Overlord groaned as a sickening green aura surrounded it. (0 ATK)

"Which means that even with its Hieratic Seal of Might to back it up, Armor Master can take it down!"

Armor Master flew at the huge Dragon. The Equip Spell shattered and its Attack Score rose to 1,000, but the Blackwing's razor sharp wings cut clean, and bisected the huge Dragon, slicing it in half. The two pieces shattered.

"Go, Hawk Joe!" she shouted. "Get the other one!"

The Tamer flew towards Asar, as Raven's Rush Recklessly lifted up, and his Attack Score shot up to 3,300. With a crack of the whip, the Dragon shattered.

"I have to pay 800 Life Points again…" she said, slowly, "seeing as Rush Recklessly was the other card I got from my Deckmaster's effect…"

"But that doesn't matter... Gram, take her down!"

Gram flew towards Saturn...

"I activate... Dark Wall of Wind!" shouted the Agent, as her Spell Card lifted up.

A whirlwind of darkness surrounded her, blowing the Blackwing backwards.

"So close..." said the judge, as she narrowed her eyes at Raven.

**(R: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,150)**

Raven sighed, and set the card she had drawn this turn into her Spell Zone.

"That's all I've got this turn…"

Saturn said nothing as she made a draw.

"I activate Monster Reincarnation," she said, as she played the card.

She discarded another card, and then took a card from her Graveyard pile.

"As a result, I now have Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh again. And once again, I banish three Normal Dragon-Type Monsters from my Graveyard to summon it."

Three of the Seals appeared behind her and vanished, and the hulking, golden Dragon appeared again. (2,800 ATK)

"I didn't use this creature's effect last time," she said, "but I will now… I simply have to banish one other Dragon…"

She took another card from her discard pile and held it up. If faded into mist.

"…and Sutekh can destroy any card on the field.

"Obliterate her Armor Master with Giga Burst."

The effect was somewhere between an explosion and an _eruption _of light shot from the Dragon's jowls, blowing Armor Master to pieces. Raven clearly would have been knocked over if Battlestorm hadn't helped brace her.

"I still have my Monster's normal attack," said Saturn. "Destroy Blackwing Tamer Hawk Joe."

Burning lightning flashed, and Raven screamed bloody murder as her monster was blown to little pieces.

**(R: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,150)**

She clutched her chest. Had Saturn expected her to use his effect to divert the attack to Gram. She could have done it, but it would have been cutting it a little close...

She hit her Duel Disk, and her face-down card lifted up. Call of the Haunted appeared, and Hawk Joe reappeared on the field. (2,600 ATK)

Saturn shook her head in disbelief.

"Very well, my turn is over…" she said. "But I predict I'll be ready to make a ruling soon…"

_No kidding… _thought Raven. _My Traps aren't going to last forever, and I'm not sure if I can last long enough to use Armor Master's trick a second time…_

She drew a card.

She looked at Saturn.

"You know why I like Blackwings?" she asked.

Saturn didn't answer.

"I like them because they work as a team," she continued. "Individually, they aren't much, so they have to use teamwork to defeat their foes. It's what they do.

"In a way, the same could be said about Faustus and the rest of my group in Madripoor… The only way we could survive was by staying together and watching each other's backs.

"So you might say that I like the Blackwings because they remind me of what I had back then…

"I use Hawk Joe's effect one more time..."

In a triumphant flourish, Armor Master leapt onto the field again. (2,500 ATK)

"And now, to drive the point home," she said, as she played the card, "I use the United We Stand Spell Card!"

Hawk Joe glowed with incredible power…

"United We Stand, Divided We Fall… Faustus told us that so many times…

"And with this card's effect, Hawk Joe gains 800 Attack Points for each Monster I have!"

Hawk Joe's eyes burned with fury. He took hold of his whip in both hands and ripped it in two… (5,000 ATK)

For the first time, the Agent of Judgment looked a little scared.

"Destroy Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh!" shouted Raven. "Taloned Fury!"

Hawk Joe plowed into the huge Dragon, talons first, and the Agent actually cried out in pain as it shattered and she was knocked backwards from the impact…

**(R: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)**

Raven watched as her opponent slowly got up. Her robes were wrinkled and had the telltale signs of sweat on them (exactly how an angel could sweat, Raven had no idea), and clearly, she didn't seem all-too happy.

Then she sighed.

"Court rules in favor of the defendant…" she said, morosely.

"Really?" said Raven. "So I'm acquitted?"

"I keep my promises, Ms. Sinclair," replied the goddess. "As of right now, the constabulary and legal system in Madripoor has no memories of you or any crimes you committed, and their written records of you are gone. They have no idea that you ever lived there."

"So, I guess my intentions were good?" asked Raven.

"Yes, but you should still be wary, Ms. Sinclair…" said Saturn.

A Duel Monsters card appeared in her hand.

"As a wise man once said, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

"Take this…"

She tossed it to her, and Raven instinctively caught it.

"What is it?" she asked.

She looked at the card. It was a Synchro Monster, to be precise.

"Something to remind you of what happened here," replied Saturn. "I don't want to see you again."

The thing Raven knew, she was alone. A door was in the back of the courtroom that hadn't been there before.

She looked at the card for some time.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." She knew that phrase well… Faustus was fond of saying it, using it as a warning to his charges.

She carefully opened the chamber on her Disk that held her Extra Deck, and put the card inside.

_So much is happening… _she thought.

**0000000000**

As this was happening, Stan, Andy, and Francesca were walking down a very lonely corridor.

Not only were the lights dim in this dusty passageway, but their footsteps seemed to echo as they walked, and they actually seemed to be going on a downwards slope… Down towards some lower part of the Palace of Shadow… Exactly where, they had no idea, but they had the strangest feeling they were _not _going to like it.

As they were walking, there was a sudden flash of light, and a Spell Card appeared in front of them. They quickly recognized it as the Dark Hole card.

"Everybody, don't..." said Stan, quickly.

But before he could finish that statement, the card turned into a void of darkness, and they were forcibly drawn into it.

**0000000000**

The next thing they knew, they were in darkness. Utter darkness. They couldn't see anything, not a foot past their face.

"Someone try to find a light switch!" shouted Andy.

"No need," said a familiar voice.

Then they heard the striking of a match, and saw a spark in front of them as the flame cast a slight illumination on the small dungeon room. Count Bleck (for he was the one holding the match) lit a lantern sitting on a table, one which also held a small crystal ball, and then shook the match out.

"You…" said Stan. "Look, don't get me wrong… We're grateful for the help so far, but…"

"Don't thank me yet, Mr. Mason," replied Bleck. "Your victory over the Witty Phantom may not matter within the hour… The corridor you were following just now leads to a dead end… Emphasis on _dead._

"To put you at ease, remember when I said that there were some secrets about the Palace of Shadow that even the Queen didn't know about? This room I've brought you to is one of them. It's one of the few places in the Palace of Shadow that she does not know about, and _the_ one place on Arcadia where you're completely safe from her. She can't eavesdrop on our conversation here, nor can her magic penetrate these walls.

"I brought you here to warn you that she's done playing nice."

"What do you mean?" asked Andy.

"Remember Hooktail?" asked Bleck.

"Yeah, we saw her remains…" said Francesca. "She's pretty much dead…"

"Yes, _she _is…" replied Bleck. "But… The Queen originally had _three _pet dragons that she used to terrorize the citizens of her Empire of Shadow.

"Hooktail was the youngest of these three siblings, and the least powerful. The middle sibling was named Gloomtail.

"Gloomtail's cruelty in those days was rivaled only by two other members of the nobility of the Empire of Shadow: his older brother, and the Queen herself.

"Still, while Hooktail was a fairly visible sight to her subjects, Gloomtail kept mostly to the Palace of Shadow. Most of the time, Gloomtail was the Queen's executioner when she was angry enough at someone that a death warrant was declared. The victim would merely be sent to his lair, and Gloomtail would be the last thing that the condemned prisoner ever saw.

"Gloomtail was very different than Hooktail. You see, Hooktail was an elemental being, the classic fire-breathing dragon of folklore. Gloomtail, however, was a being of shadow and darkness, who reeked of black magic.

"The Three Heroes defeated Hooktail, but when they fought Gloomtail later in a special arena that the Shadow Queen had created, he managed to escape. He crawled off to his lair to lick his wounds, and survived. He's been doing little more than sleeping there for the past ten centuries, but he's sure to wake up if someone enters it. The Queen has guided you right towards it."

"Wait…" said Stan. "Just how long do dragons live?"

"Practically forever, unless they're killed," replied Bleck. "And the older they get, the stronger they become…"

"Wait…." said Francesca. "Wait one minute! How is this a 'fair contest'? I thought that the conditions for her release said…"

"Because, Ms. Benedict," replied Bleck. "It was technically _your _idea."

"That's a lie!" shouted Francesca. "I never said…"

"Hold it right there, Ms. Benedict," said Bleck. "Care to listen to your own words?"

He held up his hand, and the crystal ball started to glow. Then Francesca's own voice came out of it:

"_Listen to me, Maria…" _said her voice,_ "you tell your mother that we're going to bring her down. Even if she wants to sic a dragon on us like she did with Hooktail when my great-great-I-don't-know-how-many-great-grandmother went after her, I say, bring it on!"_

Francesca could only stare at him.

"You dared her," said Bleck, "_you _made a challenge to her, so she's taking you up on it. Technically, she's not breaking the rules."

"Uh…" muttered Francesca. "I don't suppose it's too late to say I was kidding?"

"Goading and threatening the Queen is a fool's game," replied Bleck. "If you try to get into a battle of wits with her, you're certain to lose. You how when someone insults someone, he might say the old 'sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me' thing?

"One time, she chewed out someone, and he said that to her… So she had him stoned to death. She had the last laugh on him good."

"We are DOOMED…" moaned Andy. "What are we going to do? We can't fight a dragon!"

"I'll say you can't," said Bleck. "Your three forbearers had a hard time with him, and they were trained warriors. All dragons are dangerous… Gloomtail was even deadlier than most…

"But there's one thing that may give you a small chance…

"Francesca… take this…"

He tossed her something, and she clumsily caught it. She looked at it… It seemed to be a pendant shaped like a heart. A _black _heart.

"It's called a Dragon's Heart," said Bleck. "It's just what its name implies. The heart of a slain dragon magically reduced in size and transformed into a gem.

"Put it on, and don't take it off. I mean that. When you confront Gloomtail, it will activate an abjuration that will protect you and your friends from his draconic powers for a while… And will force him to fight on your terms. It should last for forty-five minutes at least. I can't say how long beyond that.

"Still, facing him a duel will _not_ be easy… The Shadow Duel he will create will be deadlier than any you have ever experienced, and will literally be fought to the death. But… You have the blood of the one who delivered the killing strike to his sister… You have the best chance."

A portal opened.

"You'd best get going… The Queen may not be able to see you here, but as soon as she tries to locate you and realizes she can't, she'll become suspicious…"

"Wait…" said Andy. "If there were three dragons… Who was the oldest sibling?"

Bleck looked at them.

"You don't want to know," he said.

"Wait…" said Stan. "Is it…"

"Trust me…" said Bleck. "You _really _don't want to know. Rest assured that you won't have to deal with him.

"Now make haste…"

**0000000000**

**DARK WALL OF WIND (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A robed, hooded man in a dark gale.

**Card Description: **Activate during your opponent's Battle Phase. Reduce the damage you take from direct attacks to zero.

_Note: "Dark Wall of Wind" was first used by Marik in the original anime episode "The Darkness Returns (Part 2)"._

**0000000000**

**BLACK-WINGED ARROW (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **An arrow fletched with a black feather.

**Card Description: **Activate only when you have 4 or more "Blackwing" Monsters in your Graveyard. Select 1 Monster your opponent controls. That Monster cannot use its effect this turn.

_Note: "Black-Winged Arrow" was first used by Crow in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – CRAN THE CRESCENT MOON (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl3/800/1,800**

**Effect:** If this card is destroyed by battle, you may Special Summon 1 "Blackwing – Wan the Windblade" in face-up Defense Position from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – WAN THE WINDBLADE (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Tuner/Effect/Lvl2/800/1,000**

**Effect:** Once per turn, you may pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon a "Blackwing – Cran the Crescent Moon" from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – FALALLA THE FLASHING BLADES (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,500/500**

**Effect:** If you control a Level 3 or lower "Blackwing" Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. You cannot Synchro Summon on the turn you use this effect. The effect of "Blackwing - Falalla the Flashing Blades" can only be used once per duel per player.

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING – DURN THE DERVISH (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,700/700**

**Effect:** If this card is attacked by an opposing Monster, reduce Battle Damage to zero and destroy this card and the attacking Monster. Then, banish this card.

**0000000000**

**HIERATIC SEAL OF JUDGMENT (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **The Millennium Scales on a desert landscape with a shadowy Dragon in the background.

**Card Description: **Activate during your Main Phase 2 when you control at least 1 "Hieratic" Monster and no Monsters you control destroyed any opposing Monsters (by battle or by card effect) or inflicted Battle Damage during the turn. Select 1 "Hieratic" Monster you control with a base ATK that is less than 2x your opponent's current Life Point total. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the base ATK of the selected Monster. You can only activate 1 "Hieratic Seal of Judgment" per turn.

**0000000000**

**HIERATIC SEAL OF MIGHT (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **The Great Sphinx of Gaza under a stormy sky with the face of Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis in the clouds.

**Card Description: **Equip only to a "Hieratic" Monster. When the Equipped Monster battles a Monster with a higher ATK, increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1,000 for the Damage Step only. Then, destroy this card.

**0000000000**

**HIERATIC IDOL (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Light/Effect/Lvl1/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) if you control 2 or more LIGHT Dragon-Type Monsters. Tribute this card to swtch all Defense-Position Dragon-Type Monsters you control to Attack Position.

**0000000000**

"**Battlestorm":** Winged Beast/Dark/Lvl4/1,700/1,000: "Winged Vengeance": If 1 or more DARK Winged Beast–Type Monsters you control are destroyed by a card effect in 1 turn, you may add 1 Spell Card from you deck to your hand for each Monster destroyed. You must pay 800 Life Points to activate a Spell Card that is added to your hand by this effect. This effect can only be used once per duel.

**0000000000**

"**The Agent of Judgment – Saturn": **Fairy/Light/Lvl6/2,400/0: "Divine Authority": If you summon 2 or more Level 6 or higher LIGHT Monsters during your turn, you may draw 2 cards during your End Phase.

**0000000000**

_**Clearly, Pennington's early warning that the Queen could and would exploit any loophole she could find was true, and is about to come down on Francesca in a big way… Only the amulet that Bleck has provided stands between the three of them and certain doom… But against one of the Queen's mightiest servants, will her skill as a duelist be enough to stave it off anyway?**_

_**Francesca: You may remember a while back how Andy told you how dragons tend to stand apart from all other monsters of fantasy… Certainly, they're popular. You see them in movies, television… I've seen dozens of them in Duel Monsters. They're all over the place…**_

_**But… It seems that it's impossible for a second-hand description to prepare you in the least for the terror of facing the real thing…**_

_**There's no doubt about it…**_

_**I'm in for the fight of my life…**_

"_**Dragon's Rage" is coming soon.**_


	45. Dragon's Rage

_**Hey.**_

_**I think this is where the protagonist of the chapter is supposed to make an introduction. **_

_**Unfortunately, Francesca can't do that this time. To put it simple, she's far too terrified. **_

_**I'll just say this…**_

_**If you know any good prayers right now, it might help to say one for her…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-FIVE**

**0000000000**

**Dragon's Rage**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Vivian and Flurrie were leading the three teenagers down the sloping corridor through dim light. The layers of dust indicated that no-one had been down this way for quite some time.

"Do you guys remember Gloomtail?" asked Stan.

"We were hoping to forget about him, honey…" sighed Flurrie.

"Honestly, we had no idea that he had survived," added Vivian. "He was so hurt after the fight… We had assumed that when he crawled away to his lair, he was going there to die.

"None of us followed him… _We _were all too hurt, and we had to heal before we stood a chance against what was left of the Queen's bodyguards…"

"To say nothing of the Queen herself…" sighed Flurrie.

Finally, the corridor came to what seemed to be its end. A large, stone door covered with odd sigils blocked their way.

Stan's deck glowed, and Goombella appeared in front of them. She took a good look at the door.

"Uh…" she said. "I don't recognize this language… But… I'm pretty sure this is a ward of some sort… The type a wizard would put on a door if there was something inside that he didn't want getting out…"

Then, the door slowly opened with a loud creak. There was darkness beyond, and a horrid stench.

As they reacted to this, a stone slab slowly started to lower behind them.

"Behind you!" screamed Vivian.

They spun around, but it was too late. The slab slammed down, and the corridor was blocked off.

They were trapped.

Francesca closed her eyes, and then closed her hand around the amulet around her neck, the one that Bleck had given her, which now hung alongside the one she worn all her life, the one she knew had been created by her ancestor and passed down through every generation of her family.

A frightening thought came to her mind. What if Bleck was lying about this Dragon's Heart? What if he and the Queen were in cahoots, and he had only helped them the first two times to lure them into the real trap?

With that unpleasant thought in her mind, she walked into the room, with Stan and Andy following.

The room was pitch-black, but warmer than most places they had been in the Palace. The stench of death was worse than it was on the outside…

They weren't alone.

They heard it… Heavy breathing somewhere in the center of the clearly larger room…

Then the breathing turned into a growl…

"_Who?" _said a voice in their heads.

"_Who dares disturb my sleep?"_

Then two incredibly bright spotlights flashed on in front of them. It took them a brief minute to realize what they were… They were eyes.

Slowly, the room started to become lighter, and it was clear what was causing the stench. Bones and skulls were piled around everywhere. But even worse was the creature who the eyes belonged to.

They expected Gloomtail to be intimidating… He _was. _

Francesca remembered Hooktail from her vision at the castle at Petalburg Meadows, and the beast in front of them did seem to have a slight family resemblance. However, Gloomtail was not only bigger (using the skeleton of Hooktail they saw to compare) his scales were a murky green instead of red, and his claws and fangs were much sharper than Hooktail's, at least from what Francesca remembered.

The three humans could only shiver in fear as he gazed on them. They remembered this feeling… It was like the aura of fear that the Queen exuded, only worse.

"_The Queen hasn't sent me a meal in a while…" _muttered Gloomtail. _"I was wondering what's been going on in this place…"_

"Well, we'll be glad to tell you…" said Francesca, quickly. "If you'd just…"

Then Gloomtail's expression changed as he looked at Francesca very closely.

Then it was clear that the huge face that was formerly showing hunger and curiosity was now showing rage…

"_YOU!" _he shouted.

"Huh?" gasped Francesca. "Uh, yeah, me…

"Who am I?"

"_I remember you…" _hissed Gloomtail. _"Did you ever think I would forget?"_

He lifted himself up to his full height.

"_My sister will be avenged once I cauterize my old scars with your blood!"_

As he said that, the Dragon's Heart started to glow with golden light…

And not a moment too soon. A blast of corrosive green gas shot from the dragon's horrible jaws, but a dome of energy surrounded the three teenagers, forming a shield.

Francesca took a deep breath as she looked at Gloomtail.

"He's nuts!" shouted Andy. "He thinks you're the same person who killed Hooktail!"

"Either nuts or unaware of how much time has passed," added Stan. "Maybe he took one too many blows to the head in the first battle."

"_Coward!" _shouted Gloomtail. _"Hiding behind trinkets now? Afraid to face me?"_

"Uh…" said Francesca.

She looked at Gloomtail, and then lifted her Duel Disk.

"You know what this is?" she asked. "I'll face you that way, if you can…"

Gloomtail chuckled evilly, with a smile that made Francesca's blood run cold.

"_Well…" _he said. _"That wasn't quite what I had in mind… But it may be even better…_

"_I'll slay you in a Shadow Duel and banish your soul to the pits of the Abyss!"_

Francesca gulped. She suddenly realized that if she lost, it would be far worse than the fate the Queen originally intended Gloomtail to deliver…

She shivered as she took her deck from the holder.

_I've fought some duelists that were intimidating before, _she thought, _but this takes the cake! How do you duel a thirty-foot-tall nightmare?_

Gloomtail moved to a half-sitting position, and folded his wings.

"_Seems I need a Deckmaster…" _he growled.

An eerie, dark shadow appeared next to him, and the shadow slowly formed into a Dragon. It wasn't quite as big as he was, but seemed just as frightening. It had black scales and demonic spurs and blades all over its body. (2,800 ATK)

"_It's called Diablos, King of the Abyss," _he said. _"Now let's see yours…"_

"I'm thinking!" shouted Francesca, as she looked at her cards.

She was tempted to use Flurrie or Ms. Mowz, but she _really _wanted to save them and use their real effects…

Slowly, her hand reached for the Ritual Monster among the other cards.

"I choose Unicorn Princess!" she shouted.

In an aura of light that pierced the dim room, the lovely steed appeared next to her. (2,100 ATK)

"_Using magic to summon your mount now?" _asked Gloomtail. _"How odd…_

"_Then again, I'm a rather unusual creature myself…"_

Francesca turned to Unicorn Princess and looked into her beautiful eyes. She nodded to her. Francesca quickly drew the top five cards from her deck.

Gloomtail's eyes glowed, and five dark fires lit in front of him, turning into larger flames, which turned into large images of cards.

"_Duel…" _he said.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Queen was watching, with Grodus at her right side (as a right-hand man should be) and her feelings on the newest development were mixed, to say the least. As Gloomtail had said, Francesca being beaten this way would be far more satisfying than him simply devouring her…

Still… The fact that she had that Dragon's Heart was _very _troubling.

"How the Hell did she get that thing?" she asked.

"Uh…" replied Grodus. "I have no idea, milady…"

"Someone is helping those kids…" said the Queen with a frown.

"Merlow?" suggested Grodus.

"Possibly…" replied the Queen. "Call the security chief and tell him to run a full scan of the Palace and check for any intrusions."

"Right…" said Grodus.

He took a mobile phone out of his robe.

"Tell him to be as thorough as possible," ordered the Queen. "I want to know if there's even a Bone Mouse in this place that isn't supposed to be here!"

**0000000000**

"I'm going first, big guy…" said Francesca, as she made her first draw.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Gloomtail: 8,000)**

She made her first draw.

"I'll set these two cards," she said, as a set Monster and a set card behind it appeared. "Then we'll see what you've got."

Gloomtail's eyes glowed again, and another dark fire appeared, turning into a sixth card.

"_I summon Axe Dragonute,"_ he said.

One of his cards turned around, and transformed into a Monster that, fortunately, Francesca was quite familiar with. She had seen Andy use it many times. (2,000 ATK)

_Well, at least Gloomtail has good taste, _thought Andy.

The Monster raised its axe, and made a violent chop. Francesca's Elephun appeared on her card, and shattered.

"_Axe Dragonute now moves to Defense Mode…" _said Gloomtail, as the axe-holder knelt. (1,200 DEF)

"And my Trap activates," said Francesca, as her face-down card lifted up. "Miracle's Wake!"

Elephun appeared again, and it clearly was not its usual jovial self. It looked at Gloomtail with an angry scowl. (500 ATK)

"_Your turn…"_ said Gloomtail, with the hint of a chuckle in his voice.

Francesca drew a card. She almost cried out in surprise when she saw who it was, but caught herself.

_Ms. Mowz! _she thought. _This is perfect…_

She played the card quickly.

"I summon Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief!" she shouted.

In a flash, the Squeek leapt onto the field. Then she hopped up, and gave Francesca a peck on the cheek. (1,200 ATK)

"Okay, okay…" said Francesca. "Let's try to be serious now…"

She took a card from her hand.

"I banish this Spell Card in order to Special Summon Monocerous!" she shouted.

She pocketed the card, and the bulky unicorn appeared next to Elephun. Again, the expression on its face indicated that it did _not _like Gloomtail at all. (1,000 ATK)

"Next…" said Francesca, "I Tune together Elephun, Monocerous, and Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief…"

Elephun flew towards the ceiling with the two others following and they flew through the Synchro rings…

**(*2 + *3 + *3 = *8)**

With a crash and a trumpet, Garnecia Earthshaker landed in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Due to Monocerous' effect, I get to Special Summon Elephun back to the field," continued Francesca, as the little elephant appeared again. (300 ATK)

"And Ms. Mowz has an even better effect! Because she was used to Synchro Summon a Beast-Type Monster that was Level 8, your Axe Dragonute is destroyed!"

"_I think not…" _said Gloomtail.

Then Axe Dragonute simply disappeared.

"Huh?" said Francesca. "What happened? You didn't have any other cards on the field…"

"_But I did have _this _card," _replied Gloomtail, as one of the five cards in front of him turned around. _"It's a Monster called Dragonic Knight. _

"_Because you tried to destroy one of my cards with a Monster effect, I was able to send that card to the Graveyard before that effect reached it…_

"_Then I get to summon Dragonic Knight itself!"_

There was an explosion of flames, followed by a bonfire. A Monster stepped out of the flames that was even bigger than Garnecia, standing ten feet tall. It was a humanoid Dragon dressed in knight-like armor, holding a sword and metal shield. (2,800 ATK)

"I… end my turn…" squeaked Francesca.

Gloomtail chuckled again as a sixth card appeared in front of him.

"_Dragonic Knight, vanquish that pathetic pachyderm!" _he shouted.

The Knight slammed its sword to the floor, sending an inferno of flames shooting towards Garnecia Earthshaker and burning it to a crisp. Francesca held her chest in pain.

"_I have to thank you…" _said Gloomtail, _"this is much more fun than it usually us…"_

A card in front of him vanished, and then appeared set behind Dragonic Knight.

"_I mean, who knows? This could be a new MO for me if the Queen ever needs me again…"_

"Yeah…" muttered Stan. "The whole rampaging, city-smashing monster thing is so two-decades ago…"

"_It's your move, human…" _said the dragon.

**(F: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 8,000)**

Francesca made a draw.

_Flurrie! _she thought.

"All right, gruesome…" she said, "since I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn, I get it back this turn, and we both draw twice…"

The card appeared in her hand, and she made two draws.

"_If you insist," _replied Gloomtail, as two more cards formed out of dark flames.

"Now, I sacrifice Elephun," said Francesca.

The small Tuner shattered.

"…to summon Madame Flurrie of the Fog!"

Pink clouds drifted up in front of her, shaping into the portly wind spirit. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I'll ditch two cards so she can blow your Dragonic Knight away!" exclaimed Francesca, as she discarded two card. "Merciless Gale Force!"

Flurrie took a deep breath, and blew hard, causing a hurricane to strike the room. Dragonic Knight grunted and struggled against the wind, and then toppled over, shattering as he did so.

"I can't attack because I did that," continued Fran, as she held up a card, "so I'll set this, and end my turn."

The face-down card appeared behind Flurrie, and Francesca took some deep breaths.

_Flurrie's Attack Score isn't all-too spectacular, _she thought, _but with Battle-Tuned set, I can banish Elephun and boost her Score to 2,300 if I need to._

"_My draw…"_ said Gloomtail, as a new card appeared in front of him.

Then two of the cards in front of him vanished, and two set cards appeared in their place in front of him, one a Monster, one behind it.

He glared at Francesca.

Fran made a draw, and looked at the three cards she had: Pot of Avarice, Moja, and Egotistical Ape.

_Mmm, _she thought.

"Flurrie, attack his Monster!" she shouted.

Flurrie's powerful breath blew towards the card, and a small, winged Dragon with green scales appeared on the card. It quickly shattered.

_That was Blackland Fire Dragon… _thought Andy. _Not exactly the Dragon King there…_

_Gloomtail is no idiot… He must have some reason for having it… Not sure I want to know why…_

"Uh… It's your move…" said Francesca.

"_Then it's time," _said Gloomtail, as a new card appeared in front of him.

"_I activate the Ancient Rules Spell Card…"_

A card spun around, and glowed with eldritch energy.

"_I can now Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand no matter how powerful it is… Thus I summon… Tri-Horned Dragon!"_

There was a snarl, and a large, ugly Dragon materialized in front of him. It had mauve scales, no wings, three horns on its head, and claws on its hands and feet the size of small swords. (2,850 ATK)

"_Then I use my Deckmaster's effect," _continued Gloomtail, as Diablos started to emit an eerie green glow. _When the only Monster I control is one Dragon-Type Monster, by paying 1,000 Life Points and discarding one card from my hand, I can Special Summon another from my Graveyard, so long as it's a lower Level…_

A card in front of him vanished, and his Life Points fell to 7,000 as Blackland Fire Dragon appeared next to the bigger Dragon. (1,500 ATK)

"_Then," _he said, as another Spell Card revealed itself, _"I use Resonance Device… Because both my Monsters are Dark-Attribute Dragon-Types, it increases Blackland Fire Dragon's Level to that of Tri-Horned Dragon…_

"_Which means, I not only have two Level 8 Monsters, but two Level 8 _Normal _Monsters…"_

Stan's eyes opened with fright.

"No…" he gasped. "In know what he's summoning…"

"What?" shouted Andy.

"I've never actually seen it played…" replied Stan, as the Overlay Network formed, consuming Gloomtail's two Monsters, "but I've seen pictures of it in magazines…

"One of the deadliest Xyz Monsters in the game…"

"_I summon…" _shouted Gloomtail, as a vortex of electrical energy started to form. _"THUNDER END DRAGON!"_

The smell of ozone filled the room, along with the tingle of static electricity. A very large Dragon with metallic-blue scales that seemed to be at least partially mechanical rose out of the vortex of lightning, with electricity flashing all over its body. (3,000 ATK)

"_I use my Monster's effect…" _continued Gloomtail, _"and detach one Overlay Unit to destroy every Monster on the field except itself!"_

Lightning flashed again, and then crashed down on Francesca's side of the field, blowing Flurrie to atoms.

"NO!" screamed Andy. "She's a sitting duck!"

"_More than you know, human…" _said Gloomtail, with a dark glare in his eye.

His face-down card lifted up.

"_I activate Call of the Haunted to summon the Monster I discarded to activate my Deckmaster effect… Rabidragon!"_

There was a loud growl and a Monster just as big as Thunder End Dragon formed next to it. They remembered this creature only too well from the Boggly Woods… A weird, mutant cross between a Dragon and a giant, monstrous rabbit. (2,950 ATK)

Francesca looked at the two Dragons…

"_Speechless, I see…" _said Gloomtail.

Actually, Francesca might have said a lot of things… But she was paralyzed with terror…

"_Fine, don't say anything…" _said Gloomtail. _"I'll simply proceed with the onslaught…"_

Then it came. Burning lightning from Thunder End Dragon and a blast of incredible cold from Rabidragon. She couldn't keep quiet now… She screamed in agony as the pain from the two bolts of destructive energy tore through her, more than she could ever remember feeling.

"FRAN!" screamed Andy.

**(F: 1,450) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 7,000)**

"_That's it, scream!" _goaded Gloomtail. _"Scream loud enough for the soul of my sister to hear! It will be music to her ears!_

"_I set three cards face-down and end my turn..."_

Three set cards appeared behind his Monsters.

"_It's your move… Rise up and make it if you can… I'm VERY eager to do that again…"_

"FRAN!" screamed Andy. "Fran baby, please…"

Francesca could hear him, and she was pretty sure that she could manage to get up…

…thing was… She didn't know if she _wanted _to…

**0000000000**

"Okay, I'll tell her…" said Grodus.

He hung up his mobile.

"They scanned the Palace twice, milady," he said, turning to the Queen. "No-one is here who shouldn't be here."

The Queen looked at him. She frowned, and slumped down in her chair in a sulk.

"Uh…" said Grodus. "Milady, I fail to see what the problem is… The security system is foolproof… If you set it to raise an alarm if _you _went into a place that you didn't want yourself to go into…"

"I couldn't avoid triggering it…" muttered the Queen. "I know…"

_Still… _she thought, _there is one person I know of who could slip past it…_

_After all… He'd be a sorry excuse for a sorcerer if he couldn't get by a magical security system that HE installed. _

_Ah, well… If he is here, I'll have more than enough time to look for him later… My biggest problem is about to be solved._

She watched the crystal ball, and smiled a little.

_Not even Francesca could turn this around now… And once she falls, that Dragon's Heart won't be able to protect Stan and Andy…_

_I almost feel sorry for them…_

**0000000000**

"_Rise up."_

Francesca heard the voice through a mind full of fog. Then she slowly looked up, and saw Unicorn Princess looking at her.

"_Rise up, Francesca," _she said.

"Why?" she asked. "So I can surrender?

"I don't think I can go on… I'm…"

She stopped.

"_Afraid?" _asked Unicorn Princess. _"You're afraid of Gloomtail?_

"_Francesca, Gloomtail is a dragon. You'd be insane if you WEREN'T afraid of him. _

"_Your ancestor was terrified of Gloomtail, and so were her two partners. In fact, they were afraid of Hooktail too. Dragons are more than monsters… They're very much forces of nature. _

"_Some people think that courage is when you aren't afraid of danger. Nonsense. That's more like foolhardiness. A wise man runs from danger if he can… But when he _can't, _and the danger is such a threat that he must handle it… When he does so, he shows true courage."_

"How… How do you know all this?" asked Francesca.

"_Lady of Unicorns represents your ancestor, Francesca," _said the steed. _"But you forget… She had a partner long before she met Stan and Andy's ancestors…"_

Francesca looked at Unicorn Princess in shock.

"You?" she gasped.

The Beast nodded.

"_When a maiden tames a unicorn, it's a bond closer than most relationships between human and beast," _replied Unicorn Princess. _"More than allies… The two are partners in every sense of the term… In many ways, it's similar to marriage._

"_I'll stand by you now… Just like I stood with her, one thousand years ago…"_

"Yeah…" said Francesca, "but it's gonna be hard… Ms. Mowz's effect was a bust… So was Flurrie's…

"Gloomtail has 7,000 Life Points and two _really _powerful Monsters, while I have 1,450 Life Points…"

She held up the three cards in her hand.

"Along with these and my set Battle-Tuned…"

"_Then the first thing you have to do is increase your Life Points…" _replied Unicorn Princess. _"And I believe there's a card in your Extra Deck that can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak…"_

Francesca looked at the chamber on her Duel Disk that held her Extra Deck.

_Oh, yeah… _she thought. _I got that from Cleo…_

_But… To summon it with what I have, I need a Level 4 Monster…_

She stood up.

"Here goes…" she said, as she drew a card.

She looked at the card, and smirked.

"Here's my move, ugly," she said.

"_You're as stubborn as ever," _said Gloomtail. _"Still think you can win?"_

"I summon Hypnocorn!" shouted Francesca.

She played the card, and the shaggy beast with ram-like horns appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Because I Normal Summoned it while you have Monsters and I have no other Monsters, I get to destroy one of your set Spell or Trap Cards… So let's see… How about the one on the left?"

Multicolored beams of energy flashed from Hypnocorn's eyes, and the Trap Card on the left lifted up and shattered.

Francesca breathed a sigh of relief. She had just destroyed Covering Fire.

_If he had used that, this duel would have been over quickly… _she thought. _Hope those other two cards aren't as deadly…_

"I discard Moja from my hand to Special Summon Egotistical Ape," she said.

She discarded the card, and the small monkey appeared, casting its demonic shadow. (1,200 ATK)

"By doing so, I can lower Ape's Level from 5 to 4.

"Next, I Tune together Egotistical Ape and Hypnocorn…"

The primate flew towards the ceiling, with the strange Beast following…

"_In the depths of the forest primeval, a gate to the Fairy World opens, and a divine messenger emerges. Gallop forth, bringing your holy light!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… __Eachthighern the Fairy Stallion!"_

With a loud neigh, a new unicorn leapt onto the field, clearly a male, with pure white coat that was glowing with a brilliant light that illuminated the entire room. A golden crown was fitted around its horn, set with a sapphire, and its brilliant blue eyes shone just as brightly. (2,000 ATK)

"_ARGH!" _shouted Gloomtail._ "It burns!"_

"You don't like my Monster?" asked Fran. "Well, you're going to like this even less…"

Her set Battle-Tuned lifted up.

"I'm banishing my Egotistical Ape to increase Eachthighern's Attack Score by 1,200 points!"

(3,200 ATK)

"And that makes him just strong enough to smash your Thunder End Dragon. Attack with Shining Sunbeam!"

Eachthighern's eyes glowed again, and a scorching ray of light shot from the sapphire in his crown. Thunder End Dragon grunted, and then dissolved into granules of light.

"And when Eachthighern destroys a Monster," continued Francesca, "I gain Life Points equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack Score…"

She closed her eyes as a golden glow of energy started to surround her, and the pain started to subside.

"So it seems this isn't over yet… Next thing I'm doing is playing Pot of Avarice…"

She played the card, and took Hypnocorn, Moja, Flurrie, Ms. Mowz, and Garnecia Earthshaker from her discard pile.

She shuffled her deck, made two draws, and looked at them.

"Last thing I'll do is play Art Attack," she said, as the Continuous Spell appeared in front of her. "We'll get to that later. It's your move…"

**(F: 4,450) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,800)**

Gloomtail growled a little. He was not only angrier than he was before, but hungrier too. The Dragon's Heart was pretty much the only thing keeping him from stopping the duel and devouring these three humans, and he was keeping a close eye on it. (He knew that its magic was only temporary; dragons were pretty well-informed about the things that could be used against them.)

A new card appeared in front of him.

"_I move Rabidragon to Defense Mode," _he said, as the mutant rabbit sat in a defensive position. (2,900 DEF) _"Then I end my turn…"_

Francesca made a draw.

_I drew Earth Tremor! _she thought. _If I used this, I could hit Gloomtail for 4,000 points of damage…_

_But… I'd have to sacrifice a Monster, and the only one I have is Eachthighern…_

She thought about it hard for a minute.

_No, I'll save it for later…_

"Eachthighern, destroy Rabidragon!" she shouted. "Shining Sunbeam!"

The unicorn blasted its ray again, and the mutant was vaporized.

"And once again, I gain Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack Points. Seems I'm in the lead now!"

**(F: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,800)**

"_But not for long…" _said Gloomtail.

Then a cloud of foul, black smoke appeared, along with a diabolical laugh, and a hulking, frightening form started to appear out of it…

"Dark Ruler Ha Des?" gasped Stan. "Where did _he _come from?"

"_From the Spell Card I activated," _replied Gloomtail, as the Dark Ruler smiled evilly. _"A Deal With Dark Ruler. _

"_Because my Monster was Level 8, I can now summon something even better…"_

Ha Des vanished, and there was an explosion and a smell of brimstone.

The thing that appeared in front of Gloomtail was an abomination to say the least. It was a huge, undead dragon, its skin rotting and decaying, and what was left of its skin drawn taunt over its bones. In some places, its skin didn't cover its bones at all; yellowing rib bones were exposed in its chest.

"_The Berserk Dragon!" _laughed Hooktail.

(3,500 ATK)

"No fair!" shouted Andy. "That isn't even a real Dragon!"

"_Did I say my deck had only Dragons?" _shouted Gloomtail. _"Did I?!"_

He said the last statement with such force that the room shook, and the three teenagers were almost knocked over. Dust and small stones fell from the ceiling.

"I… end my turn…" said Francesca, slowly.

Gloomtail chuckled again, and drew a new card.

"_I activate the Birthright Trap Card," _he said, as his last face-down card lifted up. _"I can now summon Rabidragon from my Graveyard again…"_

There was a flash of light, and the mutation appeared a second time. (2,950 ATK)

_Gloomtail waited until now to use that… _thought Stan. _Clearly he only had one copy of Thunder End Dragon…_ _Thank God…_

"_Destroy her Fairy Stallion, Berserk Dragon!" _shouted Gloomtail. _"Blazing Hell Scourge!"_

The creature let out a hoarse roar, and launched a super-intense blast of hellfire at the unicorn. Francesca braced herself.

Still, she knew she had to brace herself even harder for what was coming next…

"_Attack directly with Death Chill!" _ordered Gloomtail.

Francesca grunted as the freezing breath weapon hit her again. She managed to keep standing this time, but ice was actually starting to form on her clothing and in her hair…

**(F: 4,150) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,800)**

"_I end my turn," _said Gloomtail, _"which means I have to lower Berserk Dragon's Attack Score by 500 points…"_

The Dragon visibly started to decay even more, as pieces of flesh sloughed off of its body. (3,000 ATK)

Fran reached for her deck, something that took effort now. She drew a card.

She set it and another card, and two reversed cards appeared in front of her, a Monster and a card behind it.

She looked at the Art Attack card.

_If I can last just one more turn, then I have a chance! _she thought.

She turned to Gloomtail and nodded.

"_Ready for more punishment, human?" _he said, as he made a new draw.

"_I summon Alexandrite Dragon."_

Another of Andy's Dragon's appeared in front of him. However, Francesca was _much _less thrilled to see it this time. (2,000 ATK)

"_Destroy her Monster, Berserk Dragon!"_

The Blazing Hell Scourge launched at Francesca's set Monster, and reduced it to a smoldering crater.

"You destroyed my Nimble Momonga!" she shouted. "That means I gain 1,000 Life Points AND two more to defend me!"

Two more set Monsters appeared in front of her.

"_Which is pointless," _replied Gloomtail, _"because Berserk Dragon has the ability to attack every Monster on your side of the field."_

The huge Zombie launched two more burning missiles, blowing the two squirrels out of existence.

**(F: 7,150) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,800)**

"_Stall all you want," _said Gloomtail. _"Seeing you suffer only whets my appetite!"_

Francesca screamed again as she was hit by Rabidragon's Death Chill again…

But then, she laughed. She laughed out loud.

"Good lord, she's delirious…" gasped Andy.

"Nope…" replied Francesca. "The big lug fell for my trap, hook, line, and sinker…"

Her face-down card lifted up.

"Heartfelt Appeal!" she shouted. "Because you attacked me directly, I get to take control of the Monster you have with the highest Defense Score!"

A glowing lasso shot out of the Trap Card, and Rabidragon roared as it was roped by it and dragged over to Francesca's side of the field.

It turned to Francesca and hissed.

"Yeah, I don't like you either," she said to it sternly, "but until the end of my next turn, you do what I say, _capisce__?"_

**(F: 4,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,800)**

Rabidragon growled. Gloomtail looked at her, clearly a little pissed.

Andy looked at his watch, just as he had been doing every five minutes…

…and a shiver ran down his spine.

He remembered how Bleck had given them a guarantee that the Dragon's Heart would last for at least forty-five minutes. As of about one minute ago, their time of guaranteed safety was up.

_That thing's magic could fail at any time… _he thought, as sweat started to form on his brow. _Francesca had better finish this FAST…_

Gloomtail growled, as he played a new card.

"_Still my turn, I believe…" _he said. _"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Advance Force._

"_This lets me summon a high-Level Monster with one sacrifice, so long as the sacrifice is also high-Level. For the Monster I want to summon, the sacrifices have to be Dark Monsters… Berserk Dragon fits the bill perfectly, and since it will just get weaker when I end my turn…"_

The undead creature turned into a dark shadow, and an even darker shadow started to rise. The shadow took on a hideous, demonic-looking form, and slowly took a shape that vaguely resembled a Dragon… A Dragon unlike any they had ever seen. It didn't have claws or wings, and had no mouth either. It instead had tentacles for limbs, and more on its back. Strange, cryptic-looking runes covered its armored torso and most of its tentacles. (3,000 ATK)

"Good grief, just how many Level 8 Monsters does this guy have?" shouted Stan.

"_Meet my Chole Dragon, my old enemy…" _chuckled Gloomtail. _"A beast you may soon become very familiar with… This species is unlike any this world has ever seen… They are native to the Abyss, and feared as embodiments of insanity. _

"_Rabidragon can't defeat it, and as for what it does… Well… You'll see…"_

He made a very unpleasant snicker as his eyes glimmered.

"_I end my turn…"_

"Somehow, I don't want to know…" replied Francesca, as she drew a card.

She looked at it.

"And it seems I don't have to… First thing's first… Because it's been three turns since I played Art Attack, I can now banish it and pay 2,000 Life Points to Special Summon four low-Level Monsters from my deck."

First Key Mouse appeared, (100 DEF) then Sunlight Unicorn, (1,000 DEF) then Hypnocorn, (600 ATK) and finally, Ms. Mowz. (1,000 DEF)

"Then, I use _this_ Spell Card," she said, as she held up the card she had just drawn. "It's a little thing called Level Mirroring!

"I choose one of my Monsters, and one of yours, and then my Monster's Level becomes the same as yours. So I'll choose to make Rabidragon's Level the same as Alexandrite Dragon's.

"Which means I can Tune Key Mouse and Rabidragon…"

The tiny Tuner and the huge Dragon turned into a cluster of stars…

"_A bolt from the sky will strike, forming a Beast that can ride the fury of the gale!"_

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

"_I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!"_

Thunder Unicorn appeared, and glared daggers at Gloomtail and his beast. She grunted a little. (2,200 ATK)

"Yeah, I'm with you," muttered Francesca. "That is one ugly dragon…"

"_Don't insult my Monster!" _cursed Gloomtail.

"I wasn't talking about Chole Dragon," replied Francesca. "But I'll take care of him anyway…

"I use Thunder Unicorn's effect! I have four Monsters on the field, which means I can reduce the Attack Score of one of your Monsters by 2,000 points."

Gloomtail gasped as Chole Dragon was hit by a surge of electricity. (1,000 ATK)

"Next I play… Earth Tremor!" shouted Francesca. "I sacrifice one Beast-Type Monster…"

Hypnocorn vanished.

"…and you take 500 points of damage times the Level of one of your Monsters… And you have a Level 8 Monster!"

Gloomtail howled as the room shook and the ground erupted around him.

"_I'll grind your bones to dust!"_ he cursed.

"We'll see about that, big guy…" replied Francesca. "Thunder Unicorn, attack Chole Dragon with Thunder Spear!"

The unicorn charged, and Gloomtail roared as the demented creature shattered in a blast of fiery sparks.

**(F: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 1,600)**

"With that, I end my turn…" said Francesca. "Seems I've turned this thing around 180 degrees…"

Gloomtail didn't answer, at least not with any intelligible words. He simply made a lot of grunts, snarls, and other angry sounds.

A single card appeared in front of him…

Then it turned around. It was Monster Reborn. It shined in the dim light, and Chole Dragon appeared again. (3,000 ATK)

"Terrific…" said Francesca.

Then Chole Dragon glared at Fran without blinking. Then Alexandrite Dragon vanished in a dark shadow.

"What are you…" said Francesca.

The answer came quickly and violently. An inferno of violet flames engulfed the entire field, hitting her like a hammer and knocking her over.

When she looked up, she saw that the situation had worsened, considerably. The horrid conflagration had incinerated her three Monsters, leaving only the ugly _thing _in front of Gloomtail, along with their Deckmasters.

**(F: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 1,600)**

Francesca looked up at Gloomtail. He still didn't say anything. He was simply glaring at her, with saliva dripping from his teeth.

Finally, he said one word:

"_Move…"_

Francesca got up, looking at Chole Dragon while she did so. She knew what its effect was now… And it was pretty nasty…

_Seems to be like Burst Breath… _she thought, _with the added effect of doing 500 points of damage per Monster destroyed…_

_Fortunately, using that effect seems to cost him his Battle Phase, probably why he didn't use it when he first summoned it…_

She drew a card.

It was Signal Check.

Many times, this card could be a game changer… But using it now would be a risk… Gloomtail's deck seemed to be made up mostly of Dark Monsters, but it also had quite a few Light ones, and at least one Fire one…

But it was her only option…

"I activate Signal Check…" she said.

She played the card, and Glow Moss appeared next to her.

"You pick up cards until you pick up a Monster…" she said.

A card formed in front of Gloomtail… Then a second, a third, and a fourth…

Then he stopped, and looked at her.

"Now I have to guess what Attribute it is…" she said. "If I'm wrong, you keep those cards… If I'm right, they go back to your deck, and I draw three times…"

She closed her eyes, and sweat poured down her face.

"Dark…" she said.

She opened her eyes as the fourth card turned around and an angry scowl appeared on Gloomtail's face.

It was Infernal Dragon. The gamble had paid off.

The four cards vanished, and Fran made three draws. Her face lit up a little…

"I play Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

The card glowed with golden light, and a humanoid form started to appear…

To Stan and Andy's surprise, it was Lady of Unicorns. (1,400 ATK)

"Wait…" said Stan.

"Of course!" exclaimed Andy, "her card must have been one of the two cards she discarded to use Flurrie's effect."

"That's right…" said Francesca, "next, I use my Deckmaster effect… By discarding a Beast-Type Monster from my hand…"

She discarded one of her cards, Chain Dog.

"I can Special Summon a Light-Attribute Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard… The downside is, it only lasts for one turn…"

Thunder Unicorn appeared in a soft aura of light. (2,200 ATK) Gloomtail hissed a little.

"Unicorn Princess, move to the field!" shouted Francesca.

"_As you wish," _replied the steed, stepping forward. (2,100 ATK)

"Francesca, are you crazy!" shouted Andy.

"Nope," said Francesca. "My head's never been clearer…

"Because now her true effect kicks in, and all Beast, Beast-Warriors, and Winged Beasts except herself gain 300 Attack Points. That includes Lady of Unicorns, by the way, because she's both a Warrior _and _a Beast."

(Lady of Unicorns: 1,700 ATK, Thunder Unicorn: 2,500 ATK)

_Ugh… _thought Andy. _She can destroy Chole Dragon if she uses Thunder Unicorn's effect, but Gloomtail will still have Life Points left… This is too risky…_

"I activate Thunder Unicorn's effect…" said Francesca.

Chole Dragon groaned as sparks shocked it a second time. (1,500 ATK)

She played the last card in her hand.

"I activate Synchro Rider!"

She played the card, and Lady of Unicorns made a leap, landing on Thunder Unicorn's back.

"By playing this card, Lady of Unicorns can't attack this round… But when Thunder Unicorn attacks, she'll have Lady of Unicorns backing her up, with their Attack Scores combined!"

Lady of Unicorns lifted her scimitar, and pointed it forward as Thunder Unicorn charged. (3,900 ATK)

Then came something that no-one expected…

"Vile beast!" shouted Lady of Unicorns. "Taste the cold steel of my blade and follow your sister!"

"Uh… Did she just talk?" asked Andy.

Whether she did or not, it was hard to tell. But there was no denying what they saw. The scimitar slashed two times. The first time it sliced right _through _Chole Dragon on a downswing, blasting it out of existence…

…and the second time it cut into Gloomtail himself on an upswing. The huge dragon screamed as the deep wound opened on his chest…

Gloomtail roared in rage. Francesca clutched the Dragon's Heart in her fist, praying that its magic would hold for just a minute longer…

Then, the roar turned into a whimper… Gloomtail fell against the wall behind him with a crash, and then with a loud moan, collapsed on the dungeon floor.

**(F: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 0)**

Lady of Unicorns dismounted, and looked at him.

Then she smiled at Francesca, and she and Thunder Unicorn vanished, leaving only Unicorn Princess.

Francesca opened her fist, just as the Dragon's Heart crumbled into sand. She trembled.

"_Francesca…" _said Unicorn Princess.

Fran opened her eyes, and saw something hovering in the air in front of her. It was a card.

"_Take it, Francesca," _said the Ritual Monster. _"You might as well get something out of this…"_

Francesca plucked the card out of the air. She briefly looked at it, and then put it in her shirt pocket.

"So, what do we do now…" said Andy, as he looked at Gloomtail's body. "I don't think we can…"

It happened only too fast. A dark portal opened, and a net shot out of it. Unicorn Princess let out a cry of shock as it snagged her.

"HEY!" shouted Francesca, as the net dragged the Spirit through the portal. "Don't…"

And then she groaned and held her gut… Then she collapsed.

"Francesca!" shouted Andy.

Loud snoring coming from her reassured them that she was all right, more or less. She had collapsed from exhaustion.

"No wonder…" said Stan. "A duel like that would take everything out of me too…

"Well, it seems like the Queen just kidnapped one of Francesca's Monsters, and we can't do a thing about it, damn it! We can't follow whoever did it… We'd have to leave her here if we did…"

"Says who?" asked Andy.

He bent down, and lifted Francesca off the ground.

"So long as this doesn't turn into a high-speed chase, it'll be no problem… Come on!"

With Andy carrying Francesca, they briskly walked through the portal, which quickly closed behind them…

As they did so, another portal opened.

Count Bleck walked into the room. He gave Gloomtail's body a long, hard look.

He gestured, and a peculiar-looking mobile phone appeared in his hand. He hit a number on it.

"It's me," he said, into it. "Yes, I'll hold…"

He paused for a minute.

"Yes…" he said. "Would you still be interested in in a dragon's carcass?

"Yeah, I've got one… Virtually intact… It hasn't even started to cool yet…

"No, no, I didn't kill it… And I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say who did… But if you're interested, I can have it there in an hour…

"So long as you come with what I expect to be paid for it…"

He listened.

"All right…" he said. "And don't forget, I work strictly COD."

He hung up.

**0000000000**

**LEVEL MIRRORING (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A split image, with five golden stars on a sky-blue field on the top, and five dark blue stars on a black field on the bottom.

**Card Effect: **Select 1 face-up Monster you control and 1 face-up Monster your opponent controls. Your Monster's Level becomes the same as the opposing Monster's Level until the End Phase of the turn.

_Note: "Level Mirroring" was first used by Rua in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Mark of the Monkey (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**EACHTHIGHERN THE FAIRY STALLION (Monster Card)**

**Beast/Light/Synchro/Effect/Lvl8/2,000ATK/1,800DEF**

_Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Beast-Type Monsters_

**Effect: **When this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, increase your Life Points by the base ATK of the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

**CHOLE DRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Dark/Dark/Effect/Lvl8/3,000ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **Is this card is sent from your hand or deck to the Graveyard, banish it. If this card is Tribute Summoned, the Tribute(s) must be DARK. Once per turn, you can Tribute 1 Dragon-Type Monster you control to destroy all face-up opposing Monsters with a DEF lower than the ATK of the Tributed Monster and inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent per Monster destroyed. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during a turn you activate this effect.

**0000000000**

"**Unicorn Princess":** Beast/Light/Ritual/Lvl6/2,100/2,000: "Shining Revival": Once per turn, you can select 1 LIGHT, Beast-Type Monster in your Graveyard. Discard 1 Beast-Type Monster from your hand to Special Summon the selected Monster. Destroy it during the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

"**Diabolos, King of the Abyss"****:** Dragon/Dark/Lvl8/2,800/1,000: "Lesser Incarnation": If you summon this card to the field, it cannot attack or use its effect or Deckmaster effect that turn. Once per turn, if the only Monster you control is 1 Dragon-Type Monster, you may pay 1,000 Life Points and discard 1 card from your hand. Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from your Graveyard that is the same Attribute and a lower Level than that Monster.

**0000000000**

_**Who was Bleck talking to on the phone? The answer might be revealed, but **_**not **_**in this fic. A certain spin-off fic by another author might provide some clues…**_

_**With Fran out cold her two friends have no choice but to carry her along if they want to rescue Unicorn Princess… And we must leave this on a cliffhanger once again. Other things are happening in the Palace of Shadow, as it seems the Queen has plans for her other "guests"…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Chico: I've seen a couple of these odd Duel Spirits on Arcadia. I kind of got suspicious after the first time, and I'd be pretty naïve to think now that they're really just cosplay artists. **_

_**Dueling against guys like Vorse Raider and Dark Blade were simple matters. The threats they made didn't unnerve me…**_

**This **_**one… She's a lot different… She doesn't want to kill me… She seems to actually have a crush on me…**_

_**And seeing as her deck doesn't seem to be hampered much by my Monsters or my Field Spell, she may be far more dangerous than any others…**_

"_**Allure of Darkness" is coming soon.**_


	46. Allure of Darkness

_**Call me Chico. I don't care to use my real name any more.**_

_**I first started using Gravekeepers because of the symbolism. How they were tomb-guardians, just like my adoptive family was.**_

_**But let's be honest… The Gravekeepers are a powerful archetype. They let you swarm the field easily, and the Field Spell that they're associated with not only makes then stronger, but it cuts off your opponent's access to the Graveyard, which limits their options in a lot of ways.**_

_**The problem is, this strategy doesn't seem to hurt my current opponent as much as it does most players. In fact, some of it only seems to help her. **_

_**And this may be bad… You think a dark creature from the Netherworld who wants to kill you is bad?**_

_**This one seem more intent on making me her boyfriend…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-SIX**

**0000000000**

**Allure of Darkness**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Chico had felt a difference almost as soon as he had entered the Palace of Shadow.

Outside, the spirits had been conveying feelings of anger, despair, and fear… Those were all here, but while fear had been the greater of the three on the outside, despair was much more prevalent in this place…

And there was a fourth emotion present that seemed to overlap the other three… Hate.

Never mind the fact that this place was downright creepy…

As he walked down the dungeon corridor, he heard a skittering sound. He quickly turned his head.

"Ah, probably a rat…" he muttered. "Places like this always have things like that… Rats… bats… roaches…"

Then he turned around again.

"…spiders!" he shouted.

It wasn't just a spider that had apparently been following him, it was a _big _spider, about as big as he was. (1,600 ATK)

Chico wasn't all-too crazy about _little _spiders. When he saw this beast, he did the only logical thing he could think of: he turned and ran the other way, _fast._

Fortunately, he saw a door up ahead. He didn't have time to think about where it led. He opened it, ran inside, and slammed it shut behind him.

"Whew!" he said.

Then he looked around.

All of a sudden, coming in here was starting to look like not such a good idea.

The place looked like a fancy, elegant living room, with expensive furniture… But all of the furniture had a gothic theme, while the upholstery, along with the curtains (that didn't actually cover any windows) seemed to be colored with very unpleasant shades of purple and crimson. The illumination was provided by what seemed to be hundreds of flickering candles.

"Man…" he said. "This looks like a vampire's living room…"

"Hell-ooo!" said a deep, husky female voice.

Chico turned as a sultry-looking woman walked in. A woman with green skin and hair, wearing an exotic-looking purple dress. (1,550 ATK)

"Okay…" said Chico, nervously. "So it _is _a vampire's living room."

Vampire Lady looked at him.

"Hello…" she purred.

_Think I'll take my chances with that spider… _thought Chico.

He tried the door again. Unfortunately, it was locked.

"No, no!" protested Vampire Lady, as she glided up to him. "Stay!"

She put her right hand around his waist, and then started to caress his hair with her other. He trembled.

"No-one ever visits me…" she said. "It's so lonely here… And you're so handsome…

"Stay for a while… It won't hurt…"

Her lips slowly moved towards his…

Chico screamed, and then shoved her away from him.

"Lady, I tend to doubt that!" he said. "And really, you aren't my type!"

Vampire Lady looked at him sadly.

"Please…" she said.

Then she lifted her hand, and a bolt slammed across the door.

"I don't want to force you…" she said, "but I can...

"I'm stronger than you Chico… I could just wrestle you into submission if I wanted to…"

She giggled a little.

"Might be kind of fun, actually…"

"How did you know my…" sighed Chico.

Then he sighed again. He really didn't _want _to know.

"Listen…" he said. "If it would come to a fight, I might surprise you… The thing is, I _never _hit a lady…"

"Chivalry?" asked Vampire Lady, her face lighting up. "I'm starting to like you even more!"

"…even a lady who's an undead abomination, unfortunately," continued Chico. "But… I assume you're a duelist."

"Of course," replied Vampire Lady.

"Duel me then," said Chico. "I win, you let me leave. You win…"

He swallowed hard.

"…I'll stay with you as long as you want…"

Vampire Lady giggled a little.

"Sure…" she said.

A Duel Disk appeared on her left arm that was seemingly made of brass. The tray unfolded into a shape resembling a bat.

_Shouldn't be too hard… _thought Chico. _She likely uses Zombies, and my Gravekeepers eat Zombie Decks for breakfast._

"Okay, let's get started," he said.

"Uh-uh-uh!" said Vampire Lady, as she shook a finger. "You need a Deckmaster first, remember?"

Chico sighed, and took his deck from the holder.

"If I must…" he said.

_Dumb house rules… _he thought. _Ah well… This guy should do._

He held up a card, and Gravekeeper's Chief appeared behind him. (1,900 ATK)

"He'll be my Deckmaster," he said.

"And I'll be my own," chuckled Vampire Lady. "Guess that means I have the honor, lover."

"Don't call me that…" said Chico, as he activated his Duel Disk.

**(Chico: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vampire Lady: 8,000)**

"I draw a card…" said the vampire, as she made a sixth draw.

"…and that should do it for now. It's your move…"

Chico was surprised at first… But only for a second or two. He had seen this trick before, when a player does nothing on her first turn. It usually meant her hand had a certain _very _nasty Monster…

_Gorz… _thought Chico, as he drew a card. _Really don't want to deal with him. _

He looked at the card he had drawn. Mirror Force.

His other five cards were Rite of Spirit, Necrovalley, Gravekeeper's Curse, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, and Sangan.

_Better play it safe for now… _he thought.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Curse to the field," he said.

He placed the card on his Disk, and the dark mystic holding a crooked staff appeared. (800 ATK)

"Simply by doing that, you take 500 points of damage."

A hex of black magic surrounded Curse's staff, and then Vampire Lady. She grunted a little.

**(C: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 7,500)**

"I set two cards, and then play the Field Spell, Necrovalley."

The two set cards appeared, and then the dark parlor faded away, and the forboding cliffs of the ancient burial ground rose around them. Curse's eyes glowed as the power flowed into him. (1,300 ATK)

"_Chico?" _said a voice.

"Eh?" said Chico.

He looked and saw that it had come from Gravekeeper's Chief.

"You can talk?" he asked.

"_I can,"_ he replied, _"and I'm also here to give advice. _

"_The advantage may seem to be yours, but I would tread with caution if I were you… Keep in mind just what your opponent is…"_

Chico looked at Vampire Lady…

"Yeah…" he said. "Good point…"

"_In the meantime…"_ said the Chief, _"my Deckmaster effect is like my real effect, only more potent… You have full access to your Graveyard despite the Field Spell, but she doesn't."_

"Good to know," said Chico.

He turned to Vampire Lady.

"All right, it's your move…" he said.

Vampire Lady drew a card, and then took three of them.

"I'll set these four cards," she said, as a set Monster and three other set cards appeared in front of her. "Over to you, lover."

_Good lord, this is demented… _thought Chico, as he drew a card.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier," he said, as the spear-man appeared. (1,500 ATK) "And thanks to Necrovalley, he gets stronger."

(2,000 ATK)

"Well good!" exclaimed Vampire Lady.

One of her set cards lifted up.

"I'll make him even stronger… I play Shield Spear!"

Chico's eyes opened wide as his Monster's Attack Score increased to 2,400.

"Lady…" he said. "You gotta be nuts…

"Attack her Monster!"

"_Chico, wait!" _shouted the Chief.

It was too late to stop it. Spear Solider lifted his spear over his head with both hands as Sangan appeared on the card, and he plunged the weapon into the small Fiend.

"ARGH!" shouted Vampire Lady.

"As you can see…" said Chico, "you take damage from his attack even though your Monster was in Defense Mode…"

"And that's a good thing…" she replied, with a slight smirk.

She threw a card on her Disk.

"Because now I can Special Summon Fomorian Interrogator!"

As Chico watched, a very large Monster appeared in front of Vampire Lady that could best be described as hulking. It was a large, ogre-like brute, standing about nine feet tall, with lumpy, violet skin, and no hair. It had beady eyes and broken teeth, but rather well-made leather clothing. It held a big, iron-shod club. (0 ATK)

"Isn't he just adorable?" she asked. "And I get to use Sangan's effect!"

She quickly took her deck, and chose a card from it.

"Adorable?" shouted Chico. "Hardly. What is _that _thing?"

"Like I said, it's a Fomorian Interrogator," replied Vampire Lady.

"You ever hear the legend of the Fomorians?"

"No," replied Chico.

"They used to be beautiful fairy beings," she sighed. "Until they found a great treasure hidden deep within the earth… Sort of like cursed gold… This incredible cache of wealth made them hunger for more, and the more treasure they acquired after that, the more their hearts became overcome by greed.

"Eventually, they became so greedy and selfish that it started to twist their physical forms, turning them into… Well, into things like this. They started to crave not only material wealth, but power over other creatures, a desire that eventually made them subjugate and enslave weaker races…

"It's said that the Fomorians still rule over small subterranean kingdoms of slaves where they dream of literally owning everything, failing to realize that they themselves are slaves to their selfish desires.

"Anyway… I know what you're thinking… He has zero Attack Points… But only to start… He gains a number of Attack Points equal to the amount of damage I just took from your Spear Soldier's attack."

(1,800 ATK)

"O-kay…" said Chico. "Think I'll be moving Curse to Defense Mode…"

Curse knelt and held his staff in his lap. (1,300 DEF)

"And I'll end my turn…"

Then another of Vampire Lady's cards lifted up.

"I activate Xing Zhen Hu," she said.

Chico gasped as a set of ropes shot out of the ground, looping around his two Trap Cards and tying them to the ground.

"Sorry, lover," she said, "but I can't risk letting you use those… And this Trap Card will keep you from doing so…"

_Just great… _thought Chico.

**(C: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 5,700)**

"Now it's my move…" said Vampire Lady.

He giggled a little as she drew a card.

"I activate Ojama Trio," she said, as her last set card lifted up.

Chico stepped back in shock as Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black appeared in front of him. (1,000 DEF x3)

"Next, I summon Fomorian Taskmaster!" laughed Vampire Lady.

She played the card, and another ogre appeared on the field. It looked much like the first one, except that it wore a leather apron, trousers, and no shirt, and carried a long whip. (0 ATK)

"And he gains 800 Attack Points for each Monster you have!"

(4,000 ATK)

"Four-thousand?" gulped Chico.

"Now I'm gonna attack!" laughed the vampire. "Here I go!"

Fomorian Interrogator struck first, clobbering Gravekeepers Curse with its club and squashing it flat. Then the Taskmaster lashed its whip, and Chico screamed as it tore Spear Soldier in half. He fell on his behind.

"Thanks for the suggestion, lover," said Vampire Lady, "this is _fun!"_

**(C: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 5,700)**

She set a card in her Disk and a set card appeared in her Spell Zone.

_Guess it all depends on your idea of fun, _thought Chico.

He looked at Fomorian Taskmaster.

_Okay, so she's not using Zombies, _he thought. _Serves me right for making presumptions…_

_Its Attack Score is still 4,000… That means its Score is set when it's summoned, and losing Monsters won't weaken it…_

_But at the same time, it won't get stronger if I summon another Monster…_

"Your move, lover," said Vampire Lady.

Chico sighed as he got up. He _really _didn't like her calling him that, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to stop.

He drew a card.

_Dust Tornado… _he thought.

He set it, and another card. The Trap Card appeared next to his other set cards, and then a set Monster appeared in front of them.

_As soon as she declares an attack, _he thought, _I'll trigger it and get rid of that Xing Zhen Hu… Then I'll be able to use Mirror Force, and blow all her Monsters to Kingdom Come._

"Done…" he said.

Vampire Lady drew a card. Then her Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Trap Stun," she said.

_Man, I can't catch a break here! _thought Chico.

"Next, I summon Fomorian Cackler," she said.

As the name of the Monster suggested, its appearance was proceeded by an insane-sounding cackle. Another of the ogres appeared, this one with a maddening look in its eyes, wearing a worn and ripped grey tunic, and most disturbingly, a belt with severed heads tied to it. It held a long knife with a serrated blade. (0 ATK)

"This guy is a lot like his friend Fomorian Taskmaster," said Vampire Lady, "but in his case, he gains 800 Attack Points for each of your Spell and Trap Cards. You have three set cards and one Field Spell Card."

(3,200 ATK)

"Then, I play Fairy Meteor Crush," she said, as she played another card, "and I'll Equip it to Taskmaster…"

She fit the card into her Disk, and Taskmaster's eyes burned like hot coals.

"Okay, let's see…" she said. "I think I'll have Taskmaster attack… Your set Monster!"

The giant lashed his whip, and Chico screamed again as _his _Sangan appeared on the card and was ripped in two.

"I use… Sangan's… Effect…" he said.

He slowly took a card from his Disk.

_This might do the job… _he thought. _Those Fomorians might have a weakness that I could take advantage of…_

"All right!" cheered Vampire Lady. "Go, go, go!"

Interrogator and Cackler rushed at the Token Monsters. Interrogator clobbered the green one with its club, while Cackler sliced with its knife, eviscerating the black one.

Chico watched in shock as the Fiend licked blood off of its weapon.

_Never thought I'd feel sorry for an Ojama… _he thought.

"And because those were Ojama Tokens," giggled the vampire, "you take 600 points of damage!"

**(C: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 5,700)**

"Lady…" said Chico. "You're nuts!"

"I do try to stand out," she said with a smile. "It's your move…"

Chico made a draw.

_Hey… _he thought.

"I activate Dust Tornado!" he shouted, as his set card lifted up.

The tornado shot out of the card, and blew towards, the Xing Zhen Hu card, blowing it to pieces.

"Now that I have one problem out of the way," he continued, "I can work on the others…

"I activate Rite of Spirit…"

One of his set cards lifted up, and Spear Soldier appeared, pointing his weapon at the three Fiends. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

Then he took the card he had drawn, and the Monster he had gained with Sangan.

"I activate Magical Dimension!" he shouted. "Because I have a Spellcaster on the field, I can Special Summon another one from my hand, so long as I first sacrifice a Monster.

"So I'll get rid of this last Ojama Token…"

The Token version of Ojama Yellow disappeared.

"And then summon Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

The card appeared, and the cloaked, veiled assassin leapt out of it, flashing her blades. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Magical Dimension also lets me destroy one Monster," he continued, "and since that Cackler was really getting on my nerves, I'll choose _him."_

Fomorian Cackler cackled again… Then it looked at Assailant with a look that seemed to say "Huh?"

Then Assailant's eyes glowed, and Cackler was blasted into shards.

"Now for the other two…" said Chico. "I have a feeling I know what your Monsters' weakness is… Let's see if I'm right…

"When Gravekeeper's Assailant attacks a Monster with Necrovalley in play, she can switch that Monster's Battle Position. So she's going to do that to Fomorian Taskmaster."

Assailant's eyes glowed, and the hulking creature knelt on its haunches. (0 DEF)

"I thought so," said Chico, as Assailant leapt towards it. "Those things are glass cannons."

Assailant vanished in a blur, and then reappeared behind the ogre, driving her dagger between its shoulders. The brute shattered.

"Spear Soldier, take down the last one!"

The spear-man chucked his weapon at Fomorian Interrogator, impaling it through its ample stomach. The Fiend's eyes bugged out, and it toppled over with a crash, and then shattered.

"Nasty…" said Chico.

He threw a card into his Disk, and a new card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I end my turn…"

**(C: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 5,500)**

Vampire giggled again.

"You are frisky…" she said, as she made a draw.

She set both of her cards on her Disk, and both appeared set. One was a Monster, the other wasn't.

"Your move," she said sweetly.

"That's a Morphing Jar, isn't it?" asked Chico.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked.

"Just an educated guess…" replied Chico, as he made a draw.

"Well… I'll set this card, and then summon Gravekeeper's Recruiter…"

The set card appeared in his Spell Zone, and then Rishid Ishtar's lookalike appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"You know…" said Chico, "come to think of it, I don't remember right now what Morphing Jar's Defense Score is…"

Spear Soldier made a rush at the set card.

"Let's find out, huh?"

Apparently, Chico's educated guess was right out on the money. Vampire Lady cried out in pain as the ceramic jar was smashed to pieces.

Then she smirked as she made five draws. Chico quickly drew five of his own.

"Recruiter, attack her directly!" he shouted.

The Gravekeeper leapt at the vampire and slugged her with a powerful karate chop…

Then the unexpected happened. Vampire Lady's eyes glowed, and Recruiter's eyes looked glazed.

"Recruiter?" gasped Chico. "What the…"

Before Chico's unbelieving eyes, Vampire Lady took Recruiter's head in her hands and kissed him deeply on the lips. An eerie, sinister fog surrounded both of them…

Then she let go, and he looked at Chico with a blank look on his face. Worse, he didn't seem to be coming back to his side of the field.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"It's my Deckmaster effect," she said with a smug grin. "I call it Dark Embrace. If your Monster attacks me directly, I can turn him against you…"

Chico didn't know what to say for a minute…

_Of course! _he thought. _That's why she did nothing on her first turn, it all makes sense now!_

_She not only would have been able to summon her Fomorian Interrogator, she would have been able to take control of the Monster I attacked with! This chick isn't dumb…_

"Sorry, Recruiter, you're either with me or against me!" he said. "Assailant, attack!"

Assailant launched herself at her former ally…

"Not this time…" said Vampire Lady, as her Trap Card lifted up. "I use Draining Shield!"

An invisible barrier sprang up in front of her, and the assassin bounced off.

Chico sighed. He looked at the five cards he had drawn.

**(C: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 4,400)**

"_Chico?" _said the Chief.

"Yeah?" he asked. "If you have any ideas, I'm listening…"

"_Not an idea, but I think I noticed something," _he said. _"That Deckmaster effect may be powerful, but… I'm pretty sure she discarded one of her cards right before she did it…"_

Chico looked at his opponent, and counted the cards in her hand. Indeed, she had four, and he didn't know of any other way she could have used one.

"Yeah…" he said. "Good to know…"

He took one of his five cards, and set it in his Disk.

"I'll set that," he said, as a new face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then it's your move…"

Vampire Lady made a draw. Then she giggled a little.

She played a card, and Mystical Space Typhoon appeared. The powerful wind hit Chico's Mirror Force, blowing it to pieces.

_I had three cards for her to choose from…_ he thought, as he rolled his eyes, _so naturally, she managed to guess which one was the most powerful…_

"I play Mystik Wok," she said, as she played another Quickplay Spell. "By sacrificing your Recruiter, I gain Life Points equal to his Defense Points."

Recruiter vanished, and she glowed with golden energy.

She played a new card, and another of the Fomorians appeared, this one very large, very muscular, with no shirt and a thick, black beard. It wore a pair of iron knuckle dusters on its fists. (0 ATK)

"Fomorian Brawler," she said. "He gains 800 Attack Points for each card in your hand."

(3,200 ATK)

_Figures… _thought Chico.

"Attack Assailant!" shouted Vampire Lady. "Give her a good belting!"

Assailant shrieked as the Brawler lunged, hitting her hard and knocking her over the cliffs of Necrovalley behind Chico.

_Getting mighty sick of this… _muttered Chico.

**(C: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 6,300)**

He looked at Vampire Lady nervously as a thought came to his mind… He was coming very close to losing… And he was _really _trying not to think of what was going to happen if that occurred.

She fit another card into her Disk, and a new set card appeared.

She smiled and nodded.

As Chico's hand moved towards his deck, it tingled slightly. He paused.

He looked hard at his deck…

It was _the _card, he just knew it. This was the feeling he got every time he was about to draw it…

He drew, looked at it.

He was right. It was Hallowed Ground.

This card was a powerful Gravekeepers support card, and rather rare, as it had limited release, but as valuable as it was to collectors, it was nearly priceless to him.

His adoptive father had given it to him when he was fifteen years old, a few months after he had started to take interest in Duel Monsters…

What was the occasion? It had been ten years to the day they had first met, on that horrible night he had found him starving, half-frozen, and waiting to die by the side of that lonely road in New Mexico…

The ten-year anniversary of the night his life had been saved…

Hopefully, he could put it to good use now…

"I activate the Hallowed Ground Equip Spell," he said, as he played it.

He discarded one of his cards, A Cat of Ill Omen, and then Spear Soldier appeared next to the other two Gravekeepers. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"As you can see, it lets me Special Summon a Gravekeeper from my Graveyard, although he can't attack or use his effect."

"Then, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Descendant…"

He played another card, and the dead ringer for Marik Ishtar appeared next to the spy. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Spell Card, activate," said Vampire Lady.

"Eh," said Chico, as her set card lifted up.

"It's called Forbidden Chalice, lover," she said. "It increases the Attack Score of your Descendent by 400 points, but it keeps him from using his effect this turn."

(2,400 ATK)

_Clever… _thought Chico. _She must have known about his effect…_

_Well… I'll just do the second-best thing…_

One of _his _set cards lifted up.

"I'm activating A Rival Appears!" he shouted. "By using this card, I can Special Summon a Monster that's the same Level as your Monster."

Gravekeeper's Spy casually walked onto the field. (1,200 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"Next, another Trap Card…"

His last set card lifted up, and foul, purple smoke started to flow out of it. The dreaded Embodiment of Apophis slithered out. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, I build the Overlay Network," he said, "and use Spy, Spear Soldier, and my Trap Monster…"

The vortex opened, and the three Monsters were drawn through it…

Gravekeeper's Sphinx leapt through the portal, slamming its paw down and causing Necrovalley to tremble. (2,200 ATK) –) (2,700 ATK)

"Next, I'll use its effect," he said, "and ditch one Overlay Unit to cut the Attack Score of your Fomorian Brawler in half."

The Sphinx's eyes glowed, and Brawler grunted as it held its throat. (1,600 ATK)

"Destroy that thing!" he shouted. "Monolith Smash!"

The huge Sphinx pounced, and landed front-claws first on the ogre, tackling it and crushing it flat.

"Now I'll…" said Chico.

He paused for a minute. He noticed that she still had one card in her hand…

_If I attacked directly with Descendant, she could use her Deckmaster effect… _he thought. _Is she willing to do that?_

He grit his teeth.

_Heck with it, if I back off, this could well take forever…_

"Attack directly! Dark Curse of the Ancients!"

Descendant aimed his staff and a fiery bolt of black magic plowed into Vampire Lady, knocking her over…

**(C: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 2,800)**

It didn't seem like she was going to use the effect after all. A few tense seconds went by and she made no move that indicated she was going to…

She got up, her hair a bit unkempt from the violent blow…

Then she looked at Chico with her eyes glowing with an evil light. She hissed, bearing her fangs…

Then she clutched her head, and shook it a little. She giggled a little and then smiled again.

"Sorry…" she said. "Forgot myself for a minute there…"

"Uh, yeah…" said Chico.

He set another card in his Disk, and a new set card appeared.

"Uh… It's your move…"

Vampire Lady giggled again, and then made a draw.

"I have to thank you for summoning that Xyz Monster," she said, "because now I can Special Summon my _favorite _Monster…

"The Fomorian Butcher!"

She played the card, and a dark, hulking form started to take shape…

Having played Duel Monsters so long, there were very few Monsters that Chico were genuinely afraid of… This one, however, would haunt his nightmares for a _long _time. It had the same general appearance of the other Fomorians, but stood head-and-shoulders over the others, something that was made even more remarkable by the fact that it had a slightly hunched back. To make things worse, every place on its body where flesh was exposed (which was a lot, seeing as the dirty grey tunic it wore was ripped and rotted) was covered with ugly, weeping sores, suggesting some horrid skin disease. The thing about it that was the _most _intimidating was the huge cleaver-shaped sword it had, which was almost as long as the creature was tall. (0 ATK)

"He gains 800 Attack Points times the Rank of your Xyz Monster," she said.

(3,200 ATK)

"And just for fun, I'll play Zombie Lineage…"

She played her last card.

"By Equipping it to him, he gains 500 Attack Points whenever he makes an attack.

"Now attack Gravekeeper's Descendent! Cut him in half!"

The huge Butcher lifted the terrible sword… Chico trembled in fear, and so did Descendant…

"I still have a Trap Card!" he shouted.

His set card lifted up.

"Staunch Defender! It draws your Monster's attack away from Descendant and towards my Sphinx!"

"So?" said Vampire Lady, with a big smile. "Do the math! You're still finished!"

Fomorian Butcher lurched at the large Beast, and its Attack Score rose to 3,700 as the blade fell. Sphinx roared, and then a blast of powerful energy consumed Chico's side of the field as the Xyz burst…

"YAY! I win!" shouted Vampire Lady.

Then the dust started to clear…

**(C: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 2,800)**

"Huh?" she said. "I don't win?"

"I forgot to mention another effect of Hallowed Ground…" said Chico. "When the Monster I summon with it is used for an Xyz or Synchro Summon, then the damage I take from a battle with that Monster is halved."

"Poo…" said Vampire Lady, in a sulk.

Chico made a sigh of relief.

_I escaped that one by the skin of my teeth, _he thought, _but I'm not out of trouble yet…_

_With Fomorian Butcher using that Zombie Lineage card, it can resist Descendant's effect if she gets rid of it…_

He looked at the last card in his hand, Terraforming.

Then he made a draw.

"I use the final effect of Hallowed Ground," he said. "Because I Equipped it to a Monster last turn and it's in my Graveyard now, I can banish it to draw once…"

He drew.

And then he smirked.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" he shouted. "Thanks to my Deckmaster, I have access to my Graveyard despite my Field Spell…"

The golden ankh appeared overhead. Then Gravekeeper's Sphinx materialized. (2,200 ATK) –) (2,700 ATK)

Vampire Lady giggled.

"Yeah, but that was a dumb move," she said. "It would have made more sense to summon your Assailant."

"Yeah, but moving your Butcher to Defense Mode wouldn't have ended this duel," said Chico, "and I want this over with as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I have a card that can do that…

"In fact, I think you'll find this familiar…"

He turned the card in his hand around.

"Forbidden Chalice?" she gasped.

"That's right," he said, as he played it. "Since you have a copy of this in your own deck, I take it you know what it does. By using it on Fomorian Butcher, it gains 400 Attack Points, but loses its effect…

"Which means, it returns to its base Attack Score…"

(400 ATK)

"Which means, basically, it's a big sheep in wolf's clothing now.

"Descendent… It's yours…"

The Gravekeeper nodded, and aimed his staff. Lightning flashed over Necrovalley, and the sky darkened. Burning lightning shot at the abomination, and it howled…

Then Vampire Lady covered her head as the ogre was smote and blown to shards.

"Now for you," said Chico.

Gravekeeper's Sphinx snarled, and then pounced. Vampire Lady screamed as it tackled her and knocked her to the floor…

**(C: 500) - - - - - - - - - - (VL: 0)**

Chico closed his eyes. Sweat fell down his forehead as the Monsters and the Field Spell faded away.

Vampire Lady sniffled. Then tears started to run down her cheeks.

"Don't start!" demanded Chico. "A deal's a deal, so show me the door. Got it?"

She sniffled a little again. Then a card appeared in her hand.

"At least take this…" she said.

She tossed it to him, and by instinct, he caught it.

"You'll have something to remember me by…"

"Listen lady," said Chico, as he glanced at the card, "I hate to break this to you, but I intend to try to forget about this whole thing as quickly as…"

Then he stopped short.

He looked closely at the card, and read the text carefully.

_Man, that's pretty powerful… _he thought.

"Okay, okay, fine," he said. "Just open the door, okay?"

The bolt on the door vanished, and it opened.

"Goodbye…" she said, sadly.

Chico shook his head, and left.

_Crazy… _he thought.

As Chico walked out the door, Vampire Lady stood up, and she was no longer crying. She smirked…

And then she laughed softly. But it wasn't a girlish giggle this time…

It was a much more mature, far more devious, evil laugh…

**0000000000**

**ZOMBIE LINEAGE (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **A female vampire in a white dress beckoning to a young man in a white suit. (The man bears a slight resemblance to Edo Phoenix.)

**Card Description: **If the Equipped Monster attacks an opposing Monster, it gains 500 Attack Points for the Damage Step only. If the Equipped Monster would be destroyed by a card effect, you can send this card to the Graveyard to prevent it from being destroyed.

_Note: "Zombie Lineage" was first used by Skull Knight in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "What Lies Beneath (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**FOMORIAN INTERROGATOR (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **If you take Battle Damage, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned this way, increase its ATK by an amount equal to the Battle Damage you took.

**0000000000**

**FOMORIAN CACKLER (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Summoned, increase its ATK by 800x the number of Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

**FOMORIAN TASKMASTER (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Summoned, increase its ATK by 800x the number of Monsters your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

**FOMORIAN BRAWLER (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Summoned, increase its ATK by 800x the number of cards in your opponent's hand.

**0000000000**

**FOMORIAN BUTCHER (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **You may Special Summon this card from your hand by selecting 1 face-up Xyz Monster your opponent controls. When this card is Special Summoned this way, increase its ATK by 800 times the Rank of the selected Monster

**0000000000**

**HALLOWED GROUND (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **A stone, Egyptian-style temple built into the side of a cliff. Gravekeeper's Chief is at the entrance, looking up.

**Card Description: **Discard 1 card from your hand to Special Summon 1 "Gravekeeper's" Monster from your Graveyard and Equip it with this card. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack, and its effect is negated. If the Special Summoned Monster is used for the Synchro Summon or Xyz Summon of a Monster, Battle Damage you receive from battles involving the summoned Synchro or Xyz Monster is halved. If this card is in your Graveyard on your first Standby Phase after it was Equipped to a Monster, you may banish it to draw 1 card. The activation of each effect of this card is unaffected by "Necrovalley".

**0000000000**

"**Gravekeeper's Chief": **Spellcaster/Dark/Level5/1,900/1,200:"Domain Mastery":If "Necrovalley" is in play, the part of its effect that reads, "Cards in either player's Graveyard cannot be banished. Negate any card effect that would move a card in the Graveyard, other than itself, to a different place" does not apply to your cards if their effects pertain to cards in your own Graveyard.

**0000000000**

"**Vampire Lady":** Zombie/Dark/Lvl4/1,550/1,550: "Dark Embrace": Once per turn, if you are attacked directly, you may discard 1 card from your hand to take control of the attacking Monster until your next End Phase.

**0000000000**

_**We reach the end of this interlude, but I'm afraid that those who are anxious to rejoin Stan, Andy, and Francesca are going to have to wait a little longer. The Palace of Shadow is a big place, and even more is going on in its walls. **_

_**Next: **_

_**Drake: You ever notice that parents tend to lie to their kids a lot? Now, before you reply to that in the negative, think about it a little. **_

_**I don't just mean stuff about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. They tend to tell a lot of outright whoppers to get their children to behave. There's the one about how making funny faces can cause your face to freeze that way (I've never heard of a documented case of that actually happening), and the one where eating your vegetables will make you grow up big and strong (truthfully, eating healthy can only do so much towards that means; genetics play a bigger role). **_

"_**Mom and dad are taking a nap"… You figure out when you get older what they meant. **_

_**Then there's "a little water can't hurt you", something parents say to kids who won't take a bath. Not the truth at all. People can and have drowned in bathtubs. And water can be **_**very **_**dangerous in other ways.**_

_**And my current opponent… Tell **_**him **_**that water is harmless. Bet he'll laugh. **_

"_**Shore Knight" is coming soon. **_


	47. Shore Knight

_**It's amazing how much this game has changed.**_

_**When this game first started, there were relatively few cards that could banish a card (or remove it from play, as they called it then) and when that happened, you could forget about using it again. It was gone for the duration of the game.**_

_**That's no longer the case now. Not by a long shot.**_

_**Not only are their numerous ways to Special Summon a banished Monsters these days, there are Monsters that specialize in reviving themselves from this state. For some of them, being banished is a minor inconvenience at best. In a similar vein, with a lot of decks, banishing cards is a good thing. There are many Monsters that gain benefits from it.**_

_**I should know… That's how my deck works. And I'm hardly alone…**_

…_**just ask the guy in front of me…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-SEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Shore Knight**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As Chico's duel was starting, Drake was having as much luck as anyone else who was making his way through the corridors of the Palace of Shadow – very little.

He had taken turns at numerous intersections, but each one never seemed to offer much of a change. Each new corridor seemed the same as the others.

He stopped, and then looked around…

Then he reached into his pocket and took out his Swiss Army knife. He unfolded the largest blade, and made a large scratch on the wall to his right.

Then he put it away, and continued walking down the corridor.

After fifteen minutes, he turned left at another intersection, keeping more alert this time…

…and after walking a hundred feet after turning at the intersection, he saw it. The scratch he had made in the wall.

"Just great…" he muttered. "I'm going around in circles. Whoever built this place has a sick sense of humor…"

He crossed his arms.

"Well," he said out loud, "if walking down this corridor is going to get me nowhere, then maybe the only way I'm going to get somewhere is to stay in one place, you think?"

Then a shower of light appeared in front of him, and then turned into a door. It slowly opened.

"I guess the squeaky wheel does get the grease…" he said.

He walked through it.

**0000000000**

The first thing he noticed when he walked through was an odd smell… Seawater?

Yes, it was seawater. He seemed to be standing on a small beach with the ocean in front of him, and the sky overhead. He looked up, and could even see the sun and the clouds.

_Where the heck am I? _he thought. _Is this some sort of Holo-Deck?_

Then he was startled as the water in front of him started to bubble and churn. Something was about to surface.

Then a creature leapt out of the surf. It was a humanoid covered with a black, crustacean-like exoskeleton that suggested a muscular torso. It had no clothing, but carried a long spear with a crescent head. (1,800 ATK)

"Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness?" gasped Drake.

"You're out of your territory, aren't you, fellah?" asked the Duel Spirit, in a tough-sounding voice.

"Look, why don't I just…" said Drake, turning around.

Unfortunately, as he did so, the door vanished.

"Afraid you can't go back that way," said the Spirit.

His weapon vanished, and a Duel Disk appeared on his left arm, one with a tray resembling a large shell.

"Afraid the only way back is the portal about three-hundred feet out that way," he said, pointing out towards the water with his claw. "As gatekeeper, I'm obligated to allow anyone access to it who can duel me and win.

"Of course, you're welcome to try to swim for it if you want, but there are Duel Spirits in there that are a lot less friendly than I am…"

Drake sighed. There was also the fact that he _couldn't swim… _

"All right, all right…" he said, "I suppose the Witty Phantom wasn't kidding when he said that nothing was free around here…

"I suppose I need a Deckmaster, right?"

The Sea Serpent nodded, and Drake took his deck from the holder.

_I'm guessing that he's going to be his own Deckmaster… _he thought, as he looked through the cards. _So if I want the first move, I need someone with lower than 1,800 Attack Points…_

His eyes fell on D.D. Warrior Lady.

_Perfect!_

He held up the card, and the golden-haired Warrior in a silvery bodysuit with a bionic arm and two glowing swords appeared behind him. (1,500 ATK)

"Very well…" said the creature.

Drake activated his Disk.

"Game on!" they both said.

**(Drake: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness: 8,000)**

Drake made his first draw. It was Golden Homunculus.

_Okay, that's a pretty good card… _he thought, _but not exactly the best time for it…_

He chose three cards, and then set them. One appeared in his Monster Zone, and two behind it.

"I'll end there," he said.

"Defending?" said the creature, as he made a draw.

"I've always thought the nest defense is a powerful offense! I summon Big Jaws!"

The Monster that appeared was _very _well-named. It was a large shark with _huge _teeth, so big that it seemed unlikely that it could manage to close its mouth. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack his Monster! Devouring Dive!"

The shark made a dive, and Peten the Dark Clown appeared kneeling on the card. Drake forced himself to look away as the jester was literally bitten in half.

"I use Peten's effect…" he said slowly. "By banishing his card, I get to summon another Peten…"

The dark pixels that had been left when the first Peten had shattered quickly pulled themselves back together, reforming into a second Dark Clown. (1,200 DEF) It put its thumbs in its ears and waved its hands at Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness while blowing a raspberry.

"What a clown," said the creature. "Since my Big Jaws attacked, it goes away now…"

The shark vanished into thin air.

"Next, I'll play the Shark Lair Continuous Spell…"

He played the card, and some ominous music started to play. Two shark-like dorsal fins broke surface on the field in front of him, and started to circle.

"To play this card, I have to discard a Fish-Type Monster, like a second Big Jaws…"

He discarded the card.

"…and it prevents you from attacking with any Monster that has less Attack Points than that one."

_So I need a Monster with at least 1,800 Attack Points? _thought Drake.

The three cards in his hand right now were Golden Homunculus, D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master, and D.D. Crazy Beast.

_None of them qualify… _he thought.

He looked at his two set cards.

_However…_

"All right, landlubber," said the Duel Spirit. "Let's see what you've got."

"Oh, we're resorting to insults now, fish-face?" asked Drake, as he made a draw.

"Fish-face?" shouted the creature. "I'm not even a Fish!"

Drake looked at the card he had drawn, and smirked. Then one of his two Trap Cards lifted up.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of a clever retort about Sea Serpents," he said. "I use Good Goblin Housekeeping. That means I get to draw once…"

He made one draw.

"…so long as I then put one card from my hand at the bottom of my deck."

He took Different Dimension Master, and slid it underneath his deck.

"Next," he said, as his other Trap Card lifted up, "one is good, but two is better. I'll activate a _second _Good Goblin Housekeeping.

"In fact, it's better than the first one, because it lets me draw an additional card for each copy of this Trap Card I have in my Graveyard…"

He drew twice, and then took D.D. Crazy Beast, and slid it under his deck.

"Now that I've done that, I'll summon Diskblade Rider!"

There was the roar of an engine, and a fiendish creature sped onto the beach riding a bad-looking motorcycle. He had the same type of outfit as Chaosrider Gustaph, but had green skin, and bare feet with claws at the end. He held a large, circular, serrated blade. (1,700 ATK)

"Then I can use his effect," continued Drake. "By banishing a Normal Trap Card in my Graveyard, like Good Goblin Housekeeping, I can boost his Attack Score by 500 points until my next turn."

(2,200 ATK)

"And in case you haven't noticed yet… That's enough for him to drive right by your Shark Lair…

"Attack directly with Razor Blade Road Rage!"

The Fiend biker shifted gears, and then sped at the aquatic warrior, sideswiping him and savagely slashing him with his weapon. The creature let out a cry of pain.

**(D: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 5,800)**

"So, you managed to get your sea legs pretty quickly…" he said, as he held his chest. "Well, good… Wouldn't want this to be boring…"

"Your move, fellah," said Drake.

The creature drew, and then played a card.

"I summon Skystarray," he said.

The creature that appeared looked like a large manta ray with a green carapace with lightning-like designs on it, and two long tentacles on its front. (600 ATK)

"And because I just summoned a Sea Serpent, I'm able to Special Summon Shark Stickers, which I'll put in Defense Mode."

A small remora, with sharp, needle-like teeth and a pad of suction cups on its head, appeared curled up on the ground. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, back to my Skystarray… It may not be a match for your biker, but it can attack directly!"

The ray reached at Drake with its tentacles and he felt a small shock as a small bolt of electricity hit him.

**(D: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 5,800)**

"And in case you're thinking of attacking it," he continued, "forget it… Because it attacked directly, it goes away until my next turn…"

Skystarray vanished into nothing.

"And that will end my turn…"

Drake drew a card.

_This ought to do… _he thought.

"I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater," he said, as the large mandrill ape appeared in front of him. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I'll play the Hand Destruction Spell Card," he said, as he played a card.

He discarded two of his cards, and the Duel Spirit discarded two of his. Then they both made two draws.

"Then I'll banish the two Monsters I just discarded," he continued, "to increase Bazoo's Attack Score by 600 points. And I'll also get rid of my other copy of Good Goblin Housekeeping to increase Diskblade Rider's Attack Score again."

The two Monsters glowed with bright, violet energy. (Bazoo: 2,200, Diskblade Rider: 2,200)

"Then," he said, "I'll banish the Spell Card I just used to Special Summon my Spell Striker!"

He threw the card on his Disk, and a rather cute Monster appeared, a toy wizard with a horned helmet and a smiling face. (600 ATK)

"Now I'll play… Chaos Greed!" he shouted.

As he played the card, a mysterious, robed man appeared behind him, and chanted a dark incantation, conjuring up two cards.

"Because at least four of my cards have been banished, and I have none in my Graveyard, I get to make two draws."

He drew twice.

"All right, Bazoo!" he shouted. "Fry that Fish with Breath of Souls!"

Bazoo snarled, and then breathed a ray of green energy at Shark Stickers.

"You like banishing your Monsters do you?" asked the Sea Serpent. "I'm pretty good at it too! I use the effect of my Friller Rabca!"

"Your what?" said Drake.

"One of the Monsters I just discarded when _you _played Hand Destruction!" he replied. "By banishing it, not only is your ape's attack negated, but it loses 500 Attack Points."

An eel-like creature flew at Bazoo, and wrapped itself around the Beast's neck. The blast dissipated as Bazoo grunted. (1,700 ATK)

"Got another one of those?" asked Drake.

Diskblade Rider sped towards Shark Stickers, running it over and crushing it.

"I guess not…" he said. "Seeing as Spell Striker can't get by your Spell Card, I'll end my turn…"

The Sea Serpent made a draw, and then looked over his four cards.

"Hmm…" he said.

"What do you mean, hmmm?" asked Drake.

"Oh, don't worry," replied the creature. "I have no doubt in my own skills… It's just that there are so many interesting possibilities…"

"Stop stalling!" said Drake.

"What, you in some sort of rush?" asked the Sea Serpent. "It's not like anyone in this place is going anywhere…

"Heh… Did someone tell you there was going to be cake when you got to the center of the Palace?"

Drake lifted an eyebrow. He knew that reference… It was from an old video game where the villainous AI system promised the heroine cake as a reward for completing the deadly labyrinth… The villain was a blatant liar, and not a very convincing one, most of the time. (In truth, the AI intended to "bake" the heroine, as most of the deathtraps in the labyrinth involved heat or fire, which in its deranged mind would result in cake.)

The game had been very popular, and the phrase "the cake is a lie" became a common term for a promised reward that didn't exist.

It wasn't a stretch for Drake to think at this point that something sinister was in the works… What had happened to him and Sean at Twilight Town had been proof enough. But was this guy trying to mess with his head by practically _admitting _it?

"Anyway…" said the Duel Spirit, "it's my Standby Phase now, so Skystarray returns to the field…"

The large manta reappeared in front of him. (600 ATK)

"And I'll summon Flyfang to keep him company."

He played the card, and a large shark with wing-like fins appeared hovering in mid-air. (1,600 ATK)

"See, it flies, and it has fangs, get it?"

Drake let out an annoyed grunt.

"Heh…" said Sea Serpent. "Serious, aren't we?

"Attack his Dark Clown, Flyfang! Sonic Screamer!"

Flyfang let out a loud screech, sending a wave of sound at Peten, and blowing him to little bits. Drake clutched his chest in pain.

"As you've no doubt noticed due to the number on your Life Point counter decreasing," said Sea Serpent, "Flyfang inflicts damage even when attacking a Monster in Defense Mode."

"Yeah, well," said Drake, "I'll just summon Peten the Third."

The black shards pulled themselves together again, and the Dark Clown reappeared. (1,200 DEF)

"Well, you remember Skystarray, don't you?" asked Sea Serpent.

Drake grunted again as the large skate's tentacles lashed at him.

**(D: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 5,800)**

"My Battle Phase is over, which means that both of my Monsters are banished until my next turn," he said, as Skystarray and Flyfang vanished. "I'll set one card…"

A face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"…and my turn is over. That means, by the way, that your two Monsters lose the bonuses they got from their own effects… But the effect of my Killer Rabca is still good until you end _your _next turn."

(Bazoo: 1,100, Diskblade Rider: 1,700)

_Which means, with no Traps or Monsters left in my Graveyard, _thought Drake, _neither of them are going to be able to attack with that Shark Lair card in their way…_

He drew a card.

_Perfect! _he thought.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"

He played the card, and the violent wind swept up the Shark Lair card, blowing it into the sky and blowing it to pieces.

"Attack him directly, Bazoo!" he shouted.

The mandrill blasted its Breath of Souls…

"I activate Mirror Force!" shouted Sea Serpent

"HUH?" gasped Drake, as the Trap Card lifted up.

He staggered as Bazoo, Diskblade Rider, and Spell Striker were all blasted into pixels.

"Did you honestly think that was a bluff?" asked the Duel Spirit.

_Truthfully, no, _thought Drake. _But I kinda thought it was Torrential Tribute… Serves me right for making generalizations about Water Monsters…_

He looked at Peten, who had fortunately still been in Defense Mode.

_At least I still have him… _he thought.

He looked at Golden Homunculus again, and did a quick count.

_Six cards so far… Think I can wait a little longer…_

"Your move…" he said.

"I draw…" said the Duel Spirit, "so Skystarray and Flyfang both come back…"

The manta appeared first (600 ATK) then the large, flying shark. (1,600 ATK)

"Hmm… A predicament… If I attacked with these two guys, I'd literally have _nothing _to protect me when it was your turn…

"But like I said, there are always other possibilities…"

He played a card.

"Like the Fishmonger Spell Card! See, I can only use this card during my first Main Phase… By banishing two Fish or Sea Serpents and then paying 1,000 Life Points, I get to draw twice."

The two Monsters disappeared again, and he drew twice.

His face fell as he looked at them.

"Oh crap, maybe that wasn't such a good idea…"

Drake's face lit up.

"Heh, heh, just kidding!" laughed the Duel Spirit. "I use Foolish Burial!"

He played the card, and then took a card from his deck.

"By sending my Nimble Angler to the Graveyard, I'm able to Special Summon two Level 3 or lower Monsters from my deck with the word 'Nimble' in their names, except more Anglers.

"So I'll summon two Nimble Sunfish."

He played the card, and two very graceful-looking Fish with sky-blue scales drifted onto the field, humming a serene melody. (1,000 ATK x2)

"Now, I'll sacrifice one of these guys to summon my Megamouth Shark…"

One of the small Fish vanished, and was replaced by one that was far less beautiful. In fact, it was downright ugly. It was a large shark with beady eyes, and a huge mouth that actually glowed. Its teeth were jagged and crooked. (1,500 ATK)

"Uh…" said Drake.

"Yeah, I know, it does seem to have a bark that's worse than its bite," said Sea Serpent, "but it's got an interesting effect.

"By sacrificing another Fish when I summon this big guy, I can Special Summon one of my banished Fish in Defense Mode."

Big Jaws appeared, curled up in a ball. (300 DEF)

"And that's not all…" he said. "Megamouth's Level then becomes the same Level as the Monster it summoned…"

_Which probably means… _thought Drake.

"That's right," said Sea Serpent, as the Overlay Network opened. "Because both these Monsters are Water-Attribute, and are now Level 3, I can summon a very special Xyz Monster…"

The two Fish turned into watery orbs.

"The dreaded Black Ray Lancer!"

A very large creature with a larger wingspan flew out of the vortex. It kind of looked like Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness himself, except for the large wings on its back shaped like fins. It also had a set of fins for legs, and it carried a long, nasty spear. (2,100 ATK)

"Quite a handsome devil, isn't he?" asked the Sea Serpent.

"And I suppose that guy can inflict piercing damage too?" asked Drake.

"Well, no…" replied Sea Serpent.

He took one of his last two cards.

"But I do have this… I play Shield Crush."

The Spell Card appeared, and a bolt of energy shot out of it, hitting Peten and smashing him to bits.

"Since that was your last one, I don't think we'll be seeing him again. Now then… Black Ray Lancer… Attack with Shimmering Spear Slash!"

The creature flew at Drake, making a mighty thrust.

"YARGH!" he shouted as it stabbed him in the chest.

**(D: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 4,800)**

"Hurts, doesn't it?" asked Sea Serpent.

Drake looked at him, clearly pissed.

"Yeah…" he said. "But then, I'm a masochist, y'know…"

The Sea Serpent chuckled a little.

"I kind of like you, fellah," he said. "You've got guts. It's your move, by the way."

_Guts, _thought Drake, as he drew a card. _Yeah, I've got guts… _

_And now I'm gonna show them… Now's as good a time as any…_

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted, as he played the card.

The holy symbol appeared, and Peten stepped forward. (500 ATK)

"So it seems you were wrong. And now I'm gonna sacrifice him…"

Peten turned into an orb of shadow, and then quickly, the hulking form of Golden Homunculus towered over him. (1,500 ATK)

"This big guy gains 300 Attack Points for each of my banished cards," he said, "and as of right now, I have six of them."

(3,300 ATK)

"Destroy his Black Ray Lancer with Golden Harvest!"

The Homunculus grunted, and threw its hand forward, sending a shower of razor-sharp golden spires at the Xyz Monster. The Warrior of Darkness cried out, partially in shock and partially in pain as the Xyz shattered.

**(D: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 3,600)**

"Okay…" said the Sea Serpent. "That's showing a little _too _many guts!"

"Too bad!" replied Drake. "Make your move…"

The Duel Spirit grunted, and drew a card.

"I play Card of Demise!" he shouted. "That means I get to draw until I have five cards."

He reached for his deck, and drew four times.

"But if this duel lasts longer than five more turns, you're gonna be in serious trouble," replied Drake.

"Yeah, well," said his opponent, "you've seriously gotten on my bad side now…

"I hoped it wouldn't have had to come to this, but… I summon Right-Hand Shark!"

There was a surge of water, and another shark with a big head and big teeth leapt to the surface. (1,500 ATK)

"And because I now have a Right-Hand Shark, I can Special Summon from my Graveyard – what else? – my Left-Hand Shark!"

There was another large splash, and a Fish Monster that looked more-or-less identical to Right-Hand Shark appeared next to it. (1,300 ATK)

"And when Left-Hand Shark is Special Summoned using Right-Hand Shark's effect, it gains one Level. Which means I now have two Level 4 Water Monsters…

"Meaning I can use the Overlay Network again to summon an even stronger Monster…"

The vortex opened, consuming the two sharks…

A large, hulking creature started to rise out of it…

"Behold… Bahamut Shark!"

The Monster was even bigger than Black Ray Lancer, and the look of it even gave Drake pause. It was a huge great white shark, standing on two muscular legs, with two equally muscular arms, all four of its limbs ending in sharp claws. It had four fin-like wings on its back, a dorsal fin on the top of its cranium, and a face that seemed to suggest a malign intelligence… (2,600 ATK)

"As strong as it is," said the Sea Serpent, "it's still no match for your Homunculus… But… It has an effect that can help… A very powerful effect.

"By detaching one of its Overlay Units and forfeiting its ability to attack this turn, I can Special Summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck without Overlaying any Monsters at all…"

"That's impossible!" shouted Drake.

"Come on, buddy," replied the Sea Serpent, "after the stuff you've seen happen on Arcadia you should be willing to believe in things that most people think are impossible.

"Besides, it can't be just _any _Xyz Monster. It has to Rank 3 or less, and Water-Attribute.

"So, Bahamut Shark… Divine Soul!"

The large Sea Serpent glowed with celestial light, and another large Monster started to form next to it. This one wasn't one shark, but two sharks bonded together by an odd metal canopy apparatus. (1,900 ATK)

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking…" said the Spirit. "If Bahamut Shark isn't strong enough to defeat Golden Homunculus, how the heck could my Submersible Carrier Aero Shark do the job with 700 less Attack Points?

"Well, that's what I have this for…"

He turned a Spell Card in his hand around.

"Union Attack?" gasped Drake.

"That's right," said the Sea Serpent, with a smirk. "By playing this, Aero Shark gains Attack Points equal to those of all my other Monsters this turn."

(4,500 ATK)

"Now destroy Golden Homunculus with Tuscan Torpedoes!"

As he said that, two torpedoes blasted from the mouths of the two sharks, smashing the rocky giant into burning, hot, golden slag. Drake grunted.

"Cheer up," said Sea Serpent. "Since I used Union Attack, at least you didn't lose any Life Points… But at least that thing is gone.

"And good riddance… I've seen loud Monsters before, but that one looked like something out of the Noble Collection!"

Drake scowled.

"My… move…" he said.

He drew a card.

"I'll set two cards," he said, as two cards appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then I'll summon Dimensional Alchemist to the field."

As he played the card, a crackling aura of darkness – a Dark Core – appeared, and then it dissolved, revealing a humanoid figure wearing plate armor and a blue cape, but carrying no weapon, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. (1,300 ATK)

"I end my turn."

"Oh please, you don't expect me to fall for _that, _do you?" asked the Sea Serpent.

Drake didn't answer, simply crossing his arms. The Sea Serpent made a draw as he looked at him.

_Hmm… _thought the Duel Spirit. _I can get rid of one of those two cards… But not both of them…_

He looked at Drake.

He played the card, which was Mystical Space Typhoon. One of Drake's two set cards lifted up and shattered.

_Crap! _thought the Sea Serpent, when he saw what it was. _Card from a Different Dimension?_

_That was likely a bluff, and his other card is something worse…_

He looked at Drake nervously.

"Afraid?" asked Drake.

The Duel Monster growled.

"Afraid?" he shouted. "I'm Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness! Do you think I'm afraid of some human?"

"Is that supposed to impress me?" asked Drake. "I mean, it's not like your card is the King of the Sea… It's a Level 4 Vanilla that's not even qualified to join the Nineteen-Hundred Club…"

The creature snarled.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve there?" asked Drake. "You actually asked to join them, didn't you?"

_That's it… _he thought. _Get angry… Get angry enough to want to tear me a new one…_

"Aero Shark, wipe that smile of Dimensional Alchemist's face!" shouted the Sea Serpent.

The two torpedoes blasted again, blowing the strange Fairy into little pieces.

"You activated its effect, big guy," said Drake. "When Dimensional Alchemist gets clobbered, I get to recover one of my banished Monsters."

A card appeared in his hand, in a soft golden glow.

"Try to shake _this _off," replied Sea Serpent. "Bahamut Shark, attack directly with Leviathan's Rage!"

Bahamut Shark let out a loud scream, and then blasted blue flames from its jaws. Drake shrieked and fell over as a wave of heat and a powerful impact hit him.

**(D: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 3,600)**

_A shark that breathes fire? _he thought. _You can't get much more impossible than that…_

His Trap Card flipped up.

"I use Shock Draw!" he shouted. "So I can draw three times…"

He made three draws, and then stood up.

"So now what?"

Sea Serpent grumbled, and then set a card.

"Worry about that," he said, as it appeared in his Spell Zone. "I end my turn…"

Drake drew a card. Then he threw it into his Disk.

"I play Soul Release!" he shouted. "I'll banish five of my own cards…"

Five cards – Spell Striker, Peten, Card from a Different Dimension, Diskblade Rider, and Bazoo – all appeared behind him, and dissolved into particles of light.

"And then I'll summon the Monster I got from my Alchemist's effect…"

He threw the card on his Disk, and a roaring inferno started to burn on his side of the field…

To the Warrior of Darkness' shock, Gren Maju Da Eiza appeared out of the conflagration.

"What in the world…" he shouted. "When did you banish _that?"_

"When I used Bazoo's effect," replied Drake.

"Why…" gasped the creature.

"So I could do exactly what I _did _do," replied Drake. "Recover it more easily later. With my deck, banishing a Monster is a good way to do that.

"Now then, as of right now, I have eleven banished cards, and Gren gains 400 Attack Points for each…"

(4,400 ATK)

"One fish-fry coming up," he said. "Attack Submersible Carrier Aero Shark with Chaos Flames!"

The Chaos Demon's eyes glowed… Then a blast of fire so intense that it turned the sky over the beach red reduced the Xyz to a smoldering pile of ash as his opponent covered his head.

"Wait a minute…" said Drake.

**(D: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 3,600)**

"You didn't lose any Life Points?"

"Fortunately…" muttered the Sea Serpent. "See, my Deckmaster effect took a while to prepare, but it was worth it…

"See, I was able to store the energy from each Fish, Sea Serpent, and Aqua Monster that I banished, and by using the energy from four of them, I was able to reduce the damage I took to zero.

"And that's not all… I now get to draw once for every 1,000 points of damage that I would have taken…"

He made two draws.

Drake took two cards and fit them into his Disk. Two set cards appeared in front of him.

"That will end my turn…" he said.

The Sea Serpent made a draw. Then he chuckled a bit.

"I activate Fish and Kicks!" he shouted.

"Eh?" said Drake.

The Spell Card appeared, and a vicious school of 7 Colored Fish shot out of it. They swarmed Gren Maju Da Eiza and the Fiend roared… Then it burst in a cloud of red smoke.

"What happened?" demanded Drake.

"That Spell Card can only be activated if I have at least three banished Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua Monsters," replied the Sea Serpent, "and lets me banish one of your Monsters. Ironic that I used it on Gren Maju Da Eiza, wouldn't you say?

"Next, I activate Call of the Haunted…"

His Trap Card lifted up, and Big Jaws appeared in front of him again. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, I'll sacrifice it…" he said.

The nasty Fish turned into a watery orb.

"…to summon Jawsman!"

The Monster that appeared in Big Jaws' place was downright _ugly. _ It looked like a big, fanged mouth, with arms and legs that each had two more fanged mouths. That about described it. (2,600 ATK)

"And it gains 300 Attack Points for each Water Monster I have."

(3,200 ATK)

"That's overkill, fellah," said Drake.

"Then I might as well take it up to eleven," replied the Sea Serpent, as he played another card. "I activate Monster Reborn!"

With a golden glow, Big Jaws appeared again. (1,800 ATK) Jawsman's Attack Score increased further, to 3,500.

"Attack him directly Bahamut Shark!" he shouted. "Leviathan's Rage!"

"I activate… Escape from the Dark Dimension!" shouted Drake, as one of his two set cards lifted up.

"This means I get to Special Summon a banished Dark Monster to defend me…"

A dark portal opened, and Necro Gardna emerged. It kneeled, and crossed its arms. (1,300 DEF)

"Wait…" said Sea Serpent. "You… Never used that guy's effect."

"True…" said Drake. "It was the other card I banished to strengthen Bazoo."

The Duel Spirit gave him a look that was hard to decipher… A look that suggested he was having a hard time believing this…

"Ah, have it your way!" he shouted.

Bahamut Shark breathed flames at the Warrior…

"I activate… Shrink!" shouted Drake, as his other set card lifted up.

The Duel Spirit gasped as his Xyz Monster was reduced to half its size. (1,300 ATK) The blast of fire bounced off the Dark Warrior.

"Now I'm angry!" shouted the Sea Serpent. "Big Jaws, _you _destroy it."

The shark pounced on Necro Gardna, swallowing it in one gulp.

"Jawsman, attack directly with Shark Stream!"

"In case you didn't notice, fellah…" said Drake, "you just sent Necro Gardna to my Graveyard, so now, I _can _use its effect."

As a blast of high-pressure water shot towards him, Necro Gardna's phantom appeared in its path, deflecting the liquid onslaught before vanishing.

"Damn it!" cursed the creature. "Why won't you just die? ARRGH!"

He stopped, and looked at Drake.

"Okay, I said it…" he said. "Now I feel better. It's your move…"

"Here we GO!" shouted Drake, as he drew a card.

"I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn," he said, "so now, I recover it this turn, and we both draw twice…"

The card appeared in his hand with a glow, and then he made two draws.

Sea Serpent made two draws, and a sparkle appeared in his eye. One of the two cards was a _very _powerful Monster called Ancient Shark Hyper Megalodon.

_This should come in handy… _he thought.

"I summon D.D. Destroyer!" shouted Drake.

He played the card, and an ugly-looking imp with blue skin, small horns, a mane of blonde hair, hairy arms, a lolling tongue, and small wings on its back appeared in front of him. (1,000 ATK)

The Sea Serpent looked at it for a minute.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" he said with a chuckle. "When you called it a 'Destroyer' and I saw it was a _really _ugly Fiend, I thought for a few seconds it was actually capable of destroying my Monsters…"

"Actually, it's a Warrior…" said Drake, "and it _can… _but not without help.

"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Different Dimension Gate!"

He fit the card into his Disk, and a large apparatus slowly started to rise behind him. It was a portal of shimmering, multicolored lights surrounded by a silvery, metal frame, mounted on a stone pedestal.

"By playing this Spell Card, I'm able to banish _two _Monsters," he said. "There is one small catch… One of them has to be mine.

"So… I'll banish my D.D. Destroyer, and _your _Jawsman!"

The portal glowed, and both Drake's Monster and the hideous sea creature were sucked through it.

"Big deal," grunted the Sea Serpent. "I still have two Monsters left."

"And you're about to have only one," replied Drake. "See, using D.D. Destroyer with Different Dimension Gate is a _very _potent combo. When Destroyer is banished, I get to destroy one of your cards. Two for the price of one."

A powerful blast of energy shot from the Gate, hitting Bahamut Shark. The Xyz exploded in a blast that shook the whole beach.

"Why, I oughta…" said the Sea Serpent.

"Hold that thought…" said Drake. "I use my Deckmaster effect…

"D.D. Warrior Lady… Twilight Portal!"

The Warrior's eyes glowed, and both Golden Homunculus and Peten the Dark Clown appeared behind Drake.

"By banishing one Light and one Dark Monster from my Graveyard and paying 1,000 Life Points," he continued, "I can Special Summon a banished Level 4 or lower Monster…"

In another blaze of hellfire, Gren Maju Da Eiza reappeared.

"Now, let's count them up!" he said. "As of right now, the number of cards that I've banished…"

Several of his cards rushed past behind him in a row: two copies of Good Goblin Housekeeping, three copies of Peten the Dark Clown, Necro Gardna, Golden Homunculus, Spell Striker, Diskblade Rider, Bazoo the Soul Eater, D.D. Destroyer, and Hand Destruction.

"That makes twelve…"

(4,800 ATK)

"Now I play… The Double Attack Spell Card!"

He threw the card into his Disk.

"This lets one of my Monsters attack twice in one turn, so long as I discard one that's a higher Level. So, if my D.D. Guide is Level 4…"

He discarded the card.

"…that means my Level 3 Gren Maju Da Eiza can really cut loose!"

The roaring inferno started again, engulfing Big Jaws and reducing it to ash.

"One more time, big guy!" shouted Drake. "Let him have it!"

Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness screamed as the onslaught of hellfire hit him this time… He fell backwards into the surf behind him…

**(D: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (SSWOD: 0)**

"Had enough?" asked Drake. "Or do I have to get tough?"

The Duel Spirit chuckled a little as he got up. Steam was rising from his exoskeleton, and it was hard to tell whether he was actually amused or annoyed and trying to hide it.

"By all means…" he said.

He lifted his hand, and a portal appeared next to him.

"Finally…" said Drake, as he walked towards the portal.

"I like you, kid…" said the Duel Spirit. "You've got a lot of spunk…"

A pair of cards appeared in his hand.

"Take these…" he said. "Consider them a souvenir."

Drake looked at him for a minute. Then he took the two cards.

They looked interesting… One was a Monster, the other a card you apparently needed to summon it…

He looked at his opponent again.

_When "the cake is a lie", so to speak, can you trust ANY reward that someone gives you? _he thought.

He pocketed the two cards, and went through the portal with that in his mind.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Stan and Andy's pursuit of whoever had grabbed Unicorn Princess hadn't exactly turned into a high-speed chase, but it had turned into an uphill one. The portal had led to a system of stairs going up, and carrying Francesca up them wasn't proving to be easy.

"Man, they're probably long gone by now…" moaned Stan.

"I tend to doubt it…" said Andy. "If I had to guess, this is all some trap that the Queen is leading us into… And Unicorn Princess is being used as bait.

"Besides, I think I see a door up ahead…"

Indeed, as they turned onto the last set of stairs, it seemed to terminate in a doorway. They climbed up to it, and Stan carefully opened it… A bright light quickly overwhelmed them…

Before they knew it, they had been transported to another room. They hadn't even entered the door, but they were here now. This place seemed a lot more modern than most other places in the Palace of Shadow… A large arena-sized room with eight walls…

And the most distinguishing feature were the three metal doors in front of them, one in the center of each of the three walls on the far side…

**0000000000**

**SHARK LAIR (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **An undersea cave shaped like a shark's mouth, with glowing eyes peering out from the opening.

**Card Description: **Send 1 Fish-Type Monster from your hand to the Graveyard upon activating this card. Your opponent cannot declare an attack with a Monster with a lower ATK than the sent Monster.

_Note: "Shark Lair" was first used by Ryoga in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "The Shark Hunter". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**RIGHT-HAND SHARK (Monster Card)**

Fish/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,500ATK/800DEF

Effect: If you control no cards, you may Special Summon this card from your Graveyard in Attack Position. If this card leaves the field after being Special Summoned this way, banish it.

**0000000000**

**LEFT-HAND SHARK (Monster Card)**

Fish/Water/Effect/Lvl3/1,300ATK/600DEF

Effect: If you control a face-up "Right-Hand Shark", you may Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard. If this card is Special Summoned this way, increase its Level by 1, and banish it if it leaves the field.

_Note: "Right-Hand Shark" and "Left-Hand Shark" were first used by Ryoga in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" manga, Rank 019. (The Types and Attributes given here are assumptions, and liberties have been taken to give them more balance.) Creative credit goes to the writers._

**0000000000**

**FISHMONGER (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The Bistro Butcher standing behind the counter of a fish market whose merchandise includes Royal Swamp Eels and Terrorking Salmons. The Goblin of Greed and the merchant from "Fine" are shopping in the market.

**Card Description: **Activate only during your Main Phase 1. Banish 2 Fish, Aqua, and/or Sea Serpent-Type Monsters you control and pay 1,000 Life Points. Draw 2 cards.

**0000000000**

**MEGAMOUTH SHARK (Monster Card)**

Fish/Water/Effect/Lvl6/1,500ATK/600DEF

Effect: When this card is Tribute Summoned, you Tribute 1 Fish-Type Monster except this one and select 1 of your banished Fish-Type Monsters and Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position. The Level of this card then becomes the Level of the Special Summoned Monster until the End Phase of the turn. This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster.

**0000000000**

"**Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness": **Sea Serpent/Water/Lvl4/1,800/1,500: "Squall Shield": When a Fish, Aqua, or Sea Serpent Monster is banished, place one "Squall Counter" on this card. If your opponent declares an attack, you may remove 4 "Squall Counters" from this card to reduce the Battle Damage to zero and draw 1 card for every 1,000 points of damage you would have taken.

**0000000000**

"**D.D. Warrior Lady": **Warrior/Light/Lvl4/1,500/1,600: "Twilight Portal": Once per turn, you may banish 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK Monster from your Graveyard and pay 1,000 Life Points. Select 1 of your Level 4 or lower banished Monsters and Special Summon it.

**0000000000**

_**Okay, time to get back to serious business. The Queen is trying something new, and it's about to start. Most tyrants tend to punish minions who fail them in cruel and unfair ways, and the Queen is no exception… But she's a rare case… She is often willing to give some of them a second chance…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: Ever since I saw **_**The Dark Knight, **_**I've been scared of clowns… And let's face it, you can't blame that movie or Mr. Ledger for the concept of clowns being scary. The concept of "Evil Clowns" is a very common theme in the media. Pretty much anything involving the character he played does the job. (Jack Nicholson didn't do a bad rendition either.)**_

_**It would take hours to list the number of times that the theme has been done. There was Buggy the Clown in **_**One Piece**_** (although he was more-or-less harmless), and Violator, a demon from the **_**Spawn **_**comic books. The hero Blade once fought **_**vampire**_** clowns, literally. Steven King used this theme in his book **_**It, **_**and the cult classic movie **_**Killer Klowns from Outer Space **_**had a plot that suggested that the very presence of clowns in Earth's culture was because of distorted memories of ancient visits by aliens that looked like them.**_

_**But I'm rambling…**_

_**They say a good way to overcome a fear is to face it… That may be true, but I would have liked to have had some choice in the matter…**_

"_**Wicked Rebirth" is coming soon. **_


	48. Wicked Rebirth

_**If you're a fan of science fiction and fantasy, you notice that evil overlords and dark tyrants have something in common: They're bad employers. **_

_**Maybe it has a lot to do with the fact that they tend to have bad employees. (A common joke among **_**Star Wars **_**fans is that the Empire must spend very little of their budget on rifle training for Imperial Stormtroopers, due to the fact that they don't seem able to hit the broad side of barn in the original three movies.) But villains seem to abuse their henchmen cruelly, and punish them mercilessly for failure.**_

_**This leads to the question of just how these overlords attract minions in the first place, if you think about it enough. Of course, if you're willing to believe that faster-than-light travel is possible and that super-weapons like the Death Star can be built, then maybe it's not much of a stretch. **_

_**Anyway… We thought at first that the Queen was just as cruel as this type of person, and we were probably right as far as most of her victims go… But regarding her henchmen, it seems she might be more lenient than most… She's actually willing to give second chances…**_

_**And forgive me for saying this… I almost wish she hadn't…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-EIGHT**

**0000000000**

**Wicked Rebirth**

**0000000000**

**00000**

In the lounge where the six Shadow Spawn were staying, all of them except Leopold and Vladimir were gathered around a table. Leopold was sitting on a couch reading, while Vladimir was leaning against the wall, watching the four at the table.

Melissa rubbed her chin.

"Okay…" she said, slowly. "I believe…"

She paused.

"…that it was Miss Scarlet, in the Billiard Room, with the Lead Pipe."

Maria, Tyson, and Kurtis looked at her. Then Kurtis took the envelope from the center of the game board, and opened it.

He took out the three cards, and looked at them.

"Damn it!" he shouted, throwing them down.

Melissa giggled as Maria cursed under her breath and Tyson slammed his head on the table.

"She won again, huh?" asked Leopold, as he turned the page of his book. "_What_ a surprise…"

"You guys have to admit," said Melissa, "I'm either the greatest _Clue _player who's ever lived, or you guys just stink."

"Where's a real lead pipe when you need one?" asked Tyson.

"You know guys," said Leopold. "If losing at _Clue _is going to make you this angry, Duel Monsters might have been a bad idea…"

"Why are you guys playing board games anyway?" asked Vladimir, with an annoyed tone to his voice. "If we screw up the second time mom needs us, there may well not _be _a third time!"

"So what are we supposed to do while we're waiting for her to call us?" asked Maria. "Sit on our butts, dreading that possibility with every waking moment?"

"Know what's wrong with you, Vlad?" asked Tyson. "You're a pessimist. No-one likes a pessimist.

"No-one likes people with inflated egos, either," replied Vladimir. "That's what all of you are, and that's a big part of what caused you all to lose."

"Like you did any better…" mumbled Kurtis.

Vladimir didn't answer. He sighed, and turned around, opening the door to the washroom.

_He's right… _he thought, as he turned on the sink.

He took his sunglasses off, and splashed water on his face.

_I didn't do any better against Andy than Tyson did… And the thing is, Andy was different than anyone else I've ever dueled…_

_There was something in him I never saw in an opponent… Something I never even saw in Pennington…_

He turned off the water, and looked down for a few seconds.

"Something troubling you?" asked Count Bleck's voice.

Vladimir looked up quickly, and saw Bleck's face in the mirror.

"Who the devil are you?" he asked. "As the Heir of Shadow, I demand to know!"

"Like I said, I'm an enemy of your mother," replied Bleck, "but hopefully, not to you…"

"Did you just hear me?" repeated Vladimir, his temper starting to rise. "I just used my authority as the Queen's heir apparent to give you a direct order. That's something I almost _never _do, and not something I particularly enjoy. I want some answers, pal…"

"You and your siblings will likely have to face those three kids again soon," replied Bleck, apparently sidestepping the question. "I doubt your mother expects the henchmen who are dealing with them right now to do anything more than slow them down. When that happens, then one way or another, I'll explain everything.

"You have my word. Until then, that card I gave you should help a great deal. It's a one-of-a-kind card, and wasn't easy to get."

Vladimir took the card out of his shirt pocket and looked at it.

"Is it magic?" he asked.

"Yes…" replied Bleck. "It's little more than a toy compared to, say, the Orichalcos, but it has a subtle effect…

"Give it try… It may yet work wonders…"

Then he vanished from the mirror.

**0000000000**

Andy gently put Francesca down.

"So…" he started. "Three doors… But nothing to open them, it seems…"

Then something slowly started to rise from the floor in front of them. It was a cube-shaped pedestal, about three feet to each side, with a slight slant on the top.

Andy and Stan looked at it. There were three buttons on the top that were shaped like stars, of three different colors: blue, yellow, and red. The top of the cube was violet.

They took hold of the amulets they were wearing and looked at them.

"Uh huh…" said Stan. "And Fran's has yellow stars. That's a pretty obvious hint…

"The Queen is leading us into something, you realize?"

"Well, Unicorn Princess isn't here, and I don't see what else we can do," said Andy.

"Point taken," said Stan.

He held up his fist. Andy nodded, and held up his.

They shook once, twice, and then Stan's hand opened, paper, while Andy's two fingers jutted out, scissors.

"Okay…" said Andy. "Here goes nothing…"

He pressed the blue button, and with a loud rumble, the cube retracted back into the floor, while the door on the left started to rise into the ceiling. As it did, they heard an evil laugh coming from the other side…

"I know that laugh…" said Andy.

No sooner did the door open fully than a figure leap into the room, somersaulting as he did.

"Saggi!" gasped Andy.

"In the flesh!" laughed the Dark Clown, bowing and tipping his hat. (600 ATK) "Miss me?

"Oh yeah…" said Andy. "The way I missed intestinal flu…"

"You can't believe how happy I was when the Queen told me you had made it this far, chuckles…" replied Saggi. "I owe you… I owe you a _lot…"_

"Can't you just write a check?" sighed Andy. "Where's Unicorn Princess, wise-guy?"

"A friend of mine is taking very good care of her," replied Saggi. "But you're going to have to deal with me first."

"What do you mean?" replied Andy.

"DUH!" said Saggi. "We duel! What do you think?"

"I'd rather have a tooth pulled!" snapped Andy. "I'm not dealing with you, Saggi, now tell this 'friend' to get out here!"

"Oh, I see…" said Saggi. "Well, the problem with that is…"

He threw his left arm forward, and a very familiar lash of energy shot from his wrist, snagging Andy by _his _left wrist.

"…I'm not asking permission!"

"Good lord, it's the same thing he used last time!" shouted Stan. "The one that Chaos Sorcerer had too…"

"All right!" shouted Andy, as the cuff faded from sight. "Seeing as I don't have a choice… If you're so eager to get your ass handed to you again…"

Saggi smirked, and then looked at the deck in his Duel Disk.

_Little does he know, I have a completely different deck this time… _he thought. _I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid…_

"I need a Deckmaster right?" said Andy. "And I suppose you'll be your own?"

Saggi nodded, and Andy started looking through his cards.

_Looks like he's going first in this duel… _he thought. _I don't even _have _any Monsters with Attack Scores lower than 600…_

_Maybe this guy will work…_

He lifted up a card, and Des Volstgalph appeared behind him with a loud roar. (2,200 ATK)

Then he took his sunglasses out of his pocket, and put them on. He Disk activated.

"Let the show begin!" cackled the Dark Clown.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Saggi: 8,000)**

"For my first move…" said the jester, as he drew.

He threw two cards onto his Disk, and two set cards appeared, one in each of his Zones.

"Your move, big guy…" he said.

"Fine…" said Andy, as he drew a card.

"And I'm gonna wipe that silly grin right off your face! I summon Masked Dragon!"

He threw the card on his Disk, and Masked Dragon materialized. It snarled, clearly remembering Saggi from last time and not liking the memory. (1,400 ATK)

"Andy, don't rush into things here…" said Stan.

"Please, Stan," said Andy, "I beat this guy once, I can do it again…

"Attack!"

The blast of fire shot towards the set card, roasting Mystic Tomato to a crisp.

"Why thank you…" said Saggi.

The ashes lifted up, and turned into a black swirl of energy that formed into another Mystic Tomato. (1,400 ATK)

"All right, all right…" said Andy, as he set a card in his Disk.

_Dragon's Rage should be good later, _he thought. _For now, let's just see what he's got._

"Go ahead…" he said.

"Meh, heh, heh…" snickered Saggi, as he made a draw.

"I'll sacrifice my big vegetable…" he said, as Mystic Tomato vanished.

Then he stopped short.

"Or are tomatoes fruits? I've never been very clear on that…

"Oh, Hell with it, I'm a clown, not a botanist! I summon Dragon Seeker!"

A large, very ugly Fiend appeared. It had a hunched back, large claws, and a hide that strangely looked both reptilian and made of stone at the same time. (2,000 ATK)

'Dragon Seeker?" asked Andy. "What the…"

"That's a pretty old card…" said Stan.

"Old, yes…" replied Saggi. "But quite useful… By Normal Summoning it, I get to destroy one Dragon."

Two beams of red energy shot from the Fiend's eyes, vaporizing Masked Dragon.

"HEY!" shouted Andy.

"And now that he's taken care of that," said Saggi, as its eyes started to glow again, "he's going to take care of _you!"_

The eye beams shot again, this time hitting Andy in the chest, and knocking him on his back.

**(A: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)**

"Okay…" he groaned. "So you've learned a few new tricks…"

"A few?" chuckled Saggi. "Believe me, Andy, I may be an old dog, but I take to new tricks rather easily. You haven't seen anything yet!

"I'll set one card…"

A face-down card appeared behind Dragon Seeker.

"…and then it's your turn…"

"All right, MY move!" shouted Andy, as he made a draw.

"You're going down, you, you… You _clown, _you!"

"You call _that _an insult?" laughed Saggi.

"I summon Cave Dragon!" shouted Andy, as he played a card.

Cave Dragon appeared on the field, and he normally lethargic Dragon perked up a bit when it saw Saggi, frowning and snarling a bit. (2,000 ATK)

"Next," said Andy, "I play Polymerization!

"And I fuse together Red Eyes Black Dragon and Goddess With the Third Eye…"

The Fusion card appeared, followed by the Dark Dragon and the Fairy. The Goddess' central eye opened, and she slowly shifted forms, turning into a copy of Meteor Dragon.

Then the two Monsters were drawn through the Fusion portal, and with a loud roar, Meteor Black Dragon emerged. (3,500 ATK)

Francesca groaned, and opened her eyes a little.

"Stan?" she said slowly. "What… Where?"

"Calm down, Fran…" he said. "Everything's gonna be fine…

"Andy's dueling someone right now, but don't worry… I think he's about to kick some serious ass!"

"Meteor Black Dragon…" ordered Andy, as the huge Fusion Monster's eyes glowed red, "obliterate his Dragon Seeker!"

Huge balls of flame shot from the giant Dragon's mouth, illuminating the whole room a hellish red glow right before it hit the Fiend.

"Ergh, argh… gah…" said Saggi.

He took some deep gasps.

"I use my Deckmaster effect!" he shouted. "It's a little trick I call Black Comedy, but it's no laughing matter!

"See, whenever you destroy one of my Dark-Attribute Fiend or Spellcaster Monsters, I only have to pay 800 Life Points to take another Monster of the same Type and lower Level from my deck…"

A card slipped out of his deck.

"You'd best hope it was a good one…" said Andy. "Cave Dragon, attack directly with Noxious Gust!"

The overweight Dragon let out a loud belch, blowing a cloud of poison gas at the mad clown. He grunted and fell over on his bum.

**(A: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,700)**

Then Saggi sniggered a little again. His face-down lifted up.

"I use the Shock Draw Trap Card!" he laughed. "I may have lost more than half my Life Points…"

He made three draws.

"…but you know the old saying… There's no such thing as a free ride…"

"It's your move…" said Andy.

"Oh, by all means…" said the clown, as he stood up.

He made another draw.

"I summon the dreaded Fusion Devourer!"

He played a card, and a Monster appeared that could be described in one word: ugly. It looked like a mass of thick, ropy tentacles, each one tipped with a ghoulish face, sprouting from a saucer-shaped base with a big, toothy mouth on the front. The tentacles writhed and ghostly moans came from the faces. (1,400 ATK)

"Ugh!" shouted Andy.

"Dreaded to Fusion Monsters anyway," continued Saggi, "because this guy truly earns his name. Whenever it battles a Fusion Monster, that Monster's Attack Score is reduced to a big goose egg!

"I'll demonstrate… Attack his Meteor Black Dragon!"

The Fiend gave a loud, ghostly howl, and a swarm of hideous phantoms shot out of the creature, flying towards Meteor Black Dragon and mobbing it. The Dragon let out a loud scream… (0 ATK)

Then it burst, and Andy gripped his chest. It felt like an icicle had been driven through it…

"I'm not done with you yet, buster," said Saggi, as his Trap Card lifted up. "Next I'm using Crevice into the Different Dimension. By playing this Trap, I'm able to name one Attribute, and then banish two Monsters of that Attribute from either Graveyard.

"So I'm naming Fire…"

Andy grimaced as both Masked Dragon and Meteor Black Dragon fell out of his Graveyard slot.

"Then I'm playing Tribute to the Doomed," continued Saggi, "and discarding one card to destroy one Monster."

He played the Spell Card, and then discarded a card.

"Give you one guess which one it is…"

A bolt of energy struck Cave Dragon, and it groaned, then shattered.

"Meh, heh, heh…" he said. "It's your move…"

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,700)**

"Ooh… Stan?" said Francesca.

"Fran, take it easy…" said Stan. "Andy can handle himself just fine…"

_I hope… _he thought.

Andy drew a card, and looked at Fusion Devourer.

_Clearly, Saggi reworked his deck with me in mind… _he thought. _Clearly it's full of cards that are useful against Fusions AND Dragons…_

_But it does have one flaw… I doubt he has many that are good against both at once!_

He threw a card on his Disk, and Mirage Dragon appeared in a beam of light. (1,600 ATK)

"Wipe that thing out with Spectrum Blast!" he shouted.

The rainbow-colored beam of light shot at Fusion Devourer, and the ugly creature let out a low moan, right before it was reduced to pool of black ichor.

"So much for that thing," said Andy. "So what's next, funny-man?"

_Oh, Andy… _thought Saggi, _you have no idea…_

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,500)**

The evil clown made a draw.

There it was… The incredibly rare card that the Queen had given him for this duel. How she got it, he had no idea. _Why _she had trusted him with it, he had even less of an idea. Honestly, if he had gotten a card like this, he would never have shared it with anyone.

Still, she had, and it was a powerful weapon, so long as you knew how to use it…

He fit it in his Disk, and it appeared set in his Spell Zone. Then he took a Spell Card from his hand.

"Okay, laughing-boy," he said, "I'm paying 1,000 Life Points to play Abyssal Designator. I get to name a Type and Attribute, and if you have a Monster that matches, you send it to your Graveyard.

"I choose Spellcaster, Dark."

Andy looked at him funny. Then he took his deck, and looked through it until he found Lord of Dragons.

"Oo-kay…" he said. "I'll choose this one…"

"Lord of Dragons, right?" said Saggi, with a grin, as Andy shuffled his deck. "Kind of figured you'd choose that one… After all, what other Dark Spellcasters does your deck have?"

He held up another Spell Card.

"Then I play Dark Designator!" he exclaimed. "Now I can…"

"I know what it does," said Andy. "So what Monster already?"

"Divine Dragon Ragnarok…" said Saggi.

Andy gave him the same funny look, and took the card from his deck.

_How is this helping him? _he thought.

"Then, I play Card Destruction!" shouted Saggi, as he played a third Spell Card. "We both dump all our cards and draw and equal number."

_This is a weird strategy… _thought Stan, as both duelists discarded three cards. _Why would Saggi purposely send both of King Dragun's components to Andy's Graveyard? It would only make it easier for Andy to Fusion Summon it using Dragon's Mirror._

Both Andy and Saggi made three new draws. Andy sighed. Still no Dragon's Mirror, unfortunately…

"And I end my turn…" said Saggi.

**(A: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,500)**

Now Andy's expression was one of shock.

_No Monsters? _he thought. _Nothing but that face-down card? Doesn't this jerk know that he can't use Traps to stop my Dragons' attacks when I have Mirage Dragon on the field?_

He made a draw.

"I'm ending this now, Saggi!" he shouted. "I summon Ancient Dragon!"

In a beam of light, the beautiful golden Dragon appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Or so you think," said Saggi. "Spell Card activate!"

The face-down card lifted up… Andy stopped short.

"Uh…" he said. "Scrap Fusion? Never saw it before…"

"And I doubt you ever will again," said Saggi. "You can't get a card like this just anywhere…

"Want to see what it can do? You now have all the Fusion Materials for one of your Fusion Monsters in your Graveyard… This Spell lets me banish both of them…

"And THEN fuse them together to summon said Fusion Monster…"

"WHAT?" shouted Andy.

"You haven't heard the punch line yet!" said Saggi, with an evil cackle. "I don't even need a King Dragun in my Extra Deck, I can summon the one from _yours!"_

As he said that, the phantom images of Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok flew out of Andy's Disk, and turned into a crackling orb of darkness on Saggi's side of the field. Then Andy's Duel Disk glowed, and King Dragun appeared on Saggi's side of the field. (2,400 ATK)

"That's playing dirty!" shouted Andy.

"Where the Hell did a nutcase like you get a card that powerful?" shouted Stan.

"Dunno," replied Saggi. "Where does Lex Luthor get kryptonite? I kind of doubt that you can find stuff like that at the corner drugstore."

"Mirage Dragon moves to Defense Mode…" growled Andy, as the wispy Dragon curled up in a ball. (600 DEF) "Then I'll set this face-down…"

A set card appeared behind his two Monsters.

"That's all I can do…"

Saggi laughed evilly as he made a draw.

"Well, I can do _lots!" _he cackled. "I've always thought it would be fun to take one of these things for a spin… Destroy his Ancient Dragon with Twilight Burn!"

King Dragun aimed his scepter, and the blast of dark fire shot at Andy's Dragon. Andy cried out in pain as his Monster was burned to ashes.

"What do you know?" he laughed. "That _was _pretty fun! I kinda see why you love this card so much!"

**(A: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,500)**

"Stan…" said Francesca, as she woke up a little. "What's the score?"

"Uh…" said Stan. "Andy's… winning…"

Stan looked at King Dragun, worried a little.

_Saggi has a pretty solid plan, _he thought. _But it has one serious flaw. Andy literally needs only one card to summon a Monster that can defeat King Dragun._

_If he could just draw Dragon's Mirror, he could fuse Red Eyes and Goddess in his Graveyard together into Black Skull Dragon…_

_Let's just hope he manages to do so before Saggi finishes him off…_

Saggi chuckled again, and dramatically threw another card into his Disk, causing it to appear set in his Spell Zone.

"I'm done…" he said with a smile.

Andy drew a card.

"Eh?" he said.

_It's that card that appeared after I beat Diana… _he thought. _Well, I guess I only won by technicality but… I still won the card…_

"Hey, Saggi!" he shouted. "You were wrong about something… Lord of Dragons isn't the only Dark Spellcaster in my deck…"

"Huh?" said Saggi.

"It is my pleasure to introduce…" said Andy, as he played the card.

An arcane, magical circle appeared on the floor in front of him.

"_Lady of Dragons!"_

A svelte, humanoid form rose from the circle…

It was a young, female sorceress, with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, her bangs held back by a black tiara with four upward-pointing spikes. She wore a black robe with a skirt and golden highlights and a long, flowing cape with a collar turned up (but not nearly as large as Lord of Dragons' collar). (1,500 ATK)

"_Lady _of Dragons?" said Saggi, looking quizzically at the new Monster. "This whole equal opportunity thing is getting ridiculous!"

"Whatever you say…" said Andy. "By the way, so long as she's on the field, my Mirage Dragon is off limits. You aren't allowed to attack any of my Dragons.

"I'll end my turn there…"

"Meh, heh, heh!" laughed Saggi, as he made a draw. "But I can still attack _her, _and in case you didn't notice, your girlfriend only has 1,500 Attack Points. Even an amateur at this game knows that when two Monsters battle, the one with the lower score loses.

"Attack Lady of Dragons, King Dragun!"

King Dragon took a long look at Lady of Dragons… Then he pointed his staff, and the burning stream shot towards the female wizard…

Then Andy quickly took one of his two cards – Twin-Headed Behemoth – and discarded it. She covered herself with her cape, and the flames glanced off.

"Say what?" said Saggi.

**(A: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,500)**

"Lose, maybe," said Andy. "However, due to her effect, I can protect her from being destroyed by battle if I discard a Dragon from my hand, like I just did."

_This is getting less funny by the minute… _thought Saggi.

He looked over his four cards.

_All right Andy… Next turn, no more clowning around…_

He fit a card into his deck, and a set card materialized in his Spell Zone in a twinkle of light.

"It's your move…" he said.

Andy drew a card. Then he played it and the Sweet Feast card appeared in front of him.

"Now I get to make four draws…" he said.

He drew four times.

"All right, funny-man," he said.

He played a card, and Alexandrite Dragon appeared on the field in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Then, with Mirage Dragon and Lady of Dragons…"

The spiraling vortex opened.

"…I build the Overlay Network!"

The two Monsters turned into glowing, dark orbs, and then Queen Dragun rose out of the vortex. (2,200 ATK)

She looked King Dragun in the eye, and he quickly looked away.

"Don't worry," said Andy, softly, "I have an idea…"

"I'm ditching one of Queen Dragun's Overlay Units," he said, out loud.

The Queen started to strum her harp, playing an odd melody. Red Eyes Black Dragon rose onto the field. (2,400 ATK)

"I can't attack with him this turn…" he continued. "So… I'll set these two cards…"

Two face-down cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then I'll activate _this _one…"

A Spell Card lifted up.

"Reload! I'll send these two cards back to my deck…"

He fit the two cards into his deck, and then shuffled.

"…and make two new draws…"

He drew two cards.

"Which means I've effectively escaped the side effect of Sweet Feast entirely. So it's your move…"

"Clever…" growled Saggi.

He drew a card.

Then he started laughing. He laughed a loud, long, cackling laugh.

"Ooh…" muttered Francesca. "Why is he laughing like a maniac?"

"Other than the fact that he _is _one?" asked Stan.

"I activate Dimensional Regression," laughed Saggi, as his Trap Card lifted up. "By doing so, all banished Monsters return to the owners' decks."

Andy looked in shock as two small orbs of light flew into his deck and another into his Extra Deck.

"Uh…" said Andy. "Not that I'm not grateful, but… WHY?"

"I'll tell you later…" said Saggi. "Next, I'm going to summon a Monster who's a big piece of garbage.

"Literally. I pay 2,000 Life Points to Special Summon Garbage Lord!"

As he played the card, a foul wind started to blow old scraps of newspaper, rags, and other trash onto the field. The wind blew the trash into a cyclone, and they were consumed in a sickening green shadow…

Standing there was an ominous-looking Fiend with dark skin, wearing a cloak made out old rags and a pointed helmet, holding a long staff with a mace-shaped head. (0 ATK)

"Next," said Saggi, "I'll use my Inferno Reckless Summon so I can have _three _Garbage Lords."

The Quickplay Spell Card appeared in front of him, and two more of the mysterious Fiends appeared. (0 ATK x2)

"Three Level 5 Monsters?" gasped Stan. "Oh, this is bad…"

"More than you think…" chuckled Saggi, as the three Garbage Lords were consumed by the Overlay Network. "I'm going to summon an Xyz Monster more powerful than that trollop of yours could ever hope to be…"

Then something started to rise from the floor… Rising higher, and higher, and higher… It was literally huge. A hideous, evil laugh started to fill the room…

The creature's face resembled a clown… More or less. It had a red, rubber nose, white make-up, a silly green wig, and a goofy hat. But it also had evil, glowing eyes, and a mouth full of metallic fangs. Its arms had puffy, pink sleeves like those that a clown had, and white glows.

The rest of its body wasn't very clown-like at all. Its torso was covered in metallic armor, and instead of legs, it had tank treads at the bottom as its means of movement. It held a very large steel mallet in its arms, proportionately the size of one that would come with some carnival strength tester game.

(2,800 ATK)

All of a sudden, a very _familiar _aura of incredible evil filled the room, and Francesca truly woke up.

"What's going on?" she shouted, as she stood up.

"I'll tell you what's going on…" said Stan, as he looked at the huge robot clown. "Smithy strikes again…"

"You'd better believe it, buster," said Saggi, with a sneer. "We'll get into what my friend Mutoid Man here can do later… First thing's first…

"King Dragun… Murder Queen Dragun!"

The King pointed his scepter at the Queen, and it started to burn with flames.

"Gotcha!" shouted Andy, as one of his face-down cards lifted up. "I activate Staunch Defender!

"Now all your Monsters must attack, but they all have to attack the Monster I choose. And I choose Red-Eyes.

"And guess what, Saggi? Seeing as he has the same Attack Score as King Dragun, but Queen Dragun's effect makes him impervious in battle, he'll survive… But King Dragun won't be so lucky."

"You're no fun anymore, Andy!" cursed Saggi.

He threw a card into his Disk.

"I'm not giving you the satisfaction… I'll play Mystik Wok to sacrifice King Dragun before the attack hits…"

The Fusion Monster vanished into grains of light, and Saggi glowed with energy.

_Figures he had that card… _thought Stan. _After all, 2,000 Life Points was a pretty hefty price to pay for summoning that Garbage Lord…_

"So, I have to attack with all my Monsters, eh?" said Saggi. "Well, fine by me…"

Mutoid Man lifted its mallet above its head.

"Especially seeing as this big fellah has an effect that can really slay ya! See, if I junk one of his Overlay Units when he battles a Monster, that Monster's Attack Score is cut in half!"

The huge mallet thundered down, and Red-Eyes' Attack Score fell to 1,200. Andy let out a scream as the bludgeon connected…

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,900)**

"Sure, Your Red-Eyes might have withstood that attack," said Saggi, "but I'm going to finish you off right now…"

He reached for his belt, and then quickly pulled something from it.

"A knife?" shouted Andy. "What are you doing?"

"Bringing this duel to a close the best way I can!" laughed Saggi.

"You remember when you asked why I sent Meteor Black Dragon to your Extra Deck again?" asked the Dark Clown.

He held up a Spell Card.

"Here's why… It's called Mind Monster… I just name any Monster that kept in the Extra Deck, and you have one in yours, you take damage equal to half its Attack Score.

"So I'll name Meteor Black Dragon… And since you have one…"

Then he started walking up to Andy, who flinched a little…

Then, he grabbed Andy by the neck, and to his horror, stuck the weapon between his lips…

"So tell me Andy…" he said. "Why so SERIOUS?"

Sweat started to pour down Andy's brow…

Francesca let out a scream as he stabbed Andy with the weapon… Andy fell over…

"Well, that should…" said Saggi.

Then, Andy slowly started to sit up.

"HUH?" said Saggi.

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,900)**

Andy wiped away perspiration, and looked at his opponent.

"Were you expecting me to go somewhere Saggi?" he said.

He slowly stood up.

"Your plan didn't work," he said, "_both _of them. First of all, due to my Deckmaster effect, your Mind Monster card failed. See, Des Volstgalph's effect protects me from taking damage from an effect once per turn, so long as I have a Level 5 or higher Dragon-Type Monster on the field. Red-Eyes is Level 7.

"But your much bigger plan was a dud too… I admit, it was kind of clever… Trying to scare the Hell out of me by trying to emulate what was likely the most frightening scene in that movie that made me so scared of clowns…"

Saggi slowly backed away from him.

"But you know, Saggi?" he continued. "I've been thinking… It is true, more than likely, that Heath Ledger is the guy who made me so scared of clowns…

"But… Can you blame me? Heath was an actor, and if he wanted to portray an evil clown, he did an excellent job.

"I mean, answer me this… Just how many actors have there been who've done such a good job at a role that they've won an Academy Award _posthumously?"_

"Uh… well…" said Saggi. "I think there was…"

"I'll tell you how many," replied Andy. "Two. Heath and Peter Finch.

"To top that off, Heath is the _only _actor who has _ever _won an Oscar for playing a comic book character. Given the fact that the Academy tends to give a cold shoulder to science fiction and fantasy, it wasn't an easy feat."

"Is there a point to this?" asked Saggi.

"Yeah…" said Andy. "As scary as you are, Saggi… You're downright pathetic compared to the guy who actually made me afraid of clowns. You can try to scare me the same way he did, but it's like comparing your first grade crayon drawing to his masterpiece.

"It's my move!"

He drew a card.

"I use Queen Dragun's effect again!" he shouted. "And that means King Dragun is back where he belongs now!"

King Dragun materialized next to Queen Dragun. She smiled at him, and he shyly smiled back. (2,400 ATK)

"And I've got bad news, Saggi… It's taken long enough, but I finally drew Dragon's Mirror!

"So I can fuse Red Eyes on the field with Goddess With the Third Eye in my Graveyard…"

Red-Eyes vanished into particles of light…

"I hate to interrupt…" said Saggi.

His face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Non Fusion Area!" he shouted. "This Trap Card means no Fusion Summoning allowed!"

"Well, it's a good thing then, that I already have a Fusion Monster…" replied Andy.

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"I use Paradox Fusion!" he shouted. "By banishing King Dragun for two turns, I can negate your Trap Card…"

King Dragun vanished in a flash of light, and the Non Fusion Area card was smashed to pieces.

"Which means the Fusion Summon I was about to make is still good to go… Meteor Black Dragon… Welcome back…"

With a loud roar, the huge Dragon Fusion reappeared. (3,500 ATK)

"Ah, big deal!" said Saggi. "You managed to summon it, but it still can't defeat Mutoid Man. In case you forgot, when Mutoid Man battles a Monster, he can reduce that Monster's score by half."

"I didn't forget…" said Andy. "But, I have to ask… Is that _base _Attack Score, or _current _Attack Score?"

"Say what?" said Saggi.

"I mean…" said Andy, as he glanced at one of the two cards in his hand, "if I were to, say, Equip this big guy with Axe of Despair and make his Attack Score 4,500, what then? Would your Monster's effect reduce its Score to half _before _or _after _the bonus was applied?"

"Uh… Uhm…" said Saggi.

He looked at his Duel Disk, and read the text on the card.

"Well, base Attack Score, but who cares?" he asked. "In that scenario, your Dragon would still fall fifty points short of being able to beat Mutoid Man."

"That's all I wanted to hear…" said Andy. "Because this card is _not _Axe of Despair…

"I'm sacrificing Meteor Black Dragon…"

"Say WHAT?" shouted Saggi, his eyes almost popping out of his head as the huge Dragon vanished.

Then, with a violent hurricane, Strong Wind Dragon appeared in the Fusion Monster's place. (2,500 ATK)

"The bonus it gets to its Attack Score from its own effect is now 1,750," he said.

(4,150 ATK)

"Your monstrosity may reduce that by 1,200 points… But it will be just enough to beat it…

"Attack Mutoid Man! Strong Hurricane!"

Strong Wind Dragon opened its jaws, creating an orb of glowing, green energy. The energy turned into a stream, blasting towards Mutoid Man. Its Attack Score fell to 2,950, but the lethal beam blasted through the giant robot's chest and through its back.

Sparks flew from the creature, and flames started to blast out of its armor. The mallet fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

"ARGH!" screamed Saggi.

Finally, the mechanical abomination exploded, leaving only a burning pile of debris.

"One clown down, one to go," said Andy. "Queen Dragun, Alexandrite Dragon…

"_Finish him!"_

"Wait, wait… Stop!" screamed Saggi, as the two Dragons gave him angry glares.

Then Queen Dragun shot fire from her lips, while Alexandrite Dragon shot a beam of pure light. Saggi's horrible scream filled the chamber…

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)**

The smoke slowly started to clear, and as Andy looked where his opponent had been, he seemed to be gone…

Then he saw something slowly float down from the ceiling. He caught it…

It was Saggi's hat. Andy let out a sigh as he tossed it aside.

Then he saw something else. It was another card, floating in mid-air.

_Another prize card? _he thought, as he reached for it.

He plucked it out of the air, and looked at it.

_Whoa! _he thought, as he looked at the Fusion Monster.

Then he was startled as Francesca grabbed him in a hug.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah…" she said. "How did we…

"Unicorn Princess!"

Then she groaned, and collapsed to the ground again. Andy sat down and hugged her.

"Easy…" he said. "You went through a lot…"

"Francesca, we know…" said Stan. "We'll find her, don't worry…

"This place seemed kind of confusing at first, but…

"…I'm starting to see a pattern in it…"

**0000000000**

**SCRAP FUSION (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image:** A glowing portal above a junkyard.

**Card Description: **Activate when you control no Monsters. Name 1 Fusion Monster. If the named Fusion Monster is in your opponent's Extra Deck and all Fusion Material Monsters listed on the named Fusion Monster are in your opponent's Graveyard, banish the named Fusion Monster's Fusion Material Monsters in your opponent's Graveyard. Then, Special Summon the named Fusion Monster from your opponent's Extra Deck. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)

_Note: "Scrap Fusion" was first used by __Samejima in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Schooling the Master". __Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**MIND MONSTER (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image:** A panicking man in a dark, swirling fog.

**Card Description: **Declare the name of 1 Monster Card that is kept in the Extra Deck. If that card is in your opponent's Extra Deck, he takes damage equal to half that Monster's base ATK.

_Note: "Mind Monster" was first used by Kodo Kinomiya in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Profiler". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DIMENSIONAL REGRESSION (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image:** The landscape of the Different Dimension with a deck of cards in the center. Different Dimension Dragon, D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Assailant, D.D. Scout Plane, D.D. Warrior, and D.D. Survivor are all flying towards it.

**Card Description: **Return all banished Monsters to their owners' decks.

_Note: "Dimensional Regression" was first used by Aki in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Digging Deeper (Part 3)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**MUTOID MAN (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank5/2,800ATK/2,100DEF**

_3 Level 5 Monsters_

**Effect: ** When this card battles an opposing Monster, you can detach 1 of its Xyz Materials to reduce the ATK of the opposing Monster by half for the Damage Step only.

**0000000000**

"**Saggi the Dark Clown": **Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl3/600/1,500: "Black Comedy": Once per turn, when a DARK Fiend or Spellcaster-Type Monster is destroyed by battle, you may pay 800 Life Points to add 1 Monster from your deck to your hand that is the same Type and a lower Level than the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

"**Des Volstgalph": **Dragon/Earth/Lvl6/2,200/1,700: "Heart of the Dragon": If you control a Level 5 or higher Dragon-Type Monster, you can, once per turn, reduce the Effect Damage you would take from a card effect to zero.

**0000000000**

_**It seems like Saggi is gone, and Andy had the last laugh on him in the end. But with Francesca still tired from her ordeal with Gloomtail, it seems that Stan has to deal with someone else before she can try to get poor Unicorn Princess back…**_

_**Next: **_

_**Stan: You ever known anyone who's **_**really **_**dedicated to her job? I don't necessarily mean someone who **_**likes **_**her job, although that kind of person can go hand in hand with the dedicated type.**_

_**I'm talking about the type who never takes a sick day, even when she's sick. The kind who only takes vacation time when it's required. The kind who volunteers to work overtime, work on Christmas, and other stuff that most workers try to get out of.**_

_**Naturally, employers love this type of employee, and while some would call them "suck-ups" and the like, they usually have excellent job security. And you can't help admire someone who shows such dedication to his work.**_

_**My opponent seems to be very dedicated to her job, wanting nothing less than to finish her assignment…**_

_**Thing is… Seeing as her "job" is a bounty hunter, and her "assignment" was to bring me in… That's not a good thing…**_

"_**Chaos End" is coming soon.**_


	49. Chaos End

_Hey everyone. Sorry I've been a little behind. The holidays were kind of busy, I hope everyone else's was good._

_But anyway… On with the show._

**0000000000**

_**If you're studied the career of Seto Kaiba, you probably know that he was tough. You may think that nothing scared him, that nothing an opponent could summon in a duel could unnerve him. It was true for the most part, but… You didn't hear this from me, but there is one card he was scared of, at least for a while. Or rather five cards that combined into one Monster of unearthly power.**_

_**I'm talking, of course, about Exodia the Forbidden One. Yugi used this to defeat him in their first duel, and it was the first time **_**anyone **_**had summoned it. The fright it gave Kaiba took him a long time to recover from.**_

_**Anyway, a long while after that, Kaiba went up against his evil adoptive father Gozaburo. He knew about Kaiba's aversion to that card, and tried to use it against him, taking it one step further, using Exodia Necross, an even rarer card that, he claimed, was even stronger.**_

_**Gozaburo still lost… He had a powerful card, but it couldn't compensate for the fact that as a duelist, he stunk. **_

_**At first, it seemed like my current opponent might have been making the same mistake as Gozaburo… But… It's starting to look more and more now like I'm going to have a harder time than Kaiba did…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FORTY-NINE**

**0000000000**

**Chaos End**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The Shadow Queen quickly marched down a hallway with a cross look on her face. As she approached the door she had her eye on she stopped short as a loud sound like a muffler backfiring came from it, followed by a second, then a third.

Then a much louder fourth one blasted the door open with a cloud of black smoke.

"MAGICAL SCIENTIST!" she shouted, as she stormed into the room.

The smoke slowly settled, and she looked around at the complete mess that room had turned into. The Duel Spirit was covered with soot.

He took off his glasses and tried to clean them with a handkerchief. Unfortunately, the handkerchief was only slightly less dirty than the glasses were, so it didn't help much.

"Uh… What?" he said.

She looked at him, her eyes starting to burn with flames.

Then she calmed down a little.

"Have you managed to make anything in here lately besides noise?" she growled.

"Well… Milady…" he said, sounding a little embarrassed.

He put the glasses back on, picked a set of papers off of a table, and wiped the soot off of them with his sleeve.

"I was able to decipher the last set of blueprints… But… I've run into a few… problems with the formulas…"

"So I see…" replied the Queen, looking around.

"Well, truthfully," said the Scientist, "it's more like one _big _problem. The most powerful members of the Smithy Gang are incredibly hard to place a permanency enchantment on. They just reject them."

Permanency enchantments… Any wizard worthy of the name knew what those were. They could make certain spells that had limited durations last forever, potentially.

And such enchantments were always required for any magical item that was intended to be used and unlimited number of times. Things like potions and magical powders didn't need them, nor did anything that you had to recharge, but things like crystal balls, magic carpets, and other things that could be used repeatedly without charges needed such enchantments.

This included Dark Cards.

"Apparently in order to get them to stop rejecting the enchantment," replied the Scientist, "I need something called amandite."

"What the Hell is that?" asked the Queen.

"No idea," replied the Scientist. "I think it may be something you can only find in Smithy's home dimension. I've been trying to use substitutes but…

"Well, if I'm lucky, they just don't work… If I'm not lucky…"

"They blow up in your face…" said the Queen. "Can you still create the cards?"

"Well, yes…" replied the Scientist. "I guess it could be done… But without a permanency enchantment, they'd be one-shots. One duel, and then poof, they'd disappear.

"And making multiple copies is _not _going to be easy…"

'Then do it…" she replied. "I'll use them myself…

"If they work… Then when my power is restored, then we may well be able to mass-produce them…"

"As you wish…" he said.

He bowed, as she turned to leave.

**0000000000**

Back in the room where Andy had fought Saggi, the strange pedestal had reappeared. The three looked at it, Andy still supporting Francesca. The blue button was no longer there.

It was rather obvious to them now how this worked.

"Unicorn Princess…" groaned Francesca. "Hang on… I'm coming…"

"Francesca, wait…" said Andy.

Francesca pulled herself away from him, and tried to reach for the yellow button. Then she collapsed again. Andy kneeled and hugged her again.

"Lovely…" said Stan.

He looked at the red button.

_She may well not be just exhausted… _he thought. _That duel with Gloomtail may have left a more long-lasting injury…_

_Even if I win the duel, I'm not sure if I can stall for enough time for her to gain her strength back._

He pushed the button.

_And God knows what they're doing to poor Unicorn Princess back there._

The door on the right slowly opened, and a tall figure walked out. Stan scowled a little. It was Chaos Hunter.

"Hello, Stan," said the bounty hunter, with a sly smile. (2,500 ATK)

She looked at Francesca.

"What's wrong with her? Flu bug?"

"Don't get smart!" snapped Stan.

"Fine, fine," said Chaos Hunter. "I suppose it was uncalled for… I do realize that the fight with Gloomtail brought her to the brink of death, most likely…

"In my opinion, it's amazing she's still managing to stay conscious right now.

"Still, seeing as I am a professional, I'm always looking out for opportunities…"

"What do you mean?" said Stan, looking at her with an angry expression.

"Now, now, hear me out," replied Chaos Hunter. "You and I are going to duel, Stan. The job that the Queen gave me was the bring you in, and I never leave a job unfinished if I can help it…

"However… I have an offer for you that could benefit either one of us, depending on how it turns out."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Stan.

Chaos Hunter held up a Spell Card.

"Dian Keto the Cure Master?" asked Stan.

"It's magic," replied the Duel Spirit. "If you use it, your friend will recover from that nasty stuff she absorbed from the duel with Gloomtail…"

"WHAT nasty stuff?" shouted Andy.

"You know how burning fuel causes smoke?" asked Chaos Hunter. "How some chemicals cause industrial waste? Shadow Duels as lethal as the one she was in can generate some dangerous aftereffects too. It's making her weak.

"She lucked out, really… You have to be careful when you fight dragons… Even if you manage to kill one, it will _always _try to take you with it…"

She smirked.

"Defeat me in this duel, I'll hand it over."

"And what exactly would I have to agree to?" asked Stan.

"I win…" said Chaos Hunter, "then she surrenders. She admits defeat to the Queen."

Stan looked at her and growled, and then looked at Francesca.

"Take it or leave it," said Chaos Hunter.

"If you think I'm going to…" said Stan.

"Do it!" shouted Francesca.

'Fran…" said Andy.

"Does anyone have a better idea?" she asked.

Chaos Hunter tucked the card into her armor.

"Unless you want to try to _take _it from me…" she said with a smile.

"I'd rather not…" muttered Stan. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"I never go back on a promise," replied Chaos Hunter. "Like I told you last time… I'm a professional…"

"All right, all right…" said Stan.

He took his deck from the holder, and looked through it.

_Gagaga Magician was pretty useful last time… _he thought. _Let's hope he does the job now…_

He held up the card, and Gagaga Magician appeared behind him. (1,500 ATK)

Chaos Hunter's Duel Disk materialized on her arm, and it activated. Then Stan took hold of his cap, and turned it backwards with one swift tug. He activated _his _Disk.

"Keep thinking happy thoughts, Fran," he said, "I'll try to finish this as quick as I can…"

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Chaos Hunter: 8,000)**

"I'll be acting as my own Deckmaster, naturally," said Chaos Hunter. "And just to prove to you that there are no tricks here, I'll tell you what my effect is. Quite simply, I can negate any attempt you make to banish one of my Monsters, so long as I discard one of my cards."

Stan glanced at his five cards. One of them was A/D Changer.

_Well, she didn't say anything about my own… _he thought.

"You have the first move…" said the Fiend, as Stan made his first draw.

Stan looked at the card. It was Overlay Eater.

He nodded, and then put it with the others. Then he set a Monster on his Disk, and a the card appeared in front of him.

"Now, I'll play Shard of Greed," he said, as he played the Continuous Spell.

"I'm done for now…" he said.

The Fiend made a card, and then played one.

"I summon Helping Robo for Combat," she said.

"Huh?" said Stan, as a strange Machine materialized. It was semi-humanoid, with tank treads in place of legs, a bullet-shaped head, a hammer in place of its right hand, and a tool that looked more like a frying pan than anything else in place of its left. (1,600 ATK)

"Crush his Monster!" she ordered.

The rickety contraption rolled towards the set card. Crystal Seer appeared kneeling on it right before the hammer fell, and she shattered.

"You activated my Monster's flip effect," said Stan. "Now, let's see…"

He took the two cards from the top of his deck. They were Trident Warrior and Gagaga Druid.

He quickly put the former with his other five cards, and then placed the latter under his deck.

"Helping Robo has an effect of its own," said Chaos Hunter. "Because it destroyed a Monster, I get to draw once…"

She made a draw.

"…so long as I take one card from my hand, and place it on the bottom of my deck…"

She took another card, and slipped it under her deck. Then she took another card from her hand, and fit it in her Disk. A set card appeared behind the Robo.

"And that's my turn…"

"Ergh…" said Francesca.

"Calm down, Francesca, calm down," said Andy. "Stan is working as fast as he can…"

Stan drew a card.

"Just don't rush, okay?" added Andy.

"Don't worry…" said Stan, as he reached for Trident Warrior.

He played the card, and the Light Warrior appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)

"Everything is under control…"

He played another card, and Gagaga Kaiser appeared next to Trident Warrior. (1,800 ATK)

"Kaiser can't attack because I don't have another Gagaga," he said, "but Trident Warrior sure can."

The bearded Warrior aimed his weapon as electricity started to spark from it.

"Attack with Wrath of Poseidon!"

A lightning bolt shot from the trident, and sparks flew form Helping Robo for Combat's hull before it shattered.

Chaos Hunter's Trap Card flipped up.

"I activate Flat Level 4!" she shouted. "This means…"

"I know what it means," sighed Stan. "You used that in our last duel…"

"But I _didn't_ use the Monster I'm going to summon with it…" said Hunter with a sly smirk.

A column of blue fire erupted onto the field.

"I call forth Cultist of Norleras!"

The flames subsided, and a woman was standing in front of Chaos Hunter… A tall, raven-haired woman with the _darkest _eyebrows Stan had ever seen. She wore a long, blood-red robe with long sleeves, and a cleavage widow on her chest.

She smirked at Stan as she knelt defensively. (1,800 DEF)

"Cultist of Norleras?" asked Stan. "As in Sky Scourge Norleras?"

"Do you know anyone else named Norleras?" asked Chaos Hunter.

"Uh…" said Stan, looking at the Cultist nervously.

_Can this babe summon it? _he thought. _Those Sky Scourges are bad news…_

"Well?" said Chaos Hunter. "Are you waiting for something?"

"Oh, right…" said Stan.

He played a card, and Gagaga Gardna appeared, kneeling behind his shield. (2,000 DEF)

Then he took two of his cards, and threw them into his Disk. Two set cards appeared behind his two Monsters.

He looked at Cultist of Norleras again. He did _not _like the way she was looking at him.

_Ego Boost should protect Trident Warrior… _he thought. _And if I don't have to use it, I'll be able to get rid of… her next turn._

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 7,800)**

"My move…" said Chaos Hunter, as she drew a card.

"And I'll summon Disciple of Enrise to the field."

There was a beam of pure light, and another female Spellcaster materialized, this one wearing the traditional clothing of a _miko _with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. (1,800 ATK)

"Enrise has one of them too?" asked Andy. "I'm kinda afraid to ask…"

"You'll see…" said Chaos Hunter. "In the meantime…"

She threw a card into her Disk, and a set card appeared behind the two Spellcasters.

"I'll end there."

Stan made a draw again.

_Raigeki Break… _he thought, looking at it.

"It's my second Standby Phase since I played Shard of Greed," he said. "Therefore, it goes away, and I draw twice."

The Spell Card dissolved, and he made two draws.

"Trident Warrior, attack…" he said, as the Warrior aimed his spear.

The Fiend's card lifted up, revealing Threatening Roar.

"Oh-kay…" said Stan.

He fit the Trap into his Disk, and it materialized in front of him.

_She's probably planning an Xyz Summon on her turn… _he thought. _Well, I'll have a surprise for her…_

"Draw…" said Chaos Hunter, as she drew a card.

"I summon Aesthetic of Invicil," she said, as she played it.

In a calm, silvery light, a third female Spellcaster appeared. This one wore a long, dun brown robe, held a plain wooden staff, wore her long, black hair in a ponytail, and had a blindfold over her eyes. (1,400 ATK)

"And that would make it three…" said Andy.

"And with these three Monsters…" said Chaos Hunter.

_Wait for it… _said Stan, as the dark vortex appeared.

"…I build the Overlay Network!" shouted Chaos Hunter, as the three priestesses vanished.

A spiral of stars appeared, and a new Spellcaster emerged, this one clearly male. He looked human – vaguely. He had blue skin, a mane of white hair, and his eyes were violet orbs. His clothes were colorful, almost to the point of being gaudy, consisting of a jerkin, pantaloons, a helmet with what looked like ram-horns, and a belt made of coins He held a long staff with a diamond-shaped mirror on the end.

"I give you the Witch Doctor of Allabar," said Chaos Hunter. "Now, to get points, we take the number of Overlay Units he has, and multiply by 500. Then we take that total and add 1,000."

(2,500 ATK)

"I see…" said Stan.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"I use Raigeki Break!" he shouted.

He discarded Overlay Eater, and a bolt of lightning crashed down from the ceiling…

However, the Witch Doctor swatted it away with his staff.

"It didn't work?" gasped Andy.

"What didn't work?" asked Francesca.

"Calm down…" said Andy.

"Nope, didn't work…" said Chaos Hunter. "You know, Stan… If you had used that Trap Card on one of those three Spellcasters _before _I summoned this guy, I would have been in _big _trouble.

"What was that you said once about folks like Kaiba winning because of their opponents making misplays?"

Stan looked at the Spellcaster nervously.

"Attack Trident Warrior, Witch Doctor!" ordered Chaos Hunter. "Comet Blaze!"

The sorcerer aimed his staff at the Warrior…

"I activate Ego Boost!" shouted Stan, as his Spell Card lifted up.

Trident Warrior's Attack Score rose up to 2,800, and he blasted his lightning at the Witch Doctor… But once again, the creature just swatted the blast of energy aside with his staff, causing it to crash against the wall of the arena and leave a black scorch mark.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 7,500)**

"That didn't work either?" shouted Stan.

"Nope," said Chaos Hunter.

"So this thing can't be killed?" he gasped.

"Sure he can," replied Chaos Hunter. "The thing is, he has some protection. Namely, those three Spellcasters I used to summon him, which are still Overlay Units right now.

"You see, if Cultist of Norleras is currently being used as an Xyz Monster's Overlay Unit, the Xyz Monster can't be destroyed by Trap Cards. Disciple of Enrise provides the same protection from Spell Cards. And Aesthetic of Invicil makes him invincible in battle."

Stan gave the creature a long look.

"You don't say…" he said.

He looked at Witch Doctor of Allabar again.

"Seems to me you're making the same dumb mistake that Gozaburo Kaiba made," he said. "Focusing on a Monster that looks invincible, but which has an obvious weakness."

"Interesting comparison," replied Chaos Hunter. "You don't have to tell me that Gozaburo had a poor strategy... And unlike him, I'm prepared..."

She played a card.

"See, I know you have cards like Overlay Eater and that Percussion Djinn," she said. "This is an Equip Spell called Overlay Dummy. Put simply, any card effect that targets one of my Monster's Overlay Units will target this card instead.

"I'll set a card face-down, and I'll end my turn…"

She fit one of her last two cards into her Disk, and it appeared set.

Stan looked at the creature again. Then he looked at Francesca. Her eyes were open, but she didn't look any better than before.

_Man, what was I thinking? _he thought. _Is it too late to change my mind?_

"I doubt she'd let you," said a voice.

Stan looked down, and saw Goombella standing next to him. Then he turned around, and saw Vivian – the one who had spoken – on his other side.

"Uh," he said. "I hope you guys have an idea... Cause I sure don't…"

"Maybe…" said Goombella. "A powerful Monster is only as good as the duelist who's using it you know…"

"That comparison you made to Gozaburo wasn't very far off," added Vivian.

"What do you mean?" asked Stan.

"He used Exodia Necross," said Goombella. "Think about it…"

They vanished.

Stan made a draw. He put it with his other four cards and looked at Witch Doctor of Allabar again.

_Maybe they're right… _he thought. _That Equip Spell keeps me from using Overlay Eater to steal its Overlay Units… But… Just like Exodia Necross, it has no defense against Monster effects, or card effects that don't actually destroy it._

_I have Trident Warrior and Gagaga Gardna, so I could summon Maestroke. Flipping that guy face-down would get rid of its Overlay Unit, and reduce it to only 1,000 Defense Points…_

_But… She likely thought of that… Her Trap Card is probably Divine Wrath… Maybe even Solemn Warning, which she'll use to prevent me from summoning a Monster that could do something like that…_

He looked at his cards, and then at his set card.

"I summon Marauding Captain…" he said.

He fit the card on his Disk, and the armored soldier strode onto the field, glaring intently at Chaos Hunter. (1,300 ATK)

"Then, I use his effect to also summon A/D Changer…"

He played another card, and there was a beam of light. The short, portly Warrior holding two flags appeared on the last space in his Monster Zone. (0 ATK)

Then his other Trap Card lifted up.

"Next, I use the Level Retuner," he said. "This Trap reduces a Monster's Level by up to two. So I'll lower Marauding Captain from 3 to 1."

He held up a Spell Card.

"Then I'll use Resonance Device," he continued. "Because Trident Warrior and A/D Changer are both Light Warriors, I can make Trident Warrior's Level the same as A/D Changer's.

"That means I now have three Level 1 Monsters, meaning I can Overlay all three…"

Trident Warrior, A/D Changer, and Marauding Captain turned into orbs of light.

"…to Xyz Summon a guy who I'm sure you'll remember…"

There was a flash of light, and Baby Tiragon appeared in front of Stan. It looked at Chaos Hunter, and let out an angry snarl. (900 DEF)

"Seems he remembers you," he said.

"Feh…" said the Fiend with a frown. "That was a waste of three perfectly good Monsters…"

"Is that so?" asked Stan. "We'll see about that… I'm using Gagaga Kaiser's effect…"

Crystal Seer slipped out of his discard slot.

"By banishing my Seer, Kaiser's Level becomes the same Level as Seer's. Which means he's Level 1, which means I can use Baby Tiragon's effect, and detach one of its Overlay Units so that he can attack directly."

Kaiser aimed his staff at Hunter.

"Your Monster may be invincible…" he said, "so I'll just go around him!"

Kaiser blasted a bolt of energy from his staff, and Chaos Hunter let out a cry of surprise.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 5,700)**

"Kid…" said the bounty hunter, "you take things way too seriously…"

"How do you expect me to take things?" shouted Stan. "I was fine putting my life on the line, but now you made me ante Fran's life too?"

Chaos Hunter chuckled.

"You think I'm some demon from the depths of Hell?" she asked. "You've got me all wrong, kid… I could care less if the Queen breaks free of this place. I really don't care about her plans of world conquest either.

"Everyone has to eat, you know. Some people are teachers, some people are accountants…

"I'm a bounty hunter… It's that simple…"

"So you're saying you're not a lunatic," said Andy. "This is just your way of making a living. Seems to me, you love your job a little too much."

"I don't buy it," said Stan.

He crossed his arms and looked at her.

"Did you get a bonus to your paycheck for killing that Dreamsprite who lured me to the swamp?"

"You seem so sympathetic towards that creature," said Chaos Hunter, with a frown. "Odd, considering that she was plaguing you and your friends with nightmares and then fleeing like a coward when you woke up.

"If I had killed a Patrician of Darkness, would you have been so sympathetic? I mean, when his card came along, he pretty much took over what hers had been doing in this game…"

The two of them just looked at each other for a minute.

"My draw…" she said, as she drew a card.

Then she chuckled a little.

"You know, Andy, maybe you have something there about me loving my job…"

She played the card.

"After all, I just _love _playing _this _card!"

A Continuous Spell appeared, and the floor split open. A huge, demonic hand rose out of the floor, holding a bone… With a button on the end. The hand's thumb was resting on the button, as if it was some macabre switch.

Francesca sat up.

"What is that?" she moaned.

"Destiny Trigger…" said Chaos Hunter. "When I play this card, I send the top card from my deck to the Graveyard…"

She flipped the top card from her deck and turned it forward. Mystic Tomato.

"That's a Monster, Stan," she said, as she discarded it. "Next time _you _draw a Monster during your Draw Phase, this card's effect is 'triggered', so to speak, and your Life Points are cut in half."

"WHAT?" shouted Stan.

"Now back to business," continued the Fiend, as the Witch Doctor aimed his staff at Gagaga Kaiser. "Seems your emperor is about to be crowned…"

The Xyz blasted the bolt of cosmic energy again, blowing the Warrior to little bits. Baby Tiragon snarled at Chaos Hunter again.

**(S: 7,300) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 5,700)**

"I'll deal with you later," she said. "Now would be a good time to mention Witch Doctor of Allabar's real effect. When he destroys a Monster by battle, a Monster from my Graveyard becomes one of his Overlay Units."

She took Helping Robo for Combat, and then fit it under the Xyz Monster's card.

"Don't forget, each Overlay Unit he has grants him 500 more Attack Points. There's no limit either."

(3,000 ATK)

"Who exactly is Allabar, anyway?" asked Andy.

"It's complicated," replied Chaos Hunter. "Your move, kid."

Stan lifted his hand to make a draw. Then he stopped.

"Afraid?" asked Chaos Hunter.

Stan drew a card. He grit his teeth.

"Well?" asked Chaos Hunter. "Don't keep me waiting…"

Stan turned the card around. It was Gagaga Girl.

The hand hit the button, and he let out a loud scream…

**(S: 3,650) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 5,700)**

"Stan just got pounded, right?" groaned Francesca.

"Yeah, but at least he got to keep the Monster he drew…" replied Andy, as he started to stroke her hair. "And it's a good one…"

_True… _thought Stan. _She didn't use that Trap Card in response to Baby Tiragon's effect, but then again, it couldn't have destroyed that Witch Doctor…_

_Let's see just how far she's willing to take this…_

He played the card_, _and the buxom female mage appeared on the field with a graceful spin. (1,000 ATK)

"And because the number of Warriors and Spellcasters I have add up to exactly two, I can use my Deckmaster effect, and pay 1,000 Life Points to make one of them the same Level as the other…"

Gagaga Magician's staff glowed, and Gagaga Gardna glowed with the same light.

"So I can Overlay them both…"

The vortex opened, and both Gagaga Girl and Gagaga Gardna flew into it…

Then, with a spinning cyclone of energy, Muzurhythm the String Djinn appeared as a spotlight fell from the ceiling. (1,500 ATK)

Chaos Hunter flinched a little as she looked at it.

"Now, I use Gagaga Girl's effect," shouted Stan, as she appeared behind him. "Zero, Zero, Call!"

Gagaga Girl punched a number into her cellphone, and Witch Doctor of Allabar clutched his chest. (0 ATK)

"Muzurhythm, get 'im!" shouted Stan.

The String Djinn made a rush at the Spellcaster, his guitar strumming the melody of _The William Tell Overture. _Stan discarded Gagaga Girl's card, and his Attack Score shot up to 3,000.

The String Djinn turned into a whirlwind of energy, and Chaos Hunter was knocked backwards with a "YARGH!"

**(S: 2,650) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 2,700)**

"_He _may be invulnerable," said Stan, as the Djinn landed back on his side of the field, "but the same can't be said for you…

"I end my turn…"

"So you do…" growled Chaos Hunter, as she sat up, "which means the effects of both your Monsters wear off…"

(Muzurhythm: 1,500, Witch Doctor: 3,000)

She drew a card, and then smirked.

"Well, this makes things easier…" she said. "I use the Shield Crush Spell Card!"

She played the card, and a bolt of energy shot from the card, blasting Baby Tiragon to little pieces.

"Good riddance…" she muttered. "Witch Doctor of Allabar, obliterate that lounge lizard!"

The Spellcaster blasted his burning bolt of energy, and Stan was pushed back five feet as the Xyz exploded.

**(S: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 2,700)**

"Lounge lizard?" he gasped. "Are you a music-hater too?"

"Your Life Points are in the red," said Chaos Hunter. "Just so you know, another trick like the one you pulled last turn isn't going to work…

"Especially since I'm using his effect again…"

She took Mystic Tomato from her discard slot, and Witch Doctor absorbed the energy again. (3,500 ATK)

Stan looked at her set card again. Then the one card in her hand.

_Yeah, definitely Divine Wrath, _he thought. _That's why she hasn't used that…_

_And next turn, if I use a Monster effect at all, I might not even have anything to defend me…_

He looked at the two cards in his hand. Sangan and Xyz Unit.

He drew a card. Pot of Avarice.

_Here goes… _he thought.

He played the card, and took Baby Tiragon, Gagaga Girl, Trident Warrior, Marauding Captain, and Gagaga Gardna from his Graveyard pile. He shuffled his deck, and made two draws.

Then he took three of his four cards, and set them into his Disk. The set Monster appeared first, then the two set cards behind it.

"Take your best shot," he said.

_Of course, _he thought, _if I'm wrong, and that card turns out to be Solemn Warning, I'm gonna be eating those words…_

"Oh, I will…" said Chaos Hunter.

She drew a card, and then played it. A second Disciple of Enrise appeared next to the Witch Doctor. (1,800 ATK)

"Destroy his Monster!" she shouted, as a glowing orb appeared in her hands. "Shimmering Starfire!"

The Disciple thrust her palms forward, and glowing motes of light shot towards Sangan, who briefly appeared before it shattered.

"I use Sangan's effect…" said Stan.

A card appeared in his hand in a dark, shadowy aura.

"Big deal…" said the bounty hunter. "Witch Doctor… You know what to do… As in _Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah-ting-tang-walla-walla-bing-bang_."

Witch Doctor of Allabar groaned and rolled his eyes, but he still aimed his staff at Stan…

"You're getting careless, sister," said Stan. "Go, Trap Cards!"

"Eh?" said Chaos Hunter, as both of Stan's cards lifted up.

"The first one is Defense Draw," said Stan, "which reduces the damage I take from this attack to zero and lets me draw once.

"And to that, I'm chaining Malevolent Catastrophe… Which means all Spells and Traps on the field are destroyed, including _those!"_

He pointed to Chaos Hunter's side of the field, just as Overlay Dummy and her set card – which, as it turned out, was actually Dark Illusion – shattered into little bits.

Stan held out his hand and caught the energy blast from the Spellcaster's staff. Then he made a draw.

"Dark Illusion?" muttered Francesca. "She could have countered Muzurhythm's effect with that…"

"Yeah," said Stan, "but she was saving it for something that could have actually gotten rid of Witch Doctor of Allabar. I guess I misspoke about her being careless… She was _very _cautious.

"A little _too _cautious. I guess maybe that can be almost as bad as being careless."

"Just take your turn…" growled the Fiend.

Stan looked at his two cards, Mataza the Zapper, Monster Reborn, and Xyz Unit.

_I'm not out of the woods yet, _he thought. _That guy still has 3,500 Attack Points…_

_So here goes…_

He made a draw.

_Huh? _he thought. _It… It's that card I won after I beat the Witty Phantom…_

He gave it a long look…

"Are you going to play that card or just look at it?" asked Chaos Hunter.

"Oh, I'll play it…" said Stan, as he fit it into his Disk.

Monster Reborn appeared, and then Muzurhythm appeared in front of him, shielding himself behind his guitar. (1,000 DEF)

Then he played the card he drew, and it appeared behind Muzurhythm.

"See, this card is _very _powerful… Almost to the point of being a little broken…

"But… Seeing as you were only too willing to use that Destiny Trigger thing, I guess turnabout is fair play…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Chaos Hunter. "Xyz Jeweled Crown? Never heard of it!'

"It's an Equip Spell," said Stan. "By playing this card, and Equipping it to an Xyz Monster, it loses its effect, and while Equipped, it really isn't an Xyz Monster anymore. Instead of being Rank 3, Muzurhythm is now _Level 3."_

"Big deal," said Chaos Hunter. "How is that supposed to hurt me?"

"Here's where it gets interesting," said Stan. "Because Muzurhythm now has a Level instead of a Rank, that means it can be used to make an Xyz Summon itself…

"And because of this Equip Spell, if I use it for an Xyz Summon, it counts as _two _Monsters!

"So, I can build the Overlay Network…"

The portal opened, and the String Djinn was sucked through.

With the rapping of drums, Temtempo the Percussion Djinn appeared in the first Djinn's place. (1,700 ATK)

"Now, I'll summon Mataza the Zapper to the field," he said, as the ambusher leapt onto the field with a flip. (1,300 ATK)

"And I'll bring my Deckmaster too while I'm at it…"

Gagaga Magician stepped forward.

"STAN!" shouted Francesca.

"Calm down…" said Andy. "He knows what he's doing…"

_I hope…_

"Do I ever!" exclaimed Stan. "First I'll banish A/D changer from my Graveyard, which lets me force one of your Monsters to do a 180. I choose Disciple of Enrise."

He pointed at the miko, and she sat on her haunches. (800 DEF)

"Next, I'll banish Overlay Eater from my Graveyard," he said, "to swipe an Overlay Unit from Witch Doctor of Allabar and add it to MY Xyz Monster."

The small lizard appeared in front of him, and looked at the Witch Doctor with beady eyes. Its long, sticky tongue darted out of its mouth, and snatched a card out of thin air – it was Aesthetic of Invicil.

"Oh, crud…" said Chaos Hunter.

"Yeah, I remembered that she was the one who made that guy invincible in battle," said Stan, as Witch Doctor fell to 3,000 Attack Points.

"Yeah, he's still stronger than your little drummer boy," said Chaos Hunter.

"Then I'll use my 'little drummer boy's' effect to snag _another _of his Units!" replied Stan.

Temtempo started to beat his drums, and Cultist of Norleras' card floated out of Witch Doctor and shattered. Witch Doctor fell to 2,500 Attack Points.

"And doing that gives Temtempo a 500 Attack Point boost," continued Stan.

(2,200 ATK)

"Still not strong enough," replied the Fiend.

Stan played a card, and Xyz Unit appeared behind Temtempo. The Djinn's Attack Score rose to 2,800.

"Strong enough now?" he asked. "Temtempo, attack with Death Solo!"

The Percussion Djinn twirled his drumsticks, and then started to play furiously. With a clash of cymbals, a powerful wave of sound was launched at the Witch Doctor of Allabar. His eyes bugged out before he vanished in a thick cloud of black smoke.

"I've been waiting for that all day," said Stan. "And because Mataza can attack twice, it seems this duel has done a 180 too…"

The Zapper leapt into the air, did a flip, and came down sword first on the Disciple. She shattered.

Then he looked at Chaos Hunter, and made a second swipe at her.

"GAH!" she shouted.

Gagaga Magician looked at her as his fist started to glow… Then he rushed at her, and clocked her upside the chin, knocking her on her behind.

**(S: 1,150) - - - - - - - - - - (CH: 0)**

"All right, sister, game over!" shouted Stan. "Hand it over!"

"Hey, hey!" shouted Chaos Hunter. "I'm not deaf, you know…"

She took the card out of her armor, and tossed it to him. He caught it.

He looked at it as she stood up. It was Dian Keto the Cure Master. She had actually given it to him.

"Unbelievable…" he said.

"I told you…" she said. "I'm a professional…"

A dark portal started to appear behind her.

Stan handed it to Andy as she turned towards it.

"This doesn't change the fact that you've been a bitch the whole time," said Stan narrowing his eyes.

Chaos Hunter turned her head and gave him a smirk.

"Never said I wasn't one kid," she replied.

Then she vanished into the darkness.

Andy put the card in his Duel Disk, and a golden aura started to surround Francesca. She let out another moan, but it didn't seem like pain this time. It was more like the sound one would make when pain started to go away.

"Francesca?" he asked.

"Keep doing what you're doing…" she replied. "It's working…"

Stan looked as the portal vanished. Then he saw that there was another card there, hovering in mid-air, just like the one that had appeared after the duel with Saggi.

He plucked it out of the air.

_Good lord… _he thought. _I've heard of this card… Never thought I'd ever see it…_

He turned around, as Francesca finally stood up straight…

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen entered the lounge where her children were.

All of them were asleep. Leopold was asleep on the couch and Melissa was asleep with her head in his lap. Tyson, Kurtis, and Vladimir were slumped over on chairs. Maria was curled up on the shag rug.

She put her hands on her hips as she looked at them.

"Unbelievable…" she said. "Most pro-duelists get nervous before an important duel… These duelists? They take naps…

"WAKE UP!"

They woke up all right. Maria fared the worst, slamming her head on the underside of the table above her. The others simply fell off the chairs.

She looked at them.

"Do I have to get a bugle and play Reveille?" she asked. "On your feet!"

They quickly obeyed, Maria rubbing her head as she did so, unable to avoid it.

"Okay, listen up," said their mother. "I said I was going to give you a second chance, and I'm going to…

"However… Your punishment for messing this one up is going to be the sixth level. Got it?"

They all shuddered. They knew what _that_ meant…

"Now get moving!" she said, pointing to the exit.

"And here's some words of encouragement…"

They smiled nervously.

"Don't do anything stupid!" she snapped.

Then she turned and left.

"That didn't seem very encouraging at all…" muttered Tyson.

**0000000000**

**DESTINY TRIGGER (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A bestial-looking claw clutching a bone with a button on the top, the thumb resting on the button.

**Card Description: **Upon activation, reveal the top card on your deck and send it to the Graveyard. Your opponent reveals the card(s) he or she draws during his Draw Phase; if he or she draws the same Type of card (Monster, Spell, or Trap) as the one you sent to the Graveyard when this card was activated, you may destroy this card to halve your opponent's Life Points.

_Note: "Destiny Trigger" was first used by in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Destiny's Will (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**XYZ JEWELED CROWN (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **Image was unclear (hidden by Gauche's fingers when he played it)

**Card Description: **Equip only to an Xyz Monster. The Equipped Monster's effect is negated, and its Rank is treated as a Level of the same value. If the Equipped Monster is used as an Xyz Material for an Xyz Summon, it can count as 2 Monsters towards the Xyz Summon of the Xyz Monster.

_Note: "Xyz Jeweled Crown" was first used by Gauche in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 059. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DISCIPLE OF ENRISE (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Light/Effect/Lvl4/1,800ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **While this card is an Xyz Material for an Xyz Monster, that Xyz Monster cannot be destroyed by Spell Cards.

**0000000000**

**CULTIST OF NORLERAS (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect: **While this card is an Xyz Material for an Xyz Monster, that Xyz Monster cannot be destroyed by Trap Cards.

**0000000000**

**AESTHETIC OF INVICIL** **(Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,400DEF**

**Effect: **While this card is an Xyz Material for an Xyz Monster, that Xyz Monster cannot be destroyed by battle.

**0000000000**

**WITCH DOCTOR OF ALLABAR (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank 4/?ATK/?DEF**

_3 Level 4 Monsters_

**Effect: **The ATK and DEF of this card are both equal to 1,000 plus 500x the number of Xyz Materials it has. When this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, select 1 Monster from your Graveyard and attach it to this card as an Xyz Material.

**0000000000**

**OVERLAY DUMMY (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **Blade Armor Ninja in a forest clearing slashing through a training dummy with his katana. Broken pieces of several more used dummies litter the ground.

**Card Description: **Equip only to an Xyz Monster. If your opponent activates a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect that targets one of the Equipped Monster's Xyz Materials, switch the target to this card.

**0000000000**

**Chaos Hunter: **Fiend/Dark/Lvl7/2,500/1,600: "Nullifier": If your opponent activates an effect that would banish one or more of your cards, you may discard one card from your hand to negate the effect.

**0000000000**

_**Sixth level? Clearly that must be bad if makes those six quake in their boots… The Shadow Spawn are going to be back for an encore appearance soon, stronger than ever…**_

_**But not before one loose end is tied up.**_

_**Next:**_

_**Francesca: I've got my strength back, and I've found Unicorn Princess. Fortunately, it seems that the only part of her that's been hurt so far is her dignity. **_

_**Unfortunately, the guy guarding her is someone I **_**really **_**hoped I wouldn't have to see again. At least I have Andy and Stan in my corner this time, but they aren't the ones who have to look at his butt-ugly face… Or the ones of his Monsters…**_

_**Still, this shouldn't be a problem… There are only so many ways he can use those things…**_

…_**are there?**_

"_**Malfunction" is coming soon.**_


	50. Malfuction

_**There are some combinations that seem… Wrong. For example, would you put ketchup on cottage cheese? Probably not. But believe it or not, Richard Nixon loved it that way.**_

_**He wasn't the only U.S. President who had weird tastes in food. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, liked the same cheese with A.I. Steak Sauce. Ulysses S. Grant liked pickles with coffee… for breakfast. **_

_**Presidents weren't the only folks who combined food in odd ways. You probably heard how Elvis Presley loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but he also liked something called Fool's Gold Loaf, which was a large sandwich consisting of a warmed loaf of Italian bread, a pound of bacon, a whole jar of peanut butter (always creamy, not chunky) and a whole jar of grape jelly. (There's a restaurant in Denver that specializes in making this; if you order it, it comes with a bottle of **__**Dom Pérignon and the tab is about $100. My suggestion: bring a friend – or two – to split if with you and start the diet tomorrow.)**_

_**The situation I'm in right now has nothing to do with food – in fact it involves things that make me lose my appetite – but it still involves a rather unlikely combination that I didn't think was possible…**_

_**Still, after all I've seen, it's hard for **_**anything **_**to surprise me.**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY**

**0000000000**

**Malfunction**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"Feeling better?" asked Andy.

"Oh, you'd better believe it…" said Francesca.

She looked at the pedestal.

"Whoever grabbed Unicorn Princess is gonna be very, very, sorry…"

She slammed her fist down on the yellow button. Slowly, the pedestal sank into the floor, and the middle door opened.

They waited. Francesca started to tap her foot. Strangely, no-one came through the door.

"WELL?" she shouted.

"Uh…" said Stan. "Maybe they expect _us _to go in _there…"_

That was all Fran needed to hear. She quickly ran for the doorway.

"Wait up!" shouted Andy.

He and Stan ran after her, which proved a wise choice. The door quickly closed behind them. They made their way down the long, dark hallway, towards a light at the end…

**0000000000**

In her throne room, the Shadow Queen was leaning on her hands. Nearby, the furnace – the one she used to summon Duel Spirits – was burning much hotter than before.

Grodus walked into the room.

"I have them, my Queen," he said, as he handed her a stack of cards. "I think they are adequate…"

The Queen took them, and looked at the Monster cards.

"They should suffice…" she said.

She looked at the furnace.

"I think I've shown enough generosity…" she muttered.

She hurled the whole stack into the flames, and eerie, arcane, unholy signs and sigils started to fill the room.

Outside, where night had fallen on Arcadia, dozens of multicolored balls of energy shot out of the summit of the mountain, each one flying towards a different corner of the island…

**0000000000**

Francesca and her two friends entered another large, arena like room… And as angry as she had been, she was much angrier now. Unicorn Princess was at the far end, confined in a cage with bars that glowed with a dim light.

She perked up a little when she saw Fran, but as Fran rushed towards her, she gave a look of horror.

"_Francesca, stop!" _screamed her voice.

Francesca stopped short. She quickly realized where she was.

"Right…" she said. "I'll get a nasty shock if I touch that cage, right?"

The Beast nodded, sadly.

"_In all fairness, I told her not to," _said a familiar voice. _"She learned the hard way that I wasn't lying…"_

Francesca turned with an angry glare as a portal opened, and Ruklamba the Spirit King emerged. (1,000 ATK)

"You…" she hissed. "You grabbed Unicorn Princess to use as bait, right?

"Well, it worked! You hooked me, and I'm here! So let her go!"

"_All in good time…" _said the Spirit King._ "Holding her hostage was useful to lure you here, yes… But… Keeping her where she is for now is also a reassurance that our duel this time isn't a repeat of last time. _

"_I'm not as dumb as I look… I can see multiple ways to use a situation to my advantage…_

"_But if it will make you feel better… Once this duel is over, she'll go free either way… Although I can't say the same for you."_

"You know…" said Stan, "Chaos Hunter was one thing… _This _guy I have a _much _harder time trusting…"

"Yeah, you have to beat me first, ugly…" said Fran, looking at the Fiend. "And seeing as you just came out and told me that you're using the same deck as before, that shouldn't be too hard."

A smirk appeared on Ruklamba's toothy mouth as his Duel Disk appeared on his left arm.

Then he was startled to hear the Shadow Queen's voice in his head.

"_Ruklamba!" _shouted her voice in the Spirit King's mind. _"Listen and listen good…_

"_I'm giving you a second chance, something that I usually would not even consider giving to someone who insulted me to my face. You said you didn't care when you did it… You care _now_, right?"_

Ruklamba shook a little. He nodded.

"_Good…" _continued the Queen. _"Consider yourself _very_ lucky. Make me angry again, and they'll be calling you Ruklamba the Septic Tank King."_

Ruklamba trembled. Then he stood up straight and turned to Fran again.

"_Deckmaster!" _he ordered._ "Let's see it…"_

Francesca held up a card, and Flurrie appeared behind her. (1,800 ATK)

"_Meh, heh, heh…" _chuckled Ruklamba. _"Whatever you say… I remember what she did the last time, and so long as she can't do it this time, fine!"_

"Yeah?" asked Francesca. "How do you know her Deckmaster effect isn't the same?"

Then she slowly looked at Flurrie.

"Uh, I'm afraid not, hon," replied Flurrie. "But… No-one says _he _has to know that, right?"

"I guess not…" replied Fran.

"Now here we go, darlin'!" exclaimed the Spirit. "Time to shine!"

Fran gave her a thumb's up. Then she looked at Unicorn Princess, and nodded to her.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ruklamba: 8,000)**

"_Ironic, isn't it?"_ asked Ruklamba, as he made his first draw. _"I'm three Levels higher than your Deckmaster, but I still get the first turn…"_

"Yeah, Ruklamba," replied Andy, "I have to wonder… With only 1,000 Attack Points… What exactly do other Level 8 Duel Spirits say about you?"

Ruklamba actually smiled at that.

"_Strange,"_ he said. _"As I recall the King of Games used a Level 8 Monster with no more than zero Attack Points in one of the most important duels of his career. Would you be so willing to make snide remarks about Gandora, Dragon of Destruction?"_

"Heh…" chuckled Stan. "He's got you there, Andy…"

Ruklamba set three cards into his Disk, and a set Monster appeared, then two cards behind it.

"_Your move…" _he growled again.

Francesca drew, and looked at the three cards on her opponent's side of the field.

_The Monster is more than likely Ojama Blue… _she thought. _The cards behind it… One is probably Ojamagic and the other… Probably Gift of the Mystical Elf again… Going to have to be careful…_

"I summon Phantom Charger!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the ghostly, white stallion appeared in front of her. (1,700 ATK)

"Attack his Monster with Galloping Ghost Charge!" she shouted, as it lowered its horn.

"_Here's a card that your friend might remember,"_ said Ruklamba, as one of his set cards lifted up. _"Malevolent Catastrophe!"_

His other face-down card, which, naturally, was Ojamagic, lifted up and shattered, as Phantom Charger's horn pierced the defending Monster, which, indeed, was Ojama Blue. The three Normal Ojama cards appeared in Ruklamba's hand.

"You were watching our other duels?" asked Stan.

"_Well, it's not like Fran's friend and I had much else to do," _replied Ruklamba, as he looked at his hostage. _"Right?"_

Unicorn Princess gave him an annoyed grunt.

"_Anyway…"_ said Ruklamba, _"as I'm sure you remember, Ojama Blue's death lets me take two cards with the word 'Ojama' in their names from my deck, and they can be Monster, Spell, or Trap Cards."_

Two more cards materialized in his hand, giving him a total of eight.

_At least it wasn't Ojama Trio, _thought Fran.

Her other five cards were Hypnocorn, Egotistical Ape, Call of the Haunted, and Elephun.

_Better not put anything else in play… _she thought. _If he uses Hurricane, I'll just lose them…_

"Ah, I end my turn…" she said.

Ruklamba grinned a little as he drew a card.

_She's obviously expecting me to summon my three Ojamas and wipe her cards out with Hurricane, _he thought. _What she doesn't know is, my deck has changed considerably since last time. __It may still have Ojamas, perhaps… But… She'd be surprised at how versatile those little guys can be…_

"_I activate the Ojama Ride Spell Card!"_ he shouted.

"HUH?" shouted Fran, as the Spell Card appeared. "What does THAT do?"

"_Funny you should ask," _replied the Spirit King, as he held up the Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black cards. _"To use it, I have to get rid of Larry, Moe, and Curly here…"_

He discarded the three cards.

"So would that make the Red and Blue ones Shemp and Curly Joe?" asked Stan.

"_Very funny," _replied Ruklamba. _"In return for that, I get to Special Summon up to three Level 4 or lower Union Monsters from my deck in Defense Mode. Machine-Types only, however…"_

In two flashes of light, Y-Dragon Head (1,600 DEF) and Z-Metal Tank (1,300 DEF) appeared.

"Uh huh…" said Andy. "So… Just how many folks at I2 did Manjyome Jun have to buy off before they designed that card?"

"_No-one ever proved anything," _replied Ruklamba. _"Of course… I guess it does seem kind of convenient when you look at it…_

"_Now I'll summon X-Dragon Head…"_

He played the card, and the third of the three infamous Machines appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"_You probably know what's coming next, but… Before that, I'll play the Spell Card, Triple-Triples…"_

He played the card, and it was another one that they had never seen.

"_Because I have three Monsters that share the same Type, Level, and Attribute, I get to draw three times… But all three of these Monsters are destroyed when I end my turn…"_

He drew three cards.

"_That's not going to happen, however, because now I can banish the three of them to combine them…"_

The three Machines started to change shape and parts of them folded together, Y-Dragon Head merging atop of Z-Metal Tank and X-Head Dragon atop of both. In a cloud of steam that turned into flames, the three had combined into the mighty XYZ-Dragon Cannon. (2,800 ATK)

"_Think we all know what's about to happen now…" _he said, as he held up a card. (It was Spirit Caller.)

He discarded it, and Phantom Charger shattered. XYZ-Dragon Cannon aimed its weapons at Francesca and a crosshairs appeared on her torso… She grit her teeth…

"_Attack directly with De-Fission Blasters!"_

The Machine fired, and a plasma explosion erupted on Francesca's side of the field. Unfortunately, she was in the center of it.

**(F: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 8,000)**

Francesca half-stumbled-half-fell backwards, her clothing and skin marked with burns. Flurrie caught her quickly.

"Fran…" started Andy.

"I'm fine…" moaned Francesca. "Fine! Let me at him…"

"Calm down, darlin'!" said Flurrie. "Easy now…"

Fran started breathing a little slower.

"You almost started hyperventilating there…" said Flurrie, as she slowly helped her up.

"I'm okay, Flurrie, I'm okay…" she said. "I can handle that thing…"

"_I end my turn…" _said Ruklamba.

_Maybe you can, and maybe you can't, _he thought, as he watched Fran make a draw, _but this Cannon is just a little something to warm things up…_

"Well, if it isn't my old friend Sunlight Unicorn," said Francesca, as she played the card, causing the shining mare to appear. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, let's see what her effect does…"

She flipped the top card on her deck.

"Synchro Boost!" she exclaimed. "But I'm not going to use this on her…"

She discarded a card from her hand, Hypnocorn.

"By sending that guy to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon my friend Egotistical Ape…"

The small monkey appeared, and then its demonic, flaming shadow loomed over it. (1,200 ATK)

"…and I can also reduce its Level by an amount equal to Hypnocorn's Level, which means it's Level 1 now.

"Meaning I can Tune together Egotistical Ape and Sunlight Unicorn…"

The primate flew towards the ceiling, and Sunlight Unicorn followed, flying through the glowing rings…

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

With a furious neigh, Thunder Unicorn appeared in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll use her effect to lower the Attack Score of your Cannon by 500 points."

The large Fusion Monster started to sizzle and spark, and its Score fell to 2,300.

"Then, I can use Synchro Boost on Thunder Unicorn," she continued, as she played the card, "which boosts her Level _and _her Attack Score!"

(2,700 ATK)

"Blow that thing to pieces! Thunder Spear!"

There was a flash of lightning as the Unicorn charged towards the Machine. Ruklamba covered his head with his right arm as an explosion blew it to scrap, sending burning hot metal scattering all over the floor.

**(F: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,600)**

"_Heh…" _he said. _"Quite… resourceful…"_

"I take it that's as close to making a compliment as you're ever gonna get…" muttered Francesca. "It's your move…"

Ruklamba made a draw, and put it with the others.

"_I activate After the Struggle,"_ he said, as a Spell Card appeared.

"After the Struggle?" said Andy, quizzically. "Uh… That kind of sounds familiar, but…"

"It's a rather old card…" said Stan. "If I remember correctly… I think you have to play it during the first Main Phase, and then, any Monster that battles which is still around during the second Main Phase is destroyed…"

"So, even Monsters that _win _battles during the Battle Phase get totaled?" asked Andy.

"_You'll see why I played it momentarily,"_ replied Ruklamba. _"For now, I'll use my Ojamandala Spell Card, and drop 1,000 Life Points to summon my three Ojamas from my Graveyard."_

The Spell Card appeared, and Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green appeared in front of him. (0 ATK x3) They smirked at Francesca and waved.

"_Now then…"_ he said.

He played a card, and Polymerization appeared.

"_Time for the BIG guy to show up!"_

The three Ojamas turned into three yellow, green, and black swirls of energy, which flew around the room in a fast, chaotic pattern. Then, with a deep, throaty laugh, Ojama King landed with a crash. (0 ATK)

"You summoned it in Attack Mode?" asked Francesca, raising her eyebrow.

"_Uh-huh," _replied Ruklamba. _"Now, you remember its effect, I'm sure, but I'm going to pass on it this time…"_

"Eh?" said Francesca.

"_I have a special Spell Card in my deck…" _continued the Spirit King, _"and by summoning Ojama King, I'm allowed to automatically take it from there…"_

The card slipped out of his deck.

"_You said that Manjyome paid someone at I2 to design that card…" _continued Ruklamba. _"Well, if that was indeed the case, it might make sense…_

"_Still, it is possible that he didn't… Because that isn't the _only _relation that Ojamas have with Machine Monsters…"_

"Say what?" said Fran.

"_I activate the Spell Card, __Mecha Ojama King Transformation!"_ shouted the Fiend.

As he played the card, Ojama Kind levitated into the air, and strange, sparking motes of energy started to encircle its huge, egg-shaped body as a weird change started to occur, its skin starting to turn metallic and its joints becoming sharper and more rigid…

Then it landed with another crash, having turned into a robotic version of itself. (3,000 DEF)

"_As you can see," _continued Ruklamba, _"Mecha Ojama King has as many Attack Points as any other Ojama – zero. However, it has a unique ability… It can Special Summon an Ojamachine once per turn. _

"_What's an Ojamachine, you ask? Well, it's THIS!"_

As he said that, Mecha Ojama King stuck out its tongue, and something smaller shot out of its mouth, using the tongue like a launch pad. The "thing" landed; it looked like a small, robotic version of Ojama Black. It looked even more disturbing than the actual Ojama Black, with a hideous Cheshire Cat grin. (0 ATK)

"_Cute little guy, isn't it?" _asked Ruklamba.

"Hardly…" said Fran. "And just what does that thing do?"

"_I'll show you…" _replied Ruklamba.

Then, strangely, the small robot opened at a seam at its waist, and like a weird matryoshka doll, a copy of itself popped out of the center. Then the copy repeated the trick, creating another copy, then _that _one did the same, creating, in all, four Ojamachine Blacks. (0 ATK x2)

"_All right little guys…"_ said Ruklamba. _"Attack Thunder Unicorn!"_

The four small droids started to shuffle-roll towards the Synchro Beast as she watched in surprise…

"Fight them off, Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Francesca.

Thunder Unicorn lowered her horn, and a blast of electrical energy blew the small Machines into little pieces.

"_Nice…"_ said Ruklamba. _"However, I take no battle damage when an Ojamachine or a Token created by one is destroyed._

"_However, now that it's my second Main Phase, due to the fact that I played After the Struggle, Thunder Unicorn isn't going to fare so well…"_

The Unicorn shattered into little bits as Francesca looked at Ruklamba in fury.

"_Also…" _said Ruklamba, _"because Ojamachine Black and three of its Tokens were destroyed in one turn, I get to draw twice…"_

He drew two cards.

He chuckled again, as he set two cards, causing them to appear, concealed, behind Mecha Ojama King.

"_Your move…" _he said.

**(F: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,600)**

"Well, uh…" said Andy. "At least Fran didn't lose any Life Points that round…"

"Yeah, but it seems that Mecha Ojama King is quite literally a Monster-spawner," replied Stan. "If it can summon a Monster that, in turn, can create three Tokens every turn…

"Well, the possibilities are almost endless…"

"My move…" said Francesca.

She drew a card.

_First order of business… _she thought, _is getting rid of that huge monstrosity before it summons another set of little monstrosities…_

Ruklamba chuckled as one of its Trap Cards lifted up.

"_I activate Ojama Trio!" _he shouted.

Fran looked in disgust as the three regular Ojamas appeared in front of her, giggling at her like three demented goons. (1,000 DEF x3)

"_Then, Just Desserts!" _laughed Ruklamba, as his second Trap Card lifted up.

Fran gasped as two ghostly arms reached out of the card, and grabbed her by the neck, throttling her. She fell to her knees.

**(F: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,600)**

She held her neck and panted for breath as they let go.

"You're going to regret that, you bastard…" she said, as she took a card from her hand.

She played it, and Elephun appeared next to the three Ojamas. (500 ATK)

"Guess what, gruesome?" she said. "These three idiots you summoned to my side of the field are Beast-Type Monsters. That means I can Tune them and Elephun…"

Elephun flew into the air, turning slightly as it did. A lariat made of energy shot from its trunk, and it lassoed the three Ojamas. Then it continued to fly upwards, dragging the three of them through the Synchro Rings.

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*2 + *2 + *2 + *2 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

In a loud clap of thunder, the stern-looking Beast appeared and glared daggers at Ruklamba. (2,800 ATK)

"_Okay, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea..." _muttered the Spirit King._ "But my Monster still has 3,000 Defense Points..."_

"Is that so?" said Fran. "Lightning Tricorn, attack Mecha Ojama King!"

Tricorn lowered its horns. Then Flurrie started to take a deep breath.

"Ever hear the expression 'having the wind at your back'?" she asked. "With Flurrie as my Deckmaster, a Monster can have this both literally _and _figuratively! Her Deckmaster effect can boost my Monster's Attack Score by 1,000 points for the rest of the Battle Phase."

Flurrie started to blow furiously, and Lightning Tricorn's score rose to 3,800 as she charged towards Mecha Ojama King.

"_Well then, I'll just have to use MY Deckmaster effect!"_ shouted Ruklamba.

He took a card from his hand and discarded it. Tricorn's horns slammed into the huge Machine, but while they dented it a little, it still stood.

"_Once per turn, I can select a Monster with an Attack Score of zero and then discard a card," _said Ruklamba with a smirk. _"Doing so makes said Monster unbeatable in battle."_

Flurrie started to take some deep breaths as she held her chest.

"You okay?" asked Fran.

"I'm fine…" replied Flurrie. "But… I'm gonna need a while before I can do that again…"

"Lovely…" said Fran.

"Hey, like I said before…" said Flurrie. "No reason _he _has to know that…"

"All right, fellah, my turn is over…" said Francesca.

"_Then I'll start mine…"_ said Ruklamba, as he drew a card. _"And I'll use my Mecha King to summon an Ojamachine Green!"_

The mechanized Ojama King spit out another small robot, this time a droid version of the green Ojama. It was just as creepy as the last one, maybe more so, with a lolling metal tongue sticking out. (0 ATK)

Then it faded into a blur, and three copies of itself appeared. (0 ATK x4)

"_Attack Lightning Tricorn, Ojamachines!"_ shouted Ruklamba.

The small Machines launched themselves at Lightning Tricorn, their legs propelling them like springs. Tricorn shrieked in pain as they shattered against her.

Francesca looked, and saw that she was covered with cuts and scrapes from the broken metal.

"_Again, I take no damage from those attacks, despite the fact that your Monster technically won," _continued Ruklamba. _"However, if Ojamachine Green or one of its Tokens is destroyed by battle, the Monster that destroyed it loses 300 Attack Points, and she just destroyed four of them."_

(1,600 ATK)

"_Think it's going to need more than the boost that windbag can give her," _he said. _"I end my turn."_

"Windbag?" shouted Fran.

"Let it go, darlin'," said Flurrie, as she put her hand on her shoulder. "I've been called worse…"

Francesca sighed, and then made a draw.

_Eh? _she said. _This is the card that I…_

She looked at it. It took her a minute to remember this.

_Right… This is the card I won from Gloomtail…_

She looked strangely at her deck, then at her shirt pocket.

_How the heck did THAT get in my deck?_

She looked at the other three cards in her hand, and took two of them.

_Ah, what's the difference? _she thought, as she threw the three cards into her Disk.

"All right, you thief, I'm setting these three cards," she said, as the three cards appeared set in her Spell Zone. "It's your move!"

"_I'm so scared…" _said Ruklamba, as he drew a card.

"_Now's where the fun starts… Mecha Ojama King, move to Attack Mode!"_

The huge robot stood up, and its eyes started to flicker with red lights. (0 ATK)

"_Then, I use the Shield Attack Equip Spell," _he said, as he played a card. _"It lets my Monster attack with its Defense Score, and vice-versa!"_

(3,000 ATK)

"Three-thousand…" muttered Andy. "That thing can flatten Lightning Tricorn in one punch…"

"_But before he does…" _continued Ruklamba, _"I'll use its effect to summon… Guess who? Ojamachine Yellow!"_

Mecha Ojama King disgorged another small robot, this one a small droid version of Ojama Yellow, again with a disturbing grin. It opened its mouth wide, and a duplicate of itself emerged, then the duplicate did the same, producing another duplicate, then _that _duplicate did the same, creating another. (0 ATK x4)

"Like _that's _a surprise," said Francesca.

"_Maybe what they do will come as more of a surprise…" _said Ruklamba.

The four yellow droids started to hop towards Lightning Tricorn like frogs. Again, she lowered her horn in disgust and blasted them into scrap metal. This time however, the hot, sharp metal shards showered over Francesca instead, and she let out a small scream.

"_Those guys are harmless to your Monster…"_ said Ruklamba. _"YOU, on the other hand, take 300 points of damage for each one destroyed. Again, I take no damage. _

"_Now for your Unicorn… Mecha Ojama King… Get it…"_

The giant thing's eyestalks glowed, and two burning death rays shot at Lightning Tricorn. Francesca was knocked on her behind as she shattered.

**(F: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,600)**

"I use Lightning Tricorn's effect!" she shouted.

Thunder Unicorn appeared in front of her, looking at Ruklamba in a rage. (2,200 ATK)

"_I was hoping you'd do that!" _laughed the Spirit King.

He played a Spell Card, and then discarded another.

"Tribute to the Doomed?" shouted Francesca. "Oh… Crap…"

Thunder Unicorn shattered.

"_From your expression, I take it that you realize I used that opportunity to discard a second Ojamagic," _chuckled Ruklamba. _"That means I get three more Ojamas…"_

Three more cards appeared in his hand.

"_Fortunately for you, I really don't have anything to do with them now, so I'll just end my turn there…"_

Francesca looked at Unicorn Princess, who was watching her closely from the cage. Then she looked at Lady of Unicorns, the last card in her hand. Then at her three set cards.

Then she made a draw.

"Heh, heh…" she said. "Hey gruesome! Guess what!

"I just drew Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"_Huh?" _said Ruklamba, as she played it. The wind blew towards Mecha Ojama King, and the Equip Spell shattered. Its Attack Score fell to nothing.

"_Eh, big deal…" _he said. _"Forget my Deckmaster effect? If I discard a card, it won't be destroyed by battle."_

"Who needs to destroy it?" asked Fran. "With it in Attack Mode with zero Attack Points, it might survive, but _you _won't look so good once I'm done with you…"

One of her Trap Cards lifted up.

"I use Call of the Haunted to bring back Sunlight Unicorn!"

There was a bright beam of sunlight, and the wild-haired steed appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, I'll bring Lady of Unicorns to the field too…"

She played the card, and her Tuner lookalike appeared. Unicorn Princess started to whinny happily. (1,400 ATK)

"I Tune together Lady of Unicorns and Sunlight Unicorn…" continued Fran.

The two Monsters flew into the air, slowly fading into the Synchro rings…

"_In the depths of the forest primeval, a gate to the Fairy World opens, and a divine messenger emerges. Gallop forth, bringing your holy light!"_

**(*4 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… __Eachthighern the Fairy Stallion!"_

The light started to become overpowering as Eachthighern triumphantly galloped out of the portal, his brilliant blue eyes flashing. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack that oversized coffee pot!" shouted Francesca.

"_I discard one card from my hand to use my effect!" _shouted Ruklamba, as he discarded Ojama Yellow.

Then he roared as Eachthighern's horn slammed into Mecha Ojama King.

**(F: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)**

"_Is that all you've got, you bitch?" _he cursed.

"No," said Francesca.

Another of her set cards lifted up.

"I activate Synchro Out," she said.

Eachthighern vanished in a column of light.

"By sending my Synchro Monster back to my Extra Deck, I can bring Sunlight Unicorn and Lady of Unicorns back…"

The Unicorn appeared first (1,800 ATK) and then the wild maiden (1,400 ATK) both glaring at the Fiend.

"_Wait a minute…" _said Ruklamba.

Then he screamed again as they both rushed at the robot, Sunlight Unicorn stabbing with her horn and Lady of Unicorns cutting deep with her scimitar.

**(F: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 1,400)**

"_Okay, now I'm pissed!" _he shouted.

Francesca's last Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Rage Resynchro!" she shouted.

The two Monsters flew towards the ceiling again.

"This Trap lets me Synchro Summon a Monster, but from my Graveyard instead of my Extra Deck…"

Ruklamba's eyes widened in horror as Lightning Tricorn appeared again. (2,800 ATK)

"AND it gains 500 Attack Points!" shouted Francesca.

(3,300 ATK)

"_Wait, stop!" _screamed the Spirit King. _"This isn't fair!"_

"Lightning Tricorn…" ordered Francesca. "Attack with Raging Giga Volt Charge!"

A storm of electricity filled the room, as Tricorn charged, and its attack hit home. All they could hear from the Spirit King was a scream of agony…

**(F: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

As Mecha Ojama King shattered, the cage holding Unicorn Princess broke open. Ruklamba was nowhere in sight.

Two cards materialized in front of Francesca as the Princess slowly walked up to her. The first one was Unicorn Princess' card. The other…

Francesca had never seen this before… It looked powerful… Very, very powerful…

"_Take it, Francesca…" _said Unicorn Princess. _"You've earned it…"_

Francesca slowly took it. Then she held up the Ritual Monster Card, and Princess smiled before she turned into motes of light and flew into it.

"Way to go, Fran!" shouted Andy.

"Andy, wait…" she replied, as he hugged her. "I… I feel tired all of a sudden…"

"You know…" said Stan. "I kinda feel a little tired to…"

They all sat down. For some reason, all three of them were feeling a little sleepy…

Then, for some reason they couldn't understand, they fell asleep.

**0000000000**

While the inside of the Palace of Shadow knew neither night nor day, it was now close to midnight outside…

And in the Boggly Woods, two duelists were wandering through the underbrush, cautiously trying to stay alert. One was Ryo, whom Andy had dueled so many days ago not far from here, while the other was José, whom Stan had faced at the Wonky Circus.

They stopped.

"Something's not right…" said José.

The two of them tensed as something crept up behind them.

"Man, José…" said Ryo, "your breath smells like rotten bananas!"

"What?" snapped José. "Hey, number one, I brush my teeth every day. Number two, I haven't eaten bananas since…"

Then he stopped. They both slowly turned around.

A roar came from the very angry-looking gorilla that had been stalking them. (2,000 ATK) The two duelists took off, running deeper into the forest.

"Looks like the old man wasn't kidding!" shouted José.

"Just keep running!" answered Ryo.

**0000000000**

**OJAMA RIDE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A three-way split screen showing the three original Ojamas at the controls of what appears to be a Super Sentai mecha.

**Card Description: **Discard 1 "Ojama Yellow", 1 "Ojama Green", and 1 "Ojama Black" from your hand. Special Summon up to 3 Machine-Type Union Monsters from your deck in face-up Defense Position. The Battle Positions of these Monsters cannot switch.

**0000000000**

**MECHA OJAMA KING TRANSFORMATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The image on this card was never shown clearly.

**Card Description: **Tribute 1 "Ojama King" you control. Special Summon 1 "Mecha Ojama King" from your hand or deck. When you Fusion Summon an "Ojama King", you can add this card from your deck to your hand.

**0000000000**

**MECHA OJAMA KING (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Effect/Lvl6/0ATK/3,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned, except via the effect of "Mecha Ojama King Transformation". Once per turn, you may Special Summon 1 "Ojamachine" Monster from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**OJAMACHINE YELLOW (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Effect/Lvl2/0ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned, Special Summon as many "Ojamachine Yellow Tokens" as possible, with the same Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF and effects as this card. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. When this card is destroyed by battle, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent.

_Note: The preceding three cards were first used by Manjyome in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Champion or Chazz-been". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**SYNCHRO OUT (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Lightning coming out of a glowing portal in the sky.

**Card Description: **Select 1 Synchro Monster you control and return it to your Extra Deck. If the Monsters that were used for the Synchro Summoning of the selected Synchro Monster are in your Graveyard, Special Summon them. Destroy the Special Summoned Monsters during the End Phase of the turn.

_Note: "Synchro Out" was first used by Yusei in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "French Twist (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**RAGE RESYNCHRO (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A Dragon flying triumphantly out of the ground of a cemetery.

**Card Description: **Select 1 Synchro Monster in your Graveyard. Send Monsters on the field you control necessary for a Synchro Summon of the selected Monster to the Graveyard and Special Summon the selected Monster from your Graveyard (this is considered a Synchro Summon). It gains 500 Attack Points. Destroy it during the next turn's End Phase.

_Note: "Rage Resynchro" was first used by Yusei in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Power Plays". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**TRIPLE-TRIPLES (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The three original Ojamas playing poker at a dimly lit table, smoking cigars. Ojama Green's hand can be seen, and consists of three threes and two Jacks.

**Card Description: **Select 3 Monsters you control with different names who all have the same Type, Attribute, and Level. Draw 3 cards. Destroy the 3 selected Monsters at the End Phase of the turn.

_Note: "Triple-Triples" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Ascension". _

**0000000000**

**OJAMACHINE GREEN (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Effect/Lvl2/0ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned, Special Summon as many "Ojamachine Green Tokens" as possible, with the same Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF and effects as this card. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. When this card is destroyed by battle, the Monster that destroyed it loses 300 Attack Points.

**0000000000**

**OJAMACHINE BLACK (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Light/Effect/Lvl2/0ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Special Summoned, Special Summon as many "Ojamachine Black Tokens" as possible, with the same Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, and DEF as this card. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card or an "Ojamachine Black Token". You may draw 1 card during the End Phase of a turn for every 2 copies of "Ojamachine Black" and or "Ojamachine Black Tokens" that are destroyed by battle that turn.

**0000000000**

"**Madame Flurrie of the Fog":** Fairy/Wind/Lvl5/1,800/1,200: "Wind at Your Back": Once per turn, during your Battle Phase, you can increase the ATK of one of your Monsters by 1,000 until the end of the Battle Phase. If you use this effect, you cannot use it again until three of your Standby Phases have passed.

**0000000000**

"**Ruklamba the Spirit King": **Fiend/Dark/Lvl8/1,000/2,000: "Zero Shield": Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand a select a Monster you control with zero ATK. The selected Monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.

**0000000000**

_**Ruklamba is defeated and Unicorn Princess is safe…**_

_**Unfortunately, Ruklamba, Saggi, and Chaos Hunter were never meant to do anything but provide a distraction until the Queen's true warriors could prepare. You've already met them, I believe…**_

_**And let me tell you, you haven't seen anything yet…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Andy: Our first few encounters with the Shadow Spawn seemed to be rather straightforward. They seemed like typical bullies and downright nasty folks you'd never want to meet…**_

_**But after a while on Arcadia, a thought started to come to us… It might not be as black and white with them as we thought. They seem to be as frightened of their mother as anyone else, and I'm starting to wonder whether or not the six of them are as much prisoners of this place as anyone else in all but name. **_

_**The Shadow Queen… She's something else… I'm really gonna love kicking her butt…**_

_**But I have to get past Melissa first… And it seems that she and her siblings are going to do what their mother tells them to as long as she can lead them. Maybe there's something to be said for ruling through fear. **_

"_**Jade Knight" is coming next. Why is called "Jade Knight"? Nothing to do with Gradius Monsters, I'm afraid. You'll just have to see… **_


	51. Jade Knight

_**My name is Melissa, the Shadow Spawn of Light. I don't have a last name, that's usually the case with members of royalty. No-one in the British royal family really has last names either, they… Ah, you aren't reading this to learn stuff you can look up in a textbook.**_

_**Sometimes I put my hand over my chest to feel my heart… I don't feel anything different than most people when I feel it beat… But the thing is, I know that there **_**is**_** something different inside my chest… Something dark and sinister…**_

_**You see, before Vladimir was born, mom had a powerful weapon. I don't fully understand it, but to keep this weapon safe, she split it into six pieces, and after Vlad was born, she put one piece in his heart. She did the same with my other siblings… And to me too… Each of us carries a shard of this weapon that she apparently has to protect at all costs.**_

_**Like I said, I don't understand it fully. But that's probably why she trained us to be her strongest enforcers. Hard to take something valuable if you keep it in six living vaults that will fight back, right? She's told us many times that she gave us the job because we're the only ones she'd ever trust with it…**_

_**I wonder sometimes if that's the only reason…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-ONE**

**0000000000**

**Jade Knight**

**0000000000**

**00000**

In the Boggly Woods, Ryo and José were hiding in a large bush.

"A thousand bushes in this forest and we choose one that's full of thorns!" moaned Ryo.

"Will you be quiet?" muttered José, who was pretty sore himself.

He stopped to listen.

"How far do you think we are from the Great Tree?"

"Not sure…" replied Ryo. "I have the strangest feeling me might have been running _away _from it just then…"

"Lovely…" replied José. "Maybe we lost it… Are gorillas good at tracking?"

"Who do I look like, Jane Goodall?" asked Ryo.

Then they heard a low growl. They looked out, and saw the Berserk Gorilla standing there, but it didn't seem quite as angry as before…

Then, another Duel Spirit walked forward, glowing with an eerie light…

It (it seemed hard to place a gender on it) was a tall alien-looking creature, dressed in a white spacesuit with an orange vest and a large, cylindrical apparatus on its back. It had a conical helmet with a window in the front that revealed two small pinpoints of light for eyes, and nothing else.

"Who is _that?" _exclaimed José, as they stepped out of the bush.

"Moisture Creature…" replied Ryo.

The weird Fairy held up a card (Berserk Gorilla's card) and the Beast vanished.

"I'm sorry if my pet frightened you," it said. "However… By order of the sovereign of this island, all duelists are to surrender."

"Suppose we don't?" asked Ryo.

Moisture Creature held up its left arm, and a very high-tech and otherworldly-looking Duel Disk appeared on its arm.

"I assure you, human, that taking that option won't be pleasant…" it said.

"In a pig's eye…" said Ryo.

He activated _his _Duel Disk.

"I'll take you on, spooky," he said.

"I should warn you," said Moisture Creature, "unlike the other times you faced folks like me in this tournament, I play for far more dangerous stakes."

"Well, that will just make this more interesting then…" said Ryo.

The Life Point counters set.

**0000000000**

Slowly, Stan, Andy, and Francesca woke up…

"Uh…" said Stan. "Did we…"

Then they looked around.

"…nod off?" he gasped, in horror. "Where are we?"

"I don't know!" screamed Francesca.

"I don't think I _want _to know!" added Andy.

They weren't where they had fallen asleep, and of all the places they had been since they got off that ship, they liked this place the least.

The room they were in was made completely of black marble… At least they assumed so. What made the stone strange – and terrifying – were the red cracks in it, cracks that strangely looked like _veins, _veins that glowed and pulsated, providing illumination for the strange room.

In the center of the room was a dais with two steps leading up to it.

"Okay…" said Francesca. "The Queen expects us to walk up onto that… But that's what we're _not _going to do, right?"

"We'd have to be out of our minds…" said Andy. "This…"

Then the room started to rumble and shake…

Slowly, a large statue of some sort started to rise out of the dais. As they watched it, they started to make out what it was supposed to be… A large fist made out of the same black stone, only without the veins. After about thirty seconds, the whole thing emerged, a stone fist about ten feet tall by eight feet wide.

"If that's a hand…" said Francesca, "I don't want to see who it's attached to…"

Then the fist slowly opened into an open hand…

When it did fully, there was another surprise… It had _six _fingers. Five fingers and a thumb. It seemed like a second ring finger had somehow been placed between the proper one and the middle finger.

"Nice…" said Andy, nervously. "Been a long time since I saw _The Princess Bride, _but…"

"Will you be serious?" shouted Stan. "This thing…"

Before he could say another word, a portal of burning radiance appeared in the palm or the huge hand, and the three teenagers screamed as something invisible grabbed them, yanking them through it.

**0000000000**

They slowly opened their eyes.

They were in a place full of soft light… A temple of some sort, with marble pillars (normal _white _marble this time), and a floor made of marble too.

Slowly they stood up. They liked this place a lot more than the last one, but there was still an uneasy feeling around them.

An altar was in front of them, a shining, white, marble altar that had an iron helmet of a grim, dark design on the top. Behind the altar were three stained glass windows depicting Duel Monster cards, one above the other two.

"Those cards…" said Andy.

It took them a minute or two to recognize the three bestial Monsters: Andro Sphinx, Sphinx Teleia, and positioned above the two of them, Theinen the Great Sphinx. These were creatures used by a demonic sorcerer who was bold enough (or maybe stupid enough, depending on who you asked) to strike at Yugi Mouto in a way that involved tricking and eventually double-crossing Seto Kaiba, in effect challenging both of them at once. Despite the foolishness of such a gambit, it had made these three cards infamous.

Then they noticed more large stained glass windows to each side of them. One to their left and one to their right, each one depicting a Monster that they recognized only too well… The one on the left was Ruin, Queen of Oblivion, and the one on the right was Reshef the Dark Being…

It was proven time and time again in the game of Duel Monsters that Light didn't always mean Good, and Monsters like these proved it more than any others…

There were smaller stained glass windows as well next to the big ones to their sides, showing pictures of less powerful Light-Attribute Monsters that were clearly evil… Desrook Archfiend, Theban Nightmare, Emperor Sem, and Ghost Ship…

When they turned back to the altar, they found that they were not alone. Someone was kneeling in front of it. Someone in emerald green full plate armor with long, blonde hair, kneeling before the strange altar.

Slowly, the armored figure stood up, and turned to face them…

"_Melissa?" _gasped Francesca.

The Shadow Spawn of Light looked at them coldly.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Nice armor…"

Melissa's look changed to one that seemed slightly puzzled.

"No, seriously!" said Francesca. "It looks good on you…"

"Really?" said Melissa, with her face lighting up, a little. "Well, thanks… I'm kinda partial to it myself…

"Mom doesn't let the six of us wear it often, but now that…

"Oh, you're trying to distract me!"

"Easy!" said Francesca.

"If you must know," said Melissa, "the first time you saw me, I was mom's enforcer. This time, I'm here as a member of the royalty of Arcadia. That's why I have the armor. You three can consider this a privilege that very few people see."

"So, you want a rematch?" asked Francesca.

She sighed.

_She was tough enough last time… _she thought. _This time…_

"Not that I wouldn't jump at the chance…" said Melissa. "But this time I want to duel Andy."

She lifted her left arm, and a Duel Disk unfolded from the gauntlet, a steel one that was the same color as the armor, with five sharp blades acting as the spaces in the Monster Zone.

"ME?" said Andy. "Why?"

"I have my reasons," said Melissa. "And it's not like you have a choice. As you can see, this room has no physical exit."

They looked around. She was right.

"In fact," she continued, "none of us can leave here right now, not even me. That hand won't let anyone leave until a duel occurs…

"At that point, it will let everyone except the loser go back to where they were before. The loser…

"Well, it will do something to the loser too, but it would be better if you not think about it."

"What the Hell _is _that thing?" said Andy, with a scowl.

"You _don't _want to know," replied Melissa.

"Look…" said Andy.

"Seriously, you _really _don't want to know…" added Melissa.

Andy sighed.

_She's clearly not the same bubbly, girlish type that we met in Hooktail's castle, _he thought. _Maybe it was all an act…_

He stood forward to confront her.

_Somehow, I feel this isn't going to be as easy as last time…_

He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

_I might need these more than ever for this duel… _he thought.

"Here's my Deckmaster, Andy!" shouted Melissa.

She played the card, and a weird, faceless creature with no legs, six arms, and wings appeared, hovering in mid-air. (1,400 ATK)

"In case you haven't been introduced, it's called Layard the Liberator."

"Fine then…" said Andy.

He held up a card, and Lord of Dragons appeared behind him. (1,200 ATK)

"Looks like that means I get the first move…"

He shuffled his deck, and then activated his Disk.

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Melissa: 8,000)**

Andy made his opening draw, and then played a card, causing Cave Dragon to appear in front of him. (2,000 ATK)

"Okay, let's see what you've got…"

Melissa drew her first card, and then quickly picked one.

"I activate Gold Sarcophagus…" she said.

"Uh oh…" said Stan, as the ancient, golden arc rose out of the floor. "That means in two rounds, she can have…"

"…pretty much anything…" added Francesca.

Melissa took a card from her deck as the lid opened. Then it slammed shut, and dissolved into mist.

"For now, I'll defend with a Monster…" she said, as a reversed Monster appeared in front of her, "and I'll end my turn…"

_Huh… _thought Andy, as he drew a card. _It couldn't be this easy…_

"I'll bring Alexandrite Dragon out!" he shouted, as the shining, radiant Dragon appeared. (2,000 ATK)

"You attack first, Cave Dragon!" he shouted. "Let's see what she's hiding!"

As the Dragon belched a cloud of gas at the card, a weird creature appeared on it, a weird, bug-like thing with six arms, wearing cargo pants and a pack on its back, holding odd objects in each hand.

"Magical Merchant!" shouted Andy.

"Yup," said Melissa, as it shattered. "I suppose you know how it works… I pick up cards from my deck until I reach one that isn't a Monster…

"So let's see…"

She picked up the top card.

"Nope…" she said.

She picked up another.

"Uh-uh…"

Then another and another.

"Not that one… Not gonna do it…"

Then a fifth.

"Ah, there we go… Now, I'll send these four Monsters to the Graveyard…"

She discarded the four cards.

"Well, I'm not done…" said Andy. "Alexandrite Dragon, direct attack!"

The Dragon breathed a blast of powerful energy at Melissa. However, she didn't even move as it hit her.

**(A: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,000)**

"A two-thousand-point direct attack and she didn't even flinch?" gasped Francesca.

Melissa tapped the breastplate of her armor.

"What, you think this outfit is just for looks?" she asked.

_Like this is fair… _thought Andy.

He took a card from his hand, and fit it into his Disk. A set card slowly appeared behind his two Dragons.

_Not sure if she intends to defend or not… _he thought, _but if she does, Dragon's Rage will help._

He nodded.

Melissa drew, and then smirked a little.

"I activate the Spell Card I got from my Merchant's effect," she said. "Luminous Spark."

She fit he card into her Field Zone.

"It gives all Light Monsters 500 Attack Points at the cost of 400 Defense Points."

"I know what it does…" said Andy. "And in case you didn't know it, Alexandrite Dragon is Light."

(2,500 ATK)

"But I've got someone even stronger than that," replied Melissa. "You see, I have exactly five Light Monsters in my Graveyard right now, the four I sent there with Magical Merchant's effect and Magical Merchant itself.

"But four is all I need to summon this big fellah…"

She played a card, and what could best be described as an eruption of pure light broke through the floor.

"_Lightray __Daedalus!"_

The Monster that appeared was one that they had never seen before, but one that was strangely familiar. It was a huge Sea Serpent that resembled – sort of – the famous Levia-Dragon Daedalus, but with pure, white scales, glowing with a radiant, golden aura. (2,600 ATK) –) (3,100 ATK)

"What in the world?" said Stan.

"A… Lightray?" asked Francesca.

"Ever hear of Dark Counterparts?" asked Melissa. "Cards like Dark Horus, The Dark Creator, and of course, Dark Armed Dragon?"

"Are you telling me that this thing is a _Light_ Counterpart?" gasped Andy.

"I'm not all too sure how Newton's Law works…" said Melissa. "I'm not as well-read as Leopold… But I think it all boils down to how a powerful force can cause its opposite to do the same thing. If Dark can create counterparts of famous Monsters, why can't Light do the same? Case in point, the Lightrays.

"And like Dark Counterparts, the effects of Lightrays are reflections of the effects of the creatures they resemble.

"For example… This big guy here… I can use his effect to destroy one Field Spell, like my Luminous Spark, and any two other cards."

Her Field Slot opened, and the card inside shattered, causing Daedalus and Alexandrite Dragon to fall to their base Scores of 2,600 and 2,000, respectively. Then two beams of pure light shot from the Sea Serpent's eyes, vaporizing both Cave Dragon and Andy's set Dragon's Rage.

"Now for the other one…" continued Melissa, as it opened is jaws, and a pulsating orb of light started to form in it. "Attack Alexandrite Dragon with Radiant Maelstrom!"

The Sea Serpent roared, and a literal storm of light erupted, with Daedalus in its center. Alexandrite exploded, and Andy was knocked on his behind.

**(A: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,000)**

_Okay… _he thought. _Looks like __this this certainly _isn't_ going to be as easy as last time…_

_I hate it when I'm right…_

"Go ahead, Andy," she said.

Andy drew a card.

_Bobbery… _he said, looking at the card. _He can use his effect to blow that thing to pieces… But… I have to Tribute Summon him…_

The other four cards he had were Masked Dragon, Sangan, Ancient Dragon, and Twin-Headed Behemoth. He quickly took the first and set it on his Disk.

_I should be able to use that guy's effect to shield myself and still have a Monster to sacrifice next turn, _he thought. _Let's hope for the best…_

"It's your move…" he said.

"I draw one card…" said Melissa, "then I recover the card I put in Golden Sarcophagus…"

The golden chest appeared, and then opened as it shimmered.

"This is card is an even stronger Lightray," she said. "To Special Summon it, I need _five _Light Monsters in my Graveyard, _and _they have to have different names. Fortunately, I do.

"You like Dragons so much Andy? I summon Lightray Diabolos!"

There was another eruption of light, and the Monster that appeared was, indeed, a Dragon. Combining the features of Diabolos, King of the Abyss and some divine celestial dragon in a way that was hard to comprehend, it had a shimmering, silver, metallic hide, a made of golden fur, and a look of absolute fury on its face. (2,800 ATK)

Francesca gulped.

"Don't panic yet…" said Stan.

"Next, I'll play the Soul Absorption Spell Card," said Melissa, as a Continuous Spell appeared in front of her.

"Then I'll use Lightray Diabolos' effect. Once per turn, I can banish one Light Monster from my Graveyard…"

Magical Merchant appeared behind her, and then dissolved into light.

"…which means I first gain 500 Life Points from Soul Absorption. Then we get to the actual effect, which lets me look at one of your set cards, and then either put it on the top of your deck or the bottom."

"Okay, _now _we can panic…" said Stan.

Masked Dragon's card lifted up slightly.

"Bottom, definitely," said Melissa, as the card vanished.

As Andy looked at the two huge Monsters as they started to glow with incredibly intense light, he seriously consider turning around and running away in fear, for the first time since this whole thing started.

Likely the only reason why he didn't was because he realized that he really didn't have anywhere to run to…

He screamed louder than he ever did as the two powerful attacks plowed into him, knocking him on his back and knocking the sunglasses off his face.

**(A: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,500)**

"I'll throw one card face-down…" said Melissa, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and then it's your go…"

Andy held his ribs. Not that his ribs really hurt less than any other part of him right now… He just felt like he had to hold something.

Then, to his surprise, someone was offering his sunglasses to him…

He looked up. It was Lord of Dragons.

Slowly, he took them, and put them on again…

"Uh… Thanks…" he said, as he slowly stood up.

He drew the top card from his deck.

Nitwit Outwit.

_Well, that's something… _he thought. _If I set this card _and _a Monster, then she could only use Diabolos' effect on one of them. And if she uses its effect on it – which she probably will – I can chain-activate it…_

_Still, it might not matter… If only there was a way for me to…_

Then he stopped in mid-thought. He looked at Lord of Dragons.

_Wait a second, I can do just that!_

"I set one Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared in front of him, "then, I use my Deckmaster effect… By paying 500 Life Points, I can make a second Normal Summon, so long as I use it to summon a Dragon."

He played another card, and Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared in front of him. (1,500 ATK)

Then he fit Nitwit Outwit into his deck, and it appeared behind his two Monsters.

_Of course… _he thought, _if she manages to summon a third Monster… I'm dead meat…_

He paused. He looked at Francesca, who was watching with a worried look.

"I end my turn…" he said.

Melissa drew again. She thought for a minute.

"I use the effect of Diabolos again…" she said.

A Monster appeared behind her again. None of them recognized this one – he seemed to be a Warrior of some sort, and just from the look him, he was someone they did _not _want to mess with. He vanished into motes of light.

"I gain 500 Life Points again from Soul Absorption, and the card I choose to use his effect on…

"THAT one."

She pointed to the Trap Card.

"I chain-activate it!" shouted Andy, as Nitwit Outwit lifted up. "I'll discard my Ancient Dragon…"

He discarded the card.

"…and Lightray Diabolos loses 1,400 Attack Points!"

(1,400 ATK)

"I see…" replied Melissa. "But did that weaken him enough for that set Monster of yours to stand up to him?

"Attack with Radiant Rage!"

The Dragon blasted a beam of pulsating energy at the card. Sangan appeared, and then burst.

"No, it did not," said Melissa.

"I can still use Sangan's effect…" said Andy.

He quickly took the Masked Dragon that he had put at the bottom of his deck last turn.

"So you did…" said Melissa.

Then the powerful blast of energy came from Lightray Daedalus, blasting Behemoth to gibbets, and knocking Andy on his back. 

**(A: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,000)**

Francesca was about to say something, but Andy held his hand up.

"I'm fine, Francesca, I'm fine!" he shouted.

"My turn is over…" said Melissa.

Andy quickly took Twin-Headed Behemoth from his Graveyard pile and placed it on his Monster Zone, sideways. It appeared in front of him, defending. (1,000 DEF)

He didn't want to admit it, but what he had told Francesca had been a blatant lie… He could use Bobbery's effect, but then what? He'd be completely defenseless with only 900 Life Points left, and his opponent had 7,000…

Then an even scarier thought came to him… Melissa was giving him a bigger pounding than he could ever remember getting… And she was the _least _skilled of the six siblings…

What would happen after this? Even if Melissa let Stan and Francesca go if he lost, could they possibly stand a chance against her older brothers?

He trembled in fear as he looked at his deck…

**Interlude**

Back at the Boggly Woods…

**(Ryo: 2,500) - - - - - - - - - - (Moisture Creature: 3,500)**

His opponent was ahead on points, but Ryo seemed to have an advantage for now. He had two Monsters – Goblin Recon Squad (1,700 ATK) and Giant Orc (2,200 ATK) plus one set card in his Spell Zone and Final Attack Orders activated. Moisture Creature had a set Monster and two set cards in his Spell Zone.

The alien made a draw, and then played the card.

"I flip Sangan into Attack Mode…" it said, as its Monster card flipped up, revealing the fiendish critter. (1,000 ATK)

"Then I summon Transistor the Warrior…"

There was an aura of binary symbols, and a robot with no legs, one lens for an eye, a claw for a right arm, and a grapple for the other appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"This Monster can attack directly, so long as I sacrifice another," it continued, as Sangan vanished. "But first, I'll use Sangan's effect…"

It quickly took a card from its deck.

"And then, as I was saying, Transistor can attack directly!"

The robot started to fly towards Ryo.

"Trap Card, go!" shouted Ryo, as his set card lifted up. "Dimensional Prison!"

"Why thank you…" said Moisture Creature. "Because you used a Trap, I get to use _mine!"_

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

"Psychic Shockwave… This card lets me summon a Level 6 Dark-Attribute Machine-Type Monster from my deck."

"Wait…" said José, who was watching from the sidelines. "A Level 6, Dark, Machine? That means…"

Moisture Creature chuckled.

"There are only seven Monsters in the game that qualify…" it said. "But seriously… The only one who anyone would ever summon with this card…

"Is THIS one!"

A storm of dark, eerie electricity shot from the ground in front of the weird Fairy, and a creature rose from the spot… It was exactly who José – and truthfully, Ryo – had expected, the dreaded android, Jinzo. (2,400 ATK)

"And because I chained my Trap to yours," added Moisture Creature, "Jinzo arrived just in time for its effect to negate the effect of _your _Trap."

A beam of mental energy blasted from Jinzo's eyes, blowing the Dimensional Prison card into little pieces.

"Now, where were we? Of yes… Transistor was about to attack…"

The robot blasted the grapple from its left arm, and Ryo grunted a little.

"Jinzo gets an attack too… Destroy that big lug with Cyber Energy Shock!"

The Psycho Shocker formed a ball of crackling dark energy in its hands, and hurled it at Giant Orc, smashing it into pieces.

**(R: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (MC: 3,500)**

_Okay, okay… _thought Ryo. _Nothing I can't handle… I… hope…_

He drew a card.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"What's so funny?" asked Moisture Creature, sounding annoyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" said Ryo. "The card I just drew… it kind of has that effect on me sometimes…"

He discarded a card.

"I'm sending my Blindly Loyal Goblin to the Graveyard… Because that's a Warrior, I can Special Summon Half-Goblin from my hand."

A diminutive form leapt to the forefront, a short, ugly imp wearing leather armor and a cap, holding a dagger. (500 ATK)

"You threw away a Monster with 1,800 Attack Points to summon one with only 500?" asked Moisture Creature, looking at half-goblin with a puzzled expression.

"Only so I could sacrifice it and my other Monster…" said Ryo.

Both Half-Goblin and Goblin Recon Squad vanished in bursts of fire. A cloud covered the moon as a hideous, evil laugh echoed through the woods…

"I summon the most badass goblin of all!" shouted Ryo, as the sound of a noisy engine accompanied the hideous laugh. _"The Green Goblin!"_

The Monster appeared, flying onto the field on a strange metal contraption resembling a pair of metal bat wings with a rocket engine in the back. It was the same character on Ryo's shirt, a notorious one for any fan of Marvel Comics' figurehead character, Spider-Man. It had a scaly green bodysuit covered with a purple leotard, purple gloves and boots, and most horribly, a demonic green mask with a hideous grin and a long, trailing purple cap…

Spider-Man had one of the largest rogue's galleries in the history of comics, but ever since 1964, this creature had been, to him, the symbol of Evil… (2,500 ATK)

"Forgive me if I not impressed…" said Moisture Creature, still sounding annoyed.

"Yeah?" said Ryo, as the Green Goblin frowned. "You don't seem to be able to do math very well… He has 100 more Attack Points than Jinzo."

Then he took another card from his hand and played it. Monster Reborn appeared in front of him.

"And I'll use this to summon Giant Orc back from my Graveyard too…"

The huge, hulking ogre reappeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Now…" he said, as the Green Goblin held out his hand, and a flame started to enshroud it, "let's see who the baddest Monster here is, shall we?"

The flames turned into a small jack-o-lantern, still shrouded in fire. The Goblin hurled it, and an explosion tore through Jinzo's chest. It fell backwards as sparks flew from the wound, then was blown into pixels.

"Giant Orc, smash that other robot!" he shouted. "Bone Basher!"

The Orc lifted its club and clobbered Transistor the Warrior, crushing it into scrap.

"Ugh…" said Moisture Creature.

**(R: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (MC: 2,200)**

Giant Orc fell into Defense Mode, but Ryo's Final Attack Orders Trap glowed, and it quickly stood back up.

"I end my turn…" he said.

"You want to play rough?" said Moisture Creature, as it drew a card.

"Fine, I'm game… I summon Jinzo Returner…"

He played the card, and a very unlikely looking Machine appeared. It looked like… Well, a pint-sized version of Jinzo. That best described it. (600 ATK)

"Next, I activate Weed Out," he said, as his other face-down card lifted up. "By paying only 500 Life Points, I can use this Trap to destroy all Level 3 Monsters that are in Attack Mode."

"Que?" shouted José. "The only Level 3 Monster on the field is…"

"That's right…" said Moisture Creature, "my own Jinzo Returner."

The small Machine shattered.

"You see, when Jinzo Returner goes to the Graveyard, I get to Special Summon someone who I'm sure you'll remember _from _my Graveyard…"

The ground split open, and the _real _Jinzo slowly emerged. (2,400 ATK)

"Minor problem, Ryo…" said José. "It still can't beat your guy…"

"True, and Jinzo will be destroyed when my turn is over…" replied Moisture Creature. "Which is why I'm sacrificing it…"

Jinzo turned into a crackling orb of dark energy.

"I call forth Jinzo Lord!" it shouted.

In an explosion of mental energy, a Monster appeared that looked like Jinzo, but even more intimidating. It was a head taller, wearing what looked like body armor, with three optic sensors for eyes, and three flailing cords on its back tipped with sharp buckles. (2,600 ATK)

"Not only is it just strong enough to deal with that loser," it said, "but it not only negates Traps, it can destroy any that are currently face-up and deal 300 points of damage for each."

A bolt of energy shot from the abomination's eyes, and blew the Final Attack Orders card to little bits. Ryo held his chest as a slight pain went through it.

"Attack that creature!" shouted Moisture Creature. "Cyber Energy Impact!"

Jinzo Lord blasted a bolt of energy at the Green Goblin, and the resulting explosion caused a fireball that lit up the whole surrounding woodland. The wildlife scurried away in fright.

**(R: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (MC: 1,700)**

"So much for him…" it said. "It's your move…"

"Loser…" grumbled Ryo. "I'll show you who's a loser…"

He drew a card. He smirked.

Then the hideous laugh filled the air again. A fiery crack opened in front of him, and the Green Goblin flew out again, his eyes fixated on Jinzo Lord with a look of fury. (2,500 ATK)

"HOW?" shouted Moisture Creature.

"I'm guessing that you don't read many comic books, fellah," said Ryo. "Let me tell you something about how the concept of death works there.

"In all of comic book history, there is only _one _character whose death was truly irreversible. That character is Spider-Man's uncle, Ben Parker. It was once thought that Jason Todd, the second Robin, and Bucky, Captain America's old sidekick, were the same, but they eventually showed up alive. Ben Parker is the only character that you can be sure is truly dead.

"With all other characters, you can never be a hundred percent sure that dying will ever be anything but a minor setback for them. Heroes can use the old 'No-one could have survived that' line all they like, but there's always a way. No matter how certain a hero is that he has seen the last of a villain, it's almost a certainty that the villain will cheat the grave and return…

"And this is reflected by this guy's effect… If he's totaled in battle, he comes back the next turn, no worse off than before."

"Big deal…" said Moisture Creature. "I'll just kill him again…"

"Oh?" said Ryo.

He played the card he just drew.

"I activate Banner of Courage!" he shouted. "This gives _both _my Monsters a 200-Point bonus to their Attack Scores during my Battle Phase only…"

Moisture Creature's eyes widened, the first time its expression had showed anything other than the annoying overconfidence it had been showing since they had first met…

This time _two _of the pumpkin-shaped grenades appeared, one in each of the Goblin's hands. As his Attack Score rose to 2,700, he hurled them, and explosions tore through Jinzo Lord's steel hull. It collapsed to the ground, and a fierce explosion blasted out of its chest as its core ruptured.

"I'm not done with you…" said Ryo.

Giant Orc grunted, and lunged at Moisture Creature, clobbering the alien with its club. Sparks flew from the creature's spacesuit…

**(R: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (MC: 0)**

"Beam back up to the mothership, fellah," said Ryo. "There's intelligent life here, but it isn't you."

Then the Duel Spirit exploded, just like his Monster had.

Ryo took some deep breaths as the Green Goblin slowly disappeared.

"Where'd you learn _that _line?" asked José. "A _Star Trek _convention?"

Ryo took out his cellphone and sighed.

"Hey, I kinda _like_ that old show,okay?" he said.

He hit a button on the speed dial and listened into it.

"Merlow?" he said. "It's Ryo. Yeah, José and I are fine…

"One down…"

**End of Interlude**

Back at Melissa's temple, Andy finally drew a card.

**(A: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,000)**

_I might just have a chance after all… _he thought.

"I set this card face-down…" he said, as it appeared reversed, in front of him.

"Then, I sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth…"

The Dragon turned into grains of light.

"…to summon Admiral Bobbery the Bomber!"

Bobbery landed in front of him, his fuse sparking. (2,200 ATK)

"Wipe out those Monsters!" he shouted. "Bob-ombast!"

Melissa ducked as the explosion blew Bobbery and the two Lightrays into tiny particles.

"Unfortunate," said the Shadow Spawn of Light. "However, this time, I'm prepared…"

Her set card lifted up.

"The Trap Card, Overpowering Light! Because you destroyed two Lightrays using the same effect, I get to summon a Level 4 or lower Light-Attribute Monster from my Graveyard… With its Attack Score doubled!

"I choose to summon… Lightray Grepher!"

To say that the Monster that appeared shocked the three teenagers was an understatement. It was, indeed, Warrior Dai Grepher, but wearing metallic blue and white armor, glowing with celestial light. (1,700 ATK) –) (3,400 ATK)

"Wait just a minute…" said Stan. "Isn't there a _Dark _version of Grepher?"

"Yeah…" said Francesca. "He became, well, Dark Grepher… Supposedly, it was the first step on his path to becoming Dark Lucius."

"Call this an alternate version of Grepher," said Melissa. "What he would have become if he had chosen the _other _fork in The Paths of Destiny.

"Quite likely, he'd have had to do that for there to have ever been a Ryu Senshi, wouldn't you say?"

"I end my turn…" said Andy.

He started to sweat as she drew a card.

"Lightray Grepher…" she said, "attack Andy directly."

The Warrior leapt at Andy. Francesca looked away as he thrust with his sword…

Andy's set card lifted up, revealing Draining Shield. Grepher bounced off, as Andy felt invigorating energy flowing through him.

"You can look now…" said Stan.

**(A: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,000)**

"Guess this isn't over yet…" said Andy.

"Then I'll end my turn," said Melissa, as a reversed card appeared. "Unfortunately, while I get to keep Grepher, his Attack Score reverts to his base score, and I still can't use his effect."

(1,700 ATK)

"It's your move…"

_Thank goodness… _thought Andy, as he made a draw.

A storm of pixels started to reconfigure themselves until Bobbery was whole again. (2,200 ATK)

Then Andy played a card, and Axe Dragonute appeared next to Bobbery. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack Lightray Grepher!" shouted Andy. "Axe Smash!"

The Dragon man made a great leap, and the whole room shook as the axe fell, eradicating the Warrior.

Then Dragonute knelt, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

"Bobbery, you next!" he shouted.

The Bob-Omb hopped towards Melissa…

This time she actually cried out in pain as his explosion knocked her off her feet and backwards.

**(A: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,500)**

As she got up, her hair was a mess, and her face seemed twisted into a scowl.

"THAT HURT!" she howled.

Andy shook his head.

"_I've run into this type all the time…" _said Bobbery. _"They love dishing it out, but they hate taking it…"_

"Tell me about it…" said Andy. "My sympathy for these kids is starting to wane…"

He looked at Melissa.

"It's your move, 'your highness'," he said, sarcastically.

Melissa looked at him sternly as she drew a card.

"Okay… fine…" she said. "I really wanted to do this without hurting you…"

_This isn't hurting? _thought Andy.

"But…" said Melissa.

She played a Spell Card.

"I activate Light of Redemption… By paying 800 Life Points, I can recover a Light Monster that I banished earlier…"

Andy watched nervously as a card appeared in her hand. He had a feeling it _wasn't _Magical Merchant.

"And with at least five Light Monsters in my Graveyard with different names," she continued, "I can summon _this…"_

She played the card, and a column of fiery, blinding light erupted onto the field…

"_Lightray Gearfried!"_

The huge, hulking Warrior they had seen her banish earlier appeared, a brilliant, silver and blue armored version of Phoenix Gearfried, holding a large, platinum-colored shield and a metallic blue scimitar crackling with energy. (2,800 ATK)

"Then, I play The Warrior Returning Alive…" she said, as she played another card.

She took a card from her discard pile, and then played it. Lightray Grepher appeared again in a beam of light. (1,700 ATK)

"Look familiar?" she asked.

She pointed, and Grepher swung his sword, cutting Axe Dragonute in twain.

"Popeye over there is next!" she shouted. "Gearfried, demolish that thing! Radiant Blade!"

Gearfried swung his sword forward, sending a sharp blade of energy towards Bobbery, literally ripping him in half.

"Bobbery…" muttered Andy, sadly.

**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,700)**

"Yeah, yeah…" said Melissa. "I may have deep-sixed him, but that's nothing compared to what Gearfried's gonna do to _you _later.

"It's your move…"

Andy drew a card.

It was Monster Reborn.

_All right! _he thought. _I can use this to summon Lightray Diablos from her Graveyard and use it against that guy! _

_They'll kill each other… But it's not like I have anything else that can stand up to Gearfried…_

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted, as he played the card.

"Actually, you'll do no such thing…" said Melissa.

Then the Spell Card shattered.

"Huh?" shouted Andy.

Melissa was holding up a card – it was Daybreaker – which promptly vanished.

"Lightray Gearfried has a tricky effect," she said. "I can only use it once per turn if the only Monsters I have on the field are Warriors… But, since that's the case, his effect lets me banish a Light, Warrior-Type Monster from my Graveyard to negate a Spell Card."

Andy started to sweat again…

He had only one card left to play… Masked Dragon. He quickly set it, and then nodded.

Melissa drew the top card from her deck. Then she put it aside, and pointed again. Grepher slashed his blade forward, and Masked Dragon shattered into little bits.

Then the little bits slowly pulled themselves back together, and a second Masked Dragon appeared. (1,100 DEF)

"You don't give up, do you?" she asked.

The blade of energy from Gearfried's sword cut through the second one, slicing it in half.

"I guess it runs in the family," said Andy, as a third Masked Dragon appeared. (1,100 ATK)

"Yeah, well, I'm not dumb…" said Melissa. "Both Twin-Headed Behemoth and Ancient Dragon are in your Graveyard right now… Just how many more Monsters do you have in your deck that you can summon with that thing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" asked Andy.

He sighed.

_Truthfully, two… _he thought, _Doppelganger Dragon and Spirit Ryu… And neither would be all too useful right now…_

He drew a card. He looked at Melissa, and then at Gearfried.

"I activate the Sweet Feast Spell Card!" he shouted, as he played it.

He lifted his hand to draw.

"Aren't you going to try to stop me?" he asked.

Melissa growled a little.

"That's what I thought…" said Andy, as he started drawing cards. "Your Graveyard is all out of Warriors, right?"

_Okay, I have more to work with… _he thought, as he looked over the five new cards. _And I think I've got just what I need to make a comeback…_

"I activate Polymerization!" he shouted.

He played the card, and then Red Eyes and Goddess with the Third Eye appeared in front of them. They quickly vanished into the spiraling portal…

The floor broke open, and lava and flaming rocks spewed out. Meteor Black Dragon blasted out of the crack with a bellow that shook the whole room. (3,500 ATK)

"Those Lightrays are pretty neat," said Andy, "but for Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons!

"And I'll sacrifice Masked Dragon…"

The smaller Dragon turned into a ball of fire.

"…to add more awesome…"

Des Volstgalph crawled out of the crack too, giving a hungry look to the two Warriors. (2,200 ATK)

"Man, Andy, you're even starting to scare me…" said Stan.

"Well, maybe this is working then…" said Andy.

_Let's hope that she doesn't have a Lightray even stronger than Gearfried… _he thought.

The Fusion Monster spit its balls of white-hot fire, and Melissa screamed this time as a conflagration tore through her side of the field, blowing Lightray Gearfried out of existence.

Then Des Volstgalph shot its bolt of energy from its jaws, vaporizing Lightray Grepher as Melissa held her chest.

**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,000)**

"I'll set my last card…" said Andy, as he fit the card in his Disk. "And that's all I can do for now…"

Melissa sighed as she made a draw.

"I activate Soul Release…" she said, as she played a Spell Card. "I'll banish five Monsters from my Graveyard…"

Five Monsters – Lightray Grepher, Lightray Gearfried, Lightray Daedalus, Lightray Diabolos, and Shining Angel – appeared behind her, and then vanished.

"Crud, that means she gains 2,500 Life Points from Soul Absorption," said Fran.

"Yeah, but I don't think that's the _only _reason she did it," said Stan. "If it was, wouldn't it have made more sense to use that on Andy's Monsters?"

"True," replied Melissa. "There's a _very _good reason why I banished my own Monsters. You see, I don't have a Monster right now that can defeat Meteor Black Dragon mano-a-mano…

"But I have one that can take a different route, and to summon him, at least three of my Light Monsters have to be banished.

"I Special Summon my Lightray Sorcerer!"

A spiraling portal of light opened, and a very familiar-looking Spellcaster emerged, one with a long, loose robe, a mask over his eyes, and a pointed hood. However, while the one they were familiar with wore black, this one's clothing was pure white. (2,300 ATK)

"A Light version of Chaos Sorcerer…" said Francesca. "Now I _have _seen everything…"

"And he can do the same thing that his counterpart can do," replied Melissa. "But before he does, I have to take one of my banished Light Monsters, and return it to my deck."

Lightray Grepher's card appeared in her hand. She took her deck from her Disk's holder, placed it in the center, and then quickly shuffled. As she did so, Lightray Sorcerer chanted an incantation as shimmering sigils appeared around him.

Then Meteor Black Dragon simply disappeared.

"Not to add insult to injury," continued Melissa, "but I just gained another 500 Life Points. My Sorcerer can't attack on a turn that he does that, so it's your move…"

**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,000)**

"Don't worry, people…" said Andy, as he made a draw, it's all under control.

"Yeah, how?" said Melissa, with a smirk.

Andy looked at his drawn card.

_I'll save that one for later, _he thought.

Then his set card, the one he had set at the end of last turn, lifted up.

"Fusion Recovery?" laughed Melissa. "Humor me, please… How is that going to help?"

Andy took Polymerization and Goddess With the Third Eye from his Graveyard pile.

"Well, these two cards might not be able to help me…" he said. "But… There is the repertoire that Des Volstgalph has with Spell Cards…"

The Dragon made a toothy grin at Melissa as its Attack Score went up to 2,400.

"Attack! Destroy him!" shouted Andy, as the Dragon breathed its breath weapon at Lightray Sorcerer. Melissa grunted as the Spellcaster blew up.

"Don't forget," said Andy, "each time Des Volstgalph smashes a Monster, you lose 500 Life Points…"

**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,400)**

"I end my turn… So its Attack Score goes back to 2,200.

"Any more of these Lightrays? I gotta admit, Melissa, I'm kinda curious to see what comes next…"

Melissa looked him in the eye, and then made a draw.

_I was saving this for a special occasion… _she thought, looking at the card. _Hell, now's as good a time as any..._

"I'm using my Deckmaster ability," she said, as Layard the Liberator started to glow. "By paying 1,000 Life Points, I can Special Summon one of my banished Level 4 or lower Light Monsters… Thus, I'll use it to summon Daybreaker."

In a flash of light, a Warrior wearing pure white plate armor, a full-head helmet, and a red cape, holding a glowing sword appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"And when Daybreaker is Special Summoned," she continued, "I get to Special Summon a second one from my hand."

She played the card, and a second white knight appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Next," she said, "I activate the Spell Card, Boon of Allabar…"

Andy winced a little as she played the card.

_Allabar again? _he thought. _Who the devil IS that?_

"I sacrifice both my Monsters…" said Melissa.

The whole temple started to shake… The two Monsters were consumed in a giant portal that looked like a miniature galaxy, one that was bigger than any created by an Xyz Summoning…

Then the galaxy turned into a flaming vortex of fiery, super-hot light…

"What the Hell is she summoning?" shouted Francesca.

"Whatever it is, I doubt it's friendly…" replied Stan.

"I summon…" shouted Melissa. _"Lightray Asmodeus!"_

As she said this, a tall, intimidating, radiant being emerged from the portal. At first, it looked like a powerful seraphim, with angelic wings and long, white robes held in place with a golden sash. But clearly, something was wrong. Fiery, golden light filled his eyes, and while his face was youthful and _might _have been handsome, it had an angry scowl that was anything but pleasant. The aura around of light around him more suggested hellish flames than divine light.

It was an incredible irony, for sure. Darklord Asmodeus was a Dark, Fairy-Type Monster who was supposed to be a Fallen Angel… This Light version of him… Clearly, he wasn't much better. (3,000 ATK)

"Well, you asked for it," said Melissa. "And now the effect of Boon of Allabar comes in. Because I only sacrificed Light Monsters to summon Asmodeus and he is one himself, he gains 500 Attack Points per sacrifice."

(4,000 ATK)

"Crud…" said Andy.

Lightray Asmodeus lifted his hand, and an orb of powerful, blinding light formed in it…

"Obliterate his Monster with Ultimate Overwhelming Light!"

Andy let out a scream, not from the impact the attack made when it hit his Monster, but from the incredible heat he felt as the horrible light literally burned his skin…

**(A: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,400)**

As he lay on the floor, he mentally checked himself. He seemed to be in one piece… But he was almost sure that the attack had given him a _really _bad sunburn…

_And that's the least of my problems… _he thought, as he slowly sat up. _This guy's strength is on par with Obelisk…_

_Man, whoever thought that Dark Monsters were bad never met this guy…_

"I use the Asmodeus' effect…" said Melissa. "When it crushes one of your Monsters, then during my second Main Phase I get to Special Summon any Lightray from my Graveyard I want. Even if doing so would otherwise be impossible…"

Lightray Sorcerer appeared again, crossing his arms with a smug smile on his face. (2,300 ATK)

"The catch is, if I lose him again, he's gone for good. Possibly. And with that, I end my turn…"

Andy felt his chest. Frankly, he was tired. This duel had been brutal, and had gone on for rather long…

She knew what she meant by "possibly". The way her deck seemed to work, banishing a Monster didn't necessarily get rid of it.

He drew.

"I play… Pot of Avarice…" he said.

He played the card, and then five cards appeared overhead: all three Masked Dragons, Ancient Dragon, and Bobbery. He shuffled, and then drew twice.

_Okay, let's see here… _he thought.

The cards he had now were Polymerization, Dragon's Mirror, Power Lift, Lady of Dragons, and Goddess With the Third Eye.

_So now what? _he thought. _I can summon Goddess and then use Dragon's Mirror to summon Black Skull Dragon, and use Power Lift to make it strong enough to defeat Lightray Asmodeus…_

_But Black Skull Dragon would be destroyed when I ended my turn! Then what? I'd be wide open for a direct attack from that Sorcerer, and…_

Then there was a voice in his head.

"_It's not as hopeless as you think."_

He stopped. He looked at his Deckmaster, Lord of Dragons, the one who had spoken.

Then he suddenly remembered something… He looked at the chamber that held his Extra Deck…

"Lord of Dragons, I summon you to the field!" he shouted.

The Spellcaster stepped forward. (1,200 ATK)

"Seriously, Andy, if you wanted to surrender you should have just said so," said Melissa with a sigh. "I mean really, even if you use that guy to summon King Dragun…"

"I'm not summoning King Dragun…" said Andy, as he held up the Polymerization card.

"I use Polymerization to fuse Lord of Dragons with Lady of Dragons!"

**0000000000**

Outside, thunder rolled and the clouds started to churn…

Then, everyone in Arcadia saw it… The clouds above the Palace of Shadow parted, and a beam of light fell from the heavens, turning night into day and striking the summit of the mountain.

In Rogueport, Merlow watched with awe…

_This… this power… _he thought. _I don't know what it is… But it isn't the Queen's doing…_

_It's something different… Something… good…_

**0000000000**

Standing before Andy was a tall man so bizarre, that describing him in written words could hardly do him justice. Still, one has to try.

He had wild-looking, dark hair on a handsome face, with pure-white, glowing eyes. He was bare-chested, and his well-toned, muscular chest had two tattoos depicting red dragons on them, each of their heads on his pectorals and their tails resting on his abs. A golden gauntlet shaped like a dragon's head covered his right hand and forearm, and holding up his black pantaloons was a golden belt shaped like a serpentine dragon, the mouth clutching the tail to form a buckle. He wore a cape similar to that worn by Lord of Dragons, in a bright scarlet hue.

Andy, Stan, and Francesca looked at the Spellcaster with awe… They had never seen him before… But somehow… All three of them knew who he was… (2,600 ATK)

Melissa looked at him nervously…

"First thing to do…" said Andy, "is use Dragonfire Warlock's effect… By spending 1,000 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Dragon from _either _Graveyard!"

The ground next to Dragonfire Warlock split open, and Des Volstgalph leapt out. (2,200 ATK)

"Then, I summon Goddess With the Third Eye," he continued, as the three-eyed Fairy appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"And I'll play Dragon's Mirror to fuse her with Red Eyes in my Graveyard!"

The Spell Card appeared, and the Goddess' third eye opened while her other two closed, and she slowly faded away, replaced by a spectral image of Summoned Skull. Red Eyes rose out of the ground, and the two merged into a murky blur, slowing forming into Black Skull Dragon. (3,200 ATK)

"You just banished two of your cards!" shouted Melissa. "That means I gain 1,000 Life Points from Soul Absorption!"

**(A: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,400)**

"It also means that Des Volstgalph gains 200 Attack Points," said Andy, "because I played a Spell Card. And he's about to gain 200 more, because I'm also going to play… Power Lift!"

He threw the card into his Disk, and Des Volstgalph rose to an Attack Score of 2,600, while Black Skull Dragon rose to 5,700.

"Seems your Lightray Sorcerer isn't as smug as he was a minute ago…"

It was true. He looked ready to make a run for it…

"Des Volstgalph, attack!" shouted Andy. "Wipe him out for good this time!"

The blast of energy fired again, and there was a scream as Chaos Sorcerer's counterpart – or possibly just the same person wearing a different robe, something that Andy had suspected from the start – burst in multiple explosions of brilliant light.

Melissa groaned a little… Then she looked at Dragonfire Warlock with a sad smile…

"Now for the big guy…" said Andy, as flames appeared in Black Skull Dragon's mouth. "Vanquish Lightsworn Asmodeus with Molten Fire Blast!"

The fiendish Dragon launched a bolt of hellfire at the evil Fairy, and a low moan came from the abomination… Then explosions started to erupt, bursting out of his faux celestial robes. He collapsed, and his final death throes shook the room.

"Time to end this…" said Andy, looking at Dragonfire Warlock.

He nodded, and lifted his gauntlet. A spout of flame shot from the mouth of the dragon, and the flame quickly solidified into a bronze sword shaped like a fire.

Melissa bowed her head. It was over.

Dragonfire Warlock gripped the sword in both hands, and flaming, draconic wings sprouted from his back. He flew at the Shadow Spawn of Light, leaving a wake of flames behind him. As his sword fell, it cut through her armor, cutting the breastplate in half…

She wanted to scream, she really did… But as much as the wound hurt, she really didn't see the point…

**(A: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)**

Melissa fell on her stomach as the Warlock looked at her. He shook his head sadly.

Then something happened. The room started to shake. Then a dark portal opened behind Melissa, and it started to pull her towards it.

Then Andy and his two friends realized that the portal itself was _not _what was pulling her towards it. There were shadowy, demonic hands grabbing her and pulling her towards it.

Then Melissa really did scream.

"Mom, NO!" she screamed. "STOP!"

"Iris, DON'T!" shouted Andy. "You can't…"

Then another portal opened, behind him, Stan, and Francesca, and they were thrown through it, violently.

**0000000000**

They landed with a thud.

"Ugh, where are we?" asked Andy.

They sat up.

They quickly saw where they were. The same place they didn't know where they were and didn't want to be before, the creepy room with the ominous hand.

They looked at each other.

"What…" said Stan. "What do you suppose happened to her?"

"No idea…" said Francesca.

They were silent for a minute or two.

"Andy, that card…" said Francesca. "Where did you…"

"It was the card I got after the duel with Saggi…" he replied.

"Seriously?" asked Stan. "_That _was a prize card? The Queen gave you _that?"_

Andy looked at the Dragonfire Warlock card, and then looked at his amulet.

"I kinda doubt it…" he said.

**0000000000**

**TRANSISTOR THE WARRIOR**** (Monster Card)**

**Card Specs**

**Type:** Machine/Effect  
**Attribute: **Earth  
**Level:** 3  
**ATK:** 1,000  
**DEF:** 1,000

**Card Description: **During your Main Phase 1, you may Tribute 1 other Monster you control. If you do, this card may attack your opponent directly this turn.

_Note: "Transistor the Warrior" was first used by Mathmatica in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Pro-Dueling". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**HALF-GOBLIN (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl3/500ATK/500DEF**

**Effect: **By discarding a Warrior-Type Monster from your hand, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

_Note: "Half-Goblin" was part of the deck used by Kohara and Ohara in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Duel Giant". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GREEN GOBLIN (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl7/2,500ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is destroyed by battle, you may Special Summon it from your Graveyard during your next Standby Phase. You may not Normal Summon or set another Monster during the turn this card is Special Summoned in this manner.

_Note: "Green Goblin" first appeared in "Yu-Gi-Oh: City of Souls". The character is a registered trademark of Marvel Entertainment. _

**0000000000**

**OVERPOWERING LIGHT (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Lightray Grepher and Lightray Madoor in a sandy, desert-like area, cringing under a large, dark, fiery sun.

**Card Description: **Activate when a card effect controlled by your opponent destroys 2 or more "Lightray" Monsters you control at the same time. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower LIGHT Monster from your Graveyard. Its effect is negated, and until your next End Phase, its base ATK is doubled.

**0000000000**

**BOON OF ALLABAR (Spell Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and two Thunder Knights standing in the middle of a ruined city at night, looking up at an ominous, glowing orb in the sky.

**Card Description: **During the turn you activate this card: If you Tribute Summon any LIGHT Monsters using only LIGHT Monsters as Tributes, select 1 such Monster. That Monster gains 500 Attack Points for each Monster used in the Tribute Summon. If this card leaves the field, destroy that Monster.

**0000000000**

**LIGHTRAY ASMODEUS (Monster Card)**

**Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl8/3,000ATK/2,500DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. During your Main Phase 2 of a turn that this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you may Special Summon 1 "Lightray" Monster from your Graveyard (except a "Lightray Asmodeus") that was previously summoned properly, disregarding its summoning conditions. If a Monster that is Special Summoned this way leaves the field, banish it.

**0000000000**

**DRAGONFIRE WARLOCK (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Lvl8/2,600ATK/1,800DEF**

_Lord of D. + Lady of D._

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned except via Fusion Summon, and only by using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. Dragon-Type Monsters you control cannot be targeted by the effects of your opponent's Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster effects. Once per turn, you may pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from your Graveyard. If a Monster that is Special Summoned this way leaves the field, banish it.

**0000000000**

"**Lord of D.":** Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl4/1,200/1,100: "Dragon Summoner": Once per turn, you can pay 500 Life Points to make a second Normal Summon. The second Normal Summon must be used to summon a Dragon-Type Monster.

_Note: Kaiba used Lord of D. as his Deckmaster in the multi-part anime episode "Settling the Score"._

**0000000000**

"**Layard the Liberator":** Fairy/Light/Lvl4/1,400/1,500: "Rescue Beacon": Once per turn, you can pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon 1 of your banished Level 4 or lower LIGHT Monsters.

**0000000000**

_**Melissa has been beaten… But what the devil happened to her? And just who IS Allabar anyway?**_

_**Those questions will have to go unanswered for now… The heroes have other problems…**_

_**Francesca: We've barely had time to catch our breaths… It seems that whatever happened to Melissa hasn't discouraged her brothers at all. The hand has taken us to another place, where Kurtis is waiting. Like Melissa, he seems to have changed targets, but unlike her, his deck seems to be the same as last time.**_

_**I'd like to believe that he's lost the element of surprise by doing that… But still… I have a strange feeling that he isn't out of tricks just yet…**_

"_**Swallow's Nest" is coming soon.**_


	52. Swallow's Next

_**My name is Kurtis, the Shadow Spawn of Wind. But you already knew that. I have a question for you… Is there anyone in your life who constantly compares you to someone else?**_

_**You may have been picking up not-to-subtle hints that my siblings and I weren't the first Shadow Spawn. Mom had six other children that we know about, five centuries ago. The first Shadow Spawn weren't her enforcers. For all practical purposes, they ruled Arcadia. Mom put each one in charge of one of its major communities, Petalburg, the Great Tree, Glitzville, Twilight Town, Keelhaul Key, and Poshley Heights. Rogueport was ruled by the guy who has Grodus' position now, and the Fahr Outpost… Well, that was a small community at the time, and I really don't know who was in charge.**_

_**Believe it or not, Arcadia was in much better shape with them in charge than we are now. Mom was able to cover her iron fist with a velvet glove, and rarely had to remind folks that she was there at all. It wasn't the best place to live, but frankly, as far as the 16**__**th**__** Century went, you could have done worse. It was the closest her subjects ever came to being content with what they had…**_

_**So what went wrong? Well, it all fell apart when a dark portal opened in the sky and Gearville sprung up overnight…**_

_**But that's a long story I won't get into. The point is, the first Shadow Spawn were better than we were, it seems, and she reminds us of it constantly. It seems that we'll always be second best…**_

_**If you answered "yes" to my original question… Then maybe you know how we feel…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-TWO**

**0000000000**

**Swallow's Nest**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The residents of Twilight Town were sleeping a lot better recently. For the first time that _any_ of them could remember, the Creepy Steeple was silent, and its dreaded tone was no longer bothering them. The nightly dances in the town square (which the three teenagers had been entirely correct in assuming were meant to drive away evil spirits) seemed to have a small sense of hope surrounding them now.

Still, as Sean slowly walked the path from the town towards the infamous structure, he had a feeling that something sinister was around…

Unlike Ryo and José, he was alone. He never worked well with others anyway.

As he walked down the path he stopped. He looked back and forth.

There was no doubt about it now. Something was following him, hiding in the shadows off the trail…

"Stop hiding in the shadows and show yourself!" he shouted.

"_As you wish…" _said a sinister female voice.

As he watched, a demonic reptilian creature loomed above him, standing fully nine feet tall. It was all Sean could do to keep but screaming as the evil eyes of Vennominaga, the Deity of Poisonous Snakes glared at him.

"Kind of liked it better when you hiding in the shadows…" he muttered.

"_Submit," _demanded the demon.

"Never!" replied Sean, mustering up some courage.

"_Then duel…" _replied the Duel Spirit.

Her eyes glowed, and five globs of green poison appeared in front of her, and slowly changed into large representations of cards. Sean trembled a little as he activated his Duel Disk…

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, Stan, Andy, and Francesca were still in the dark, ominous chamber. They really didn't want to look at the _thing _on the dais, but common sense told them they had to keep a close eye on it.

"Feeling okay?" asked Francesca, to Andy.

"Strangely, yes…" said Andy.

He looked at the Dragonfire Warlock again.

"Before I played this card, I was scared and exhausted… But when he appeared… Then all of a sudden, I wasn't afraid anymore, and there was a surge of energy…

"It was almost like…"

"Heads up, people!" shouted Stan.

They looked up, and saw that a flaming portal was starting to appear on the palm of the monstrous hand again, this time with green flames.

"That thing is starting something new…"

Then, once again, the invisible force grabbed them, and yanked them through, just as it did before.

**0000000000**

As they were dumped on the ground again, a cold breeze greeted them.

To their shock, they seemed to be outdoors. They seemed to be on a very large ledge halfway up a mountain. The shelf-like ledge they were on was flat and slightly larger than the room they left, with the mountainside in front and to the sides of them. Behind them was a cliff edge… They peered over slightly, looking at a long drop with a stony bottom below. Around them were a few dead trees.

To their surprise, one of those trees had not one, but a _flock _of Yata-Garasu. They all let out loud caws, and then flew off into the sky.

"We _can't _still be inside the Palace of Shadow…" said Francesca.

"Well, yes and no…" said a voice that they recognized.

They turned around, and saw Kurtis, perched on a rocky outcropping. He was wearing armor much like Melissa's, but royal purple in color.

"This is a pocket dimension of sorts…" he continued. "Technically, it rests inside the Ethereal Plane, which is sort of an… 'in-between' place."

"In-between place?" asked Stan.

Kurtis leapt off his perch, landing in front of them.

"Ever read _The Chronicles of Narnia?" _he asked.

They nodded.

"In one book, there was a place called the Wood Between the Worlds. I believe that it was a forest full of trees and springs, but little else. Each spring was a portal to a different reality. That's an example of an in-between place.

"The Ethereal Plane is like that… It's sort of a large void that's mostly empty, but can be used to travel between other worlds. And it's full of pocket dimensions like this. Some are very small, like this one, while others are the size of nations.

"What makes this one different is, there only door is the one that leads to and from the Palace of Shadow. Although, that door can lead to several actual locations in the Palace. Mom has a _lot _of these places…

"She can't enter them herself, at least not anymore, but we can. While the Palace itself is the focal point of her power, these places are the equivalent for us."

"Look, Kurtis…" said Andy, "this is all interesting, but… What happened to Melissa?"

Kurtis sighed and looked at him with a sad look.

"It's… really not my place to discuss that…" he said.

"Kurtis…" said Francesca.

"Silence!" shouted the Shadow Spawn of Wind.

He lifted his left arm, and like Melissa before him, a Duel Disk unfolded on his gauntlet.

"It's my duty to duel you, and that's just what I'm going to do."

"Me?" said Francesca.

"Believe me," replied Kurtis, "I'd love nothing more than to duel Stan and fight those phony Djinns of his, but that simply isn't possible this time."

"Kurtis, why can't you just say no?" asked Francesca. "I'm starting to honestly think that you guys don't like this any more than we do."

Kurtis looked at her. He shook his head.

"Do you know what mom does to traitors?" he asked.

"Uh, no…" she said.

"Well, I do," he replied. "And that's the answer to your question."

He took a card from his deck, and held it forward.

"My Deckmaster… Will be Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

There was an explosion accompanied by a shockwave behind him, and a Dragon rose out of the ground, not the Pet Baby Dragon he used in the previous duel with Stan, but the older, bigger, adult one. (2,000 ATK)

"It's not the best Monster these days… But as I think you've already discovered, Deckmaster effects can be very different from actual effects."

_No kidding… _thought Francesca, as she took her deck from the holder. _And the reason it tends to be impractical is because it's Level 7… But if he's bold enough to summon it to the field, he can get around the problem of needing two sacrifices to summon it, potentially making it deadly…_

_Still, at least it's fairly obvious that he's still using his old deck, and it should be easy to find a Monster with a lower score…_

"I choose D.D. Unicorn Knight!" she shouted.

The horned Warrior holding a trident appeared. He looked at her, and nodded. (1,800 ATK)

"Then you have the first move…" said Kurtis. "You friend Stan was lucky last time… But this time, I'm gonna blow you away!"

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Kurtis: 8,000)**

Francesca made her first, draw and looked at her hand of cards.

_Not the best, but I should be okay for now… _she said.

She set a card on her Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared in front of her.

"I'll end there…" she said.

"Then I draw one card…" said Kurtis, as he made a draw.

"I first activate… The Spell Card, Hysteric Sign."

"Eh?" said Francesca, as he played the card. This was a new one to her, and Andy and Stan had never seen it either.

"By playing this card, I get to take a specific Spell Card from my deck…" he said.

He took a card from his deck, and held it up. It was Elegant Egotist.

"This one, to be precise. But I'll save it for later…"

He put it aside, and chose another card.

"Then, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon…"

"Huh?" said Stan, as he played the Quickplay. "But… The only card you can destroy is…"

"Exactly…" replied Kurtis. "My own Hysteric Sign."

The Continuous Spell shattered.

"I'll let you guys think about that for a minute… For now, I'll summon Harpie's Brother…"

He played the card, and in a gust of wind, a tall, male Winged Beast with leather clothing, a red mask over his eyes, hawk wings, and red metal claw on his right hand, alighted on the field. (1,800 ATK)

"I would have thought you could do better than _that," _said Francesca.

_Oh, but I can, _thought Kurtis, _but I'm in no rush…_

Harpie's Brother spread his wings and took the air, then swooped upon Francesca's set Monster. Nimble Momonga appeared and then shattered.

"Why, thank you," she said, as two more set Monsters appeared.

**(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 8,000)**

"I'll set one card, and end my turn…" said Kurtis, as a reversed card appeared behind Harpie's Brother, "which means that the more potent effect of Hysteric Sign comes into play. See, because it went to the Graveyard this turn, I can take _three _cards from my deck with different names that all have the word 'Harpie' in their name."

Three cards materialized in his hand, alongside the other ones.

_Okay, that's probably bad… _she thought.

She made a draw.

_Although… In all likelihood, that card he set isn't anything to worry about – probably. He likely just set it so he would only have six cards when he ended his turn and wouldn't have to discard any…_

"I flip both my Nimble Momongas into Attack Mode," she said, as the two cards flipped up, and the two flying squirrels leapt forward. (1,000 ATK x2)

"Then, I summon Key Mouse!"

She played the card, and the small rodent with a key on its tail appeared. (100 ATK)

"Then," she said, as all three Beasts flew into the sky, "Key Mouse can give my two Momongas a Tune-up!"

**(*2 + *2 + *1 = *5)**

Thunder Unicorn appeared as thunder rolled. (2,200 ATK)

_Well THAT'S a surprise… _thought Kurtis.

"I use Thunder Unicorn's effect to lower the Attack Score of Harpie's Brother by 500 points!" she shouted.

The Winged Beast grunted as his Attack Score fell to 1,300.

"And then she'll attack!"

Lightning flashed from the Beast's horn, and Harpie's Brother quickly shattered.

**(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 7,100)**

"Guess he should have thought twice about trying to fly in a thunderstorm," she thought. "I'll end there…"

Kurtis drew. Then he quickly set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared in his Monster Zone.

He looked at her.

"Not saying all too much this time, are you?" she replied, as she made a draw.

The card was Call of the Haunted. Her other cards were The Big March of Animals, Egotistical Ape, Battle-Tuned, Monoceros, and Synchro Rider.

She looked at Monoceros for a minute, and then at the three Spell Cards.

_Better save those for now… _she thought.

Thunder Unicorn blasted lightning from her horn again. Flying Kamakiri #1 appeared kneeling on the card, and shattered.

"Uh-oh…" said Andy.

"That's right…" said Kurtis. "I'll use my bug's effect to summon Harpie Lady 1 to the field."

There was another surge of wind, and the first of the Harpies, the one with red hair worn long, appeared. (1,300 ATK)

"And as I'm sure you remember, her effect grants all Wind Monsters on the field 300 more Attack Points…"

(1,600 ATK)

_He's planning something… _thought Francesca, as she took the Call of the Haunted card and fit it into her Disk. _This looks like the same strategy he used before, but…_

_If there's one thing I've learned about people who work for the Queen, they _aren't _predictable._

"It's your move, Kurtis…" she said.

"Then I draw," said Kurtis, as he made his draw, "and I'll summon Harpie Lady 2 as well…"

He played the card, and the Harpie with shorter hair with the pompadour appeared. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I'll use the Elegant Egotist card I got from that Spell I played to summon the third Sister."

A kaleidoscope of colors shot out of the Spell Card, and Harpie Lady 3 flew out of the pattern. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)

Kurtis took another card from his hand.

"I recall the last time we met," he said, "that your friend over there questioned why I used a copy of each Harpie, when multiple copies of Harpie Lady 1 would have been better."

He played a Spell Card, and the three Harpies took to the air, screeching with joy.

"Dance of Ruin!" he shouted, as the three of them started to dance in mid-air. "Because the only Monsters I control are these three specific ones, I can use this Spell to pay 1,000 Life Points to destroy every Monster on the field _except _them!"

"Huh?" said Francesca.

Then lightning crashed down, blowing Thunder Unicorn into little pieces.

"Fortunately for you," he said, as the three Harpies landed again, "you're safe for now, because they can't actually attack… So I'll end my turn there…"

**(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,100)**

_Now I'm SURE this is bad, _thought Francesca, as she made a draw.

_Elephun…_

"All right, Kurtis," she said, "first I'm using Call of the Haunted to bring Thunder Unicorn back…"

The Trap Card lifted up, and the steed leapt back onto the field. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll ditch Elephun from my hand in order to Special Summon Egotistical Ape!"

She discarded the card, and the small monkey appeared in front of her. It gave a death glare to the three Harpies, and then its demonic shadow rose behind it. (1,200 ATK)

"Doing so lowers its Level by Elephun's Level, meaning it's Level 3. Meaning I can Tune my Level 3 Egotistical Ape and my Level 5 Thunder Unicorn…"

The Tuner soared into the sky, with the Unicorn galloping after. The shimmering rings formed around them as lightning flashed in the sky.

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*3 + *5 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

Once again, the powerful three-horned steed appeared, her mane billowing in the wind. (2,800 ATK)

"Impressive…" said Kurtis.

"I'll show you impressive," said Francesca.

She threw a card into her Disk, and the Battle-Tuned card appeared.

"Now I can banish Egotistical Ape to give her a 1,200-point boost!"

(4,000 ATK)

"Attack Harpie Lady 1 with Super Giga Volt Charge!"

The Harpie shrieked as the unicorn sped towards her. A power blast of lightning as they collided blew the winged virago to little pieces and knocked Kurtis on his back.

Kurtis groaned a little as the Attack Scores of the other two Harpies fell back to 1,300.

**(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)**

"Not so tough when you don't have hostages to threaten, are you?" she asked.

"Actually Fran…" said Kurtis, as he slowly got up.

He looked at her for a minute.

"You didn't hear this from me but… One of the biggest reasons why I didn't use the full extent of my power back then was because I didn't _want _any unnecessary casualties.

"But now that we're alone…"

He drew a card.

"…and I don't have to worry about such things, I can show you how strong I _really _am!"

"I think you're bluffing…" said Francesca.

"Once you see my next Monster, you'll think differently," replied Kurtis. "First, I summon Harpie Queen."

He played the card, and a new Harpie appeared. She had the same skimpy outfit as the others, but the similarity ended there. She had more pronounced talons, larger wings with white feathers, and long, aquamarine hair worn in a ponytail with a golden headband under her bangs. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, the Spell Card, Harpie Lady Peahen Formation," he said, as he played a card.

"Say what?" said Francesca.

She and her friends watched as the three Harpies closed their eyes, and glowing, golden motes in a shimmering aura started to fly around them. Then, lovely peacock tails sprouted from their backs.

"What…" said Stan. "What's the point?"

"I'll tell you what the point is…" replied Kurtis. "That accessory is more than just cosmetic, it ups their Levels by two…"

Then the familiar vortex appeared, and the three Harpies turned into orbs of energy.

"…which means, by building the Overlay Network, I can use these three Harpies to summon the most powerful of their kind…

"I summon… Harpie Empress!"

Thunder rumbled again, and a shadow appeared on the mountaintop behind Kurtis. Then the figure spread her wings, and flew down to the field between him and Francesca…

It was a Harpie far more intimidating than the others, wearing a feathered purple Mardi Gras mask and purple bustier, with purple wings and the same talons that the other Harpies had…

Still, even with a mask, it was impossible to hide some _very _distinguishing facial features, along with a familiar hairstyle, both of which made her a dead ringer for someone who was long associated with the cards that Kurtis was using… (2,600 ATK)

"No… Way…" said Francesca.

"Oh, NOW I get it!" shouted Stan. "The name 'Kujaku' means 'peahen' in Japanese!"

"Why in the world would anyone have made a card that looked like Kujaku Mai?" asked Andy.

"Why not?" asked Kurtis.

"Why not?" shouted Andy. "Well gee… If I remember correctly, Pegasus had a little… spat with her back when she was having her little identity crisis which kinda ended badly for him, and seeing as he's in charge of the company that designs these cards…"

Kurtis crossed his arms.

"Odd…" said Kurtis. "You seem to be rather quick to defend a man who set up the entire Duelist Kingdom Tournament as a way to take control of Kaiba Corp and was willing to steal the souls of both Kaiba brothers and Yugi's grandfather in order to bring back his wife. Not to mention associate with brutal thugs like Panik in the process."

"Uh…" said Andy.

"What's the old saying?" asked Kurtis. "I think it went, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'? I hardly think he was in any position to cast stones at Mai for making a similar mistake. For all you know he designed this card as a way to show no hard feelings, and it wasn't until after Mai retired that this card was printed."

_Good lord… _thought Andy, as he started to hold his head. _Something is seriously wrong when someone who wants to kill you starts to make sense…_

"But anyway…" said Kurtis. "Harpie Empress has some potent effects… First of all, for every Harpie Lady on the field, she grants each one 300 Attack Points. And because another of her effects grants her that name while she's on the field and my Graveyard, she benefits from her own effect."

(2,900 ATK)

"And it's only gonna get worse…"

He took Harpie Queen's card, and discarded it.

"By getting rid of one Overlay Unit," he said, as the Empress' eyes started to glow with silvery light, "she can summon one of her subjects from my Graveyard."

There was a soft, silvery light as Harpie Lady 1 appeared again. (1,300 ATK)

"That means they both gain 600 Attack Points from Empress' effect, and 300 from Harpie Lady 1's effect, 900 total."

(Harpie Empress: 3,500 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,200 ATK)

"Uh…" said Francesca, nervously. "That's… Still not enough to take on my Monster…"

"I know…" said Kurtis. "Fortunately, I have this…"

Francesca gave him a strange look as he played a Continuous Spell she had never seen before. It has a picture on it of a goblin in an expensive-looking three-piece suit with a briefcase.

"It's a little thing called Goblin Negotiator," he said. "And now that he's on the job, I end my turn…"

Francesca looked at Harpie Empress closely for a minute, and then drew a card. She put it aside, and then looked at her own Monster.

"Lightning Tricorn, attack Harpie Empress!" she shouted.

Tricorn lowered her horns, and a bolt of lightning shot from them… Then, to Francesca's shock, a shimmering aura of energy appeared between the two Monsters, blocking the blast.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" asked Kurtis. "I can use Goblin Negotiator's effect once per turn, to negate an attack you make against a Monster.

"The downside is, when I choose to use it, you draw once."

Francesca looked at her deck, and then made one draw.

"Good lord…" shouted Andy. "Once per turn? Harpie Empress already has 3,200 Attack Points, and it's going to get stronger each turn! He only needs to negate one attack per turn, the one from Tricorn!"

"And eventually she'll be even stronger than Tricorn…" added Stan. "At which point Fran will be facing an army. That was probably the idea the whole time…

"Clearly, Kurtis _wasn't _bluffing."

"Everything's… under control guys…" said Francesca, nervously.

_Well… _she thought. _Maybe for now it is…_

**000000000**

On the road to Twilight Town, sweat rolled down Sean's face. This was _not _going well.

He had two set cards in his Spell Zone, and two Monsters, Dark Ruler Ha Des (2,450 ATK) and Illusory Snatcher (2,400 ATK), but both had been trapped behind his opponent's Swords of Revealing Light for the past three turns. The evil goddess also had Bitelon (2,400 ATK) and Granadora (1,900 ATK) along with 8,500 Life Points (the higher amount than she started with due to Granadora's effect) while Sean had only 4,500.

Sean let out a sigh.

"Just move..." he said. "At least your three turns are up..."

The glowing swords faded away.

"_My draw..." _she said.

A glob of poison appeared in front of her, forming into an image of a card.

"_Muh, huh, huh, huh, huh…" _she chuckled.

_Okay, I really don't like the sound of that… _thought Sean.

Then both of Vennominaga's two Monsters simply vanished.

"_I banish both of the Reptiles I control and the four in my Graveyard…" _she proclaimed, as a huge, dark creature started to rise above her. _"Cower before the might of… Evil Dragon Ananta!"_

The nightmarish Monster was a giant snake with seven heads, the central one having a demonic face and wearing a crown. It wore a metal breastplate where all seven of its necks met, shaped like another snake-like face. (3,600 ATK)

"Three-thousand-six-hundred?" gasped Sean.

"_Ananta's Attack and Defense Scores are 600 times the number of Reptiles I just banished," _said the dark goddess. _"And it's only going to get worse…"_

Two Equip Spells revealed themselves.

"_I use Surge of the Banished and Destruction Insurance! The first will increase Ananta's Attack Score by 300 points for each of my banished Monsters with the same Type as she."_

(5,400 ATK)

"_While the second will deal damage to you equal to half her Attack Score if you destroy her with a card effect!_

"_And defeating her in battle is unlikely given how powerful she is, as your Dark Ruler is about to find out…_

"_Attack! Devour him!"_

Ananta stuck, quicker than Sean's eyes could follow, grabbing Dark Ruler Ha Des with its central mouth and swallowing him. Sean fell over, clutching his chest.

**(Sean: 1,550) - - - - - - - - - - (Vennominaga: 8,500)**

Vennominaga looked Sean in the eye, much the same way that a rattlesnake tended to look at a mouse…

"_Do you yield?" _she said.

"Never…" he growled.

"_Then I end my turn…" _she said, _"and use Ananta's effect to destroy Illusory Snatcher!"_

The creature's fourteen eyes glowed, and Sean's other Monster shattered.

"_So__ please, fight on all you like… It whets my appetite…"_

Sean got up… Then he gave a cold look to the Duel Spirit…

He whipped the top card off of his deck.

"You know, lady…" said Sean, "and I use the term loosely… I'm starting to think that Andy may have had a point when I dueled him…

"All my life I've been hiding from imaginary evils, wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing all because of things I really had no control over, and I've got almost nothing to show for it… My life would have been a whole lot more productive if I had spent my time concentrating on _real _problems…

"Maybe my life would have been a lot more productive if I had worried more about _real _evils like _you!"_

He played the card he had drawn.

"I use Reload!" he shouted.

He quickly fit his five cards into his deck, then reshuffled, and then drew five new cards.

"It ain't over till it's over, as they say…" he said, as he played a Spell Card. "I activate Monster Reincarnation! I'll toss this card…"

He discarded Skull Knight.

"…and then get my Dark Ruler back…"

He took the card from his discard pile, and put it with the others.

"Then, I'll activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted, as one of his Trap Cards lifted up. "And summon the Monster I just tossed…"

In an aura of darkness, an armored figure holding a curved sword with a bare skull for a face appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I sacrifice my Skull Knight…" he said, as the armored Fiend turned into an orb of darkness, "to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des again!"

In another looming, dark shadow, the Lord of the Underworld rose onto the field again. (2,450 ATK)

He glared at Vennominaga and her Monster as his grip tightened on the goblet her was holding… Then it broke into little shards of glass.

"Next, when Skull Knight is sacrificed to summon a Fiend-Type Monster," continued Sean, "I get a bonus… Another Skull Knight!"

As he said that, a second of the Fiend knights appeared next to Ha Des. (1,000 ATK)

Then Sean's other Trap Card lifted up.

"Then I use the Ultimate Offering Trap Card!" he shouted. "I'll pay 500 Life Points to make a second Normal Summon this turn…

"And sacrifice my second Skull Knight…"

The second Knight vanished.

"…for Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

There was yet another dark aura of shadow, and a giant in grey armor, slightly hunched over, with a tattered cape and a face resembling that of a bat's, appeared where the smaller Fiend was. (2,400 ATK)

"_Uh… oh…" _said his opponent.

"Oh, that's right…" said Sean, with a smirk. "I take it you know that when Caius is Normal Summoned, it obliterates one card on the field."

He pointed to Evil Dragon Ananta, and it simply faded away, like a shadow fading in the sun.

"And guess what?" continued Sean, as the two Equip Spells shattered, "your Equip Spell is worthless, because that didn't count as destroyed. What's more, when that effect is used on a Dark Monster, like it just was, Caius does 1,000 points of damage!"

The Shadow Monarch put its hands together, and a Dark Core appeared in its hands. He threw it at the wicked goddess, and she shrieked.

**(S: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 7,500)**

"_Are you quite done?" _she hissed.

"Not by a long shot…" said Sean. "Because Caius is a Fiend, I get a third Skull Knight…"

Again, a Skull Knight appeared in front of him.

"And finally…" he said, as he held up his last card, "I banish three Fiends in my Graveyard…"

Illusory Snatcher and the other two Skull Knights appeared above him, and then vanished in ripples of light…

Then, two glowing, evil eyes appeared in the darkness. Slowly, their owner stepped out of the shadows, and Dark Necrofear revealed herself. (2,200 ATK)

Vennominaga said nothing…

"At a loss for words _now, _I see…" said Sean, as the four Fiends cast sinister glances at the Deity of Poisonous Snakes.

"Get her…"

What happened next was brutal, and some might have called it cruel if it had happened to someone who you could feel sorry for. Ha Des threw a bolt of destructive energy, Caius threw another Dark Core, and Dark Necrofear stared without blinking, her Doom Murder Gaze meeting Vennominaga's eyes…

Finally, Skull Knight made a mighty blow with its falchion, knocking the huge serpent goddess over…

**(S: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 0)**

Slowly, Sean walked over to where she had fallen… She was gone… Only a puddle of venomous ichor seemed to remain…

Sean took a deep breath, and took out his mobile phone.

"Merlow?" he said into it. "Yeah, I'm fine… I got rid of of her…"

**0000000000**

Back at the strange, mountainous "pocket dimension", as Kurtis has called it, Kurtis made a draw.

"I use the second use of Harpie Empress' effect…" he said.

He discarded Harpie Lady 3's card, and Harpie Queen appeared in the same shimmering aura. (1,900 ATK)

"Three Harpies means a 1,200 point bonus for all three of them," he said.

(Harpie Empress: 3,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,500 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,100)

"Well, it's clear why you admire Mai so much," said Stan. "Your strategy is really little more than what her original strategy was, using card effects to boost the Attack Scores of a limited selection of Monsters."

"And if I recall correctly," said Andy. "It didn't work."

"Her idea was sound, it just needed work," said Kurtis. "On that note, I'll just end my turn."

She drew a card.

_Beast Striker? _she thought. _Lovely… If I summoned this guy, he wouldn't last long…_

"Attack Harpie Empress again!" she shouted.

Again, Lightning Tricorn tried to charge…

"I use Goblin Negotiator's effect again!" shouted Kurtis, as Tricorn charged.

Again, the wave of energy appeared, blocking her advance.

"Did you really think that would work?" asked Kurtis.

"Honestly, no…"replied Francesca, as she drew a card. "But at least I get one draw…"

_If he manages to summon another Harpie, _she thought, _that Empress will be stronger than Lightning Tricorn, and he won't even need that Spell Card…_

_And if SHE goes down, those other Harpies…_

She looked at them. She didn't like the way they were looking at her.

_Well, I can't attack both of his Harpies in one turn… Well, I could, but not with both my Monsters winning…_

_But… Maybe I can trick him into sending Harpie Empress into a battle that she'll lose…_

"I'll move to Main Phase 2," she said, "and banish this card…"

She held up Card from a Different Dimension, and it disappeared.

"…to Special Summon Monocerous in Defense Mode…"

There was another aura of light, and the heavy-set, long-horned unicorn appeared, sitting on its hindquarters. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon Beast Striker," she continued.

She played the card, and the savage-looking, hammer-wielding, tusked Beast appeared. (1,850 ATK)

"Then, I'll ditch one card…" she said, as she discarded Synchro Rider, "to use Beast Striker's effect and Special Summon Moja in Defense Mode."

The small, cute critter appeared next to Beast Striker. He looked at it and smirked. (100 DEF)

"Then I'll throw a card face-down," she said, as a set card materialized behind her Monsters, "and then it's your move."

_When he summons another Harpie, _she thought, _Empress will have 4,100 Attack Points, just enough to defeat Lightning Tricorn…_

_But… With The Big March of Animals set and four Beasts on the field, this might just work out…_

"I draw…" said Kurtis. "Then I use my Empress' final Overlay Unit to summon Harpie Lady 3."

He deftly threw Harpy Lady 2's card into his discard slot, and the blue-haired Harpie appeared.

(Harpie Empress: 4,100 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,400)

_Come on, you little… _thought Francesca.

"Then I use my Deckmaster effect," he said, as Harpie's Pet Dragon's eyes glowed with green, eldritch light. "I can use it a total of three times, making all my Harpie Ladies unable to be destroyed by Spell and Trap Cards for the remainder of the turn.

_Boy, is he gonna be surprised, _thought Francesca.

"Then, I use the Equip Spell, Chthonian Alliance," said Kurtis.

"Say WHAT?" shouted Francesca.

As Kurtis played the card, Harpie Empress' eyes glowed with a hellish, red light, and a dark shadow surrounded her.

"Judging from your reaction," said the Shadow Spawn of Wind, "I take it you've heard of it. It causes her to gain 800 Attack Points for every Monster on the field with the same name.

"And since all four of my Monsters have the name 'Harpie Lady' due to their effects…"

Harpie Empress spread her wings, and hovered slightly above the ground… (6,500 ATK)

"A Harpie that's stronger than the F.G.D.," said Stan, looking at her in awe. "There's got to be some deep meaning behind this, but… I have no idea what it is…"

"Attack Lightning Tricorn now!" shouted Kurtis, as Harpie Empress swooped upon the Synchro.

"I activate The Big March of Animals!" shouted Fran, as her Spell Card lifted up. "It gives all my Beasts 200 Attack Points for each Beast I have!"

Lightning Tricorn shot up to 4,800 Attack Points, while Beast Striker went up to 2,650.

"Not enough, I'm afraid…" said Kurtis, as a long, glowing whip appeared in Harpie Empress' hand.

With a crack, she lashed it, and the impact hit Francesca like a sock to the gut as Lightning Tricorn shattered. She fell on her behind, clutching her stomach.

She coughed a couple times…

"I use… Her effect…" she said through coughs.

Thunder Unicorn slowly rose onto the field, sitting in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"I'll deal with her in a minute…" said Kurtis. "For now… Harpie Queen, destroy her Beast Striker!"

The Queen swooped at the hulking primate, and his hammer flew from his hands before he shattered. Then the hammer shattered too.

**(F: 6,550) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)**

"Harpies 1 and 3… Thunder Unicorn and Moja are yours."

The two Harpies swooped on the two Beasts, foot-talons first. They landed hard, crushing them and blasting them into minute triangles.

"Moja has an effect too…" muttered Fran, as she stumbled to her feet. "I get to… Take a… Level 4 Beast from my deck…"

She took her deck from the holder, and took Chain Dog from it.

_Not sure what good it's gonna do me, _she thought.

Kurtis set a card in his Disk, and a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Move…" he said.

Francesca shook a little as she drew a card.

She trembled a little.

"Uh, Fran?" said Kurtis. "Do I need to remind you what your own cards do?"

"Huh?" said Fran.

"You banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn," he said. "Remember?"

Francesca looked at him oddly. She took the card from her pocket, and then drew twice. She _really _wanted to believe he was being generous, but seeing as the effect also let _him _draw twice, it was hard to…

_Still… _she thought with a smirk as she saw what she drew, _I'm not complaining!_

"You like Wind so much, Kurtis?" she shouted. "How's this for Wind? I play Heavy Storm!"

She played the card, and a hurricane started to blow over the field. Kurtis' Trap Card lifted up.

"I chain-activate The Transmigration Prophecy!" he shouted. "I'll use it to send Harpie Lady 2 back to my deck, and Thunder Unicorn back to yours!"

Then Goblin Negotiator and Francesca's inert Call of the Haunted shattered.

Francesca smirked as she shuffled her deck.

"Well, isn't that a shame…" she said. "Well, if one windstorm isn't enough… I sacrifice Monocerous!"

The Beast turned into a globe of light, a fluffy pink cloud appeared in front of her.

"Have I got a girl for you, Kurtis!" she said.

Slowly, the cloud turned into Flurrie. (1,800 ATK)

"What do say about _that?" _she said.

"Uh…" said Kurtis. "How about 'oops' and 'take cover'?"

"You got that right," said Francesca, as she discarded Card From a Different Dimension and Chain Dog.

Flurrie took a deep breath, and then blew her Merciless Gale Force, causing a virtual typhoon over the mountain valley. The flock of Harpies shrieked as the spun out of control and were blown backwards, shattering as they slammed against the mountain wall behind Kurtis.

"Whoa…" said Stan.

"Double-whoa…" said Andy.

_Okay… _thought Kurtis. _Time for plan-B…_

"I can't attack this turn, naturally," said Fran, as two face-down cards appeared behind Flurrie, "so I'll set these two cards… and that's all for me."

Kurtis drew a card, then casually glanced at Francesca.

"I summon Harpie Channeler," he said.

As he played the card, a new Harpie appeared, one that was very different than the others. Her outfit still showed a lot of skin, but wasn't like the one worn by other Harpies at all; this one wore a white crop-top and breechcloth. He red hair was worn in rather fancy pigtails, her wings were black, like those of a very big raven, and she held a wooden staff tipped with a crescent head decorated with feathers. (1,400 ATK)

"Huh?" said Francesca. "Never saw _her _before…"

"She may seem to have only 100 Attack Points more than the other Harpies," replied Kurtis, "but she can be far more deadly…

"First of all, like the Queen and the Empress, she's considered to be a Harpie Lady while on the field and the Graveyard…"

"Just how many Monsters like that _are _there?" shouted Andy.

"Also," said Kurtis, not seeming to notice the comment, "by discarding a Monster from my hand with the word 'Harpie' in its name…"

He took Harpie Girl from his hand, and discarded it.

"…I can Special Summon another one from my deck in Defense Mode, except another Channeler. So I'll summon the Harpie Lady 2 I sent back to my deck last turn…"

The redheaded Harpie reappeared, kneeling and covering herself with her wings. (1,400 DEF)

"Next…" he said, "I use Monster Reborn to summon Harpie Lady 1 back from the Graveyard…"

The glowing Spell appeared in front of him, and the first sister appeared standing on it on an aura of holy light. (1,300 ATK) Her Attack Score rose to 1,600, while Channeler's rose to 1,700.

"Then, I build the Overlay Network again…" he said, as the vortex appeared, and the three Winged Beasts were drawn into it.

"I summon… Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon!"

There was another blast of green, fiery energy, and a Dragon appeared from out of the vortex. It wasn't as big as the Dragon standing behind Kurtis, but was bigger than the Baby version; still, it seemed to be the same species as the Dragons that the Harpies seemed to keep as pets, and have the same taste in jewelry. (2,000 ATK)

Kurtis looked at Francesca with a smile she didn't like…

"Attack Francesca directly!" he shouted.

The Dragon breathed a cone of chilling frost, ignoring Flurrie completely and plowing into Fran. To say it took Fran by surprise was an understatement… She didn't even have time to shield herself from it, and tumbled backwards from the powerful ambush.

**(F: 4,550) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)**

"No… way…" said Stan. "It didn't even use an Overlay Unit!"

"This Xyz works a little differently than most," said Kurtis. "It doesn't need to _expend _its Overlay Units to use its effects, but it can only use its effects so long as it has them. And it loses one every time I end my turn.

"And in addition to being able to attack directly, you aren't allowed to attack any Monster with the word 'Harpie' in its name except her, so long as she has them.

"Now then… I'll set one card…"

A face-down card appeared behind the Dragon.

"And I'll end my turn, which, as I said before, means that she loses one of her Overlay Units."

She took Harpie Lady 1's card and discarded it.

"A facedown card…" muttered Francesca. "Whatever could it be?"

She was being sarcastic, of course. She knew _exactly _what it was, and knew that it was _big _trouble.

She drew a card, looked at it, then at the rest of her cards, Flurrie, and her two set cards.

_This is NOT gonna be pleasant… _she thought.

She set two cards, first causing a set Monster to appear, then a third set card in her Spell Zone.

_But if I can survive one turn, I may just turn this around…_

"Flurrie, move to Defense Mode," she said.

Flurrie crouched, and crossed her arms. (1,200 DEF)

"It's your move, Kurtis…" she said, nervously.

"Now it ends…" he said, as he drew a card.

His Trap Card lifted up, which, as Francesca expected, was Hysteric Party. He discarded a card (Pot of Avarice) and the first Harpie to appear was Harpie Empress (2,600 ATK), then Harpie Queen (1,900 ATK), and then Harpie Ladies 1 and 3. (1,300 ATK)

The eyes of the Empress and Harpie Lady 1 glowed, and then all four Harpies glowed with green energy… (Harpie Empress: 4,100 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,400 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,800 ATK, Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon: 2,300)

"Next, I use the second use of Deckmaster's effect," said Kurtis, "making my Harpies unable to be destroyed by card effects this turn…"

The large Dragon's eyes glowed again.

"It's over, Francesca…" said Kurtis, as his own eyes started to glow. "By the way… If you happen to see my father when you get to Hell, tell him I always thought he could have saved everyone a lot of grief if he hadn't been so gullible!"

_Hell? _thought Francesca, as sweat poured down her face even more than before. _Good lord… Is that… Is that what happened to Melissa?_

The same thought was crossing Stan and Andy's minds too… Was the Queen so vile that she had not only forced her children to wager their lives, but their souls as well?

"Mirage Dragon, attack Francesca directly again!" shouted Kurtis.

The Dragon belched her cone of frost again. This time, fortunately, it didn't come as the surprise that it did last time for Francesca… Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Now for your two Monsters…" said Kurtis.

Harpie Lady 3 flew towards Flurrie. With one swipe of her claw, the Wind Fairy shattered.

"I activate… Option Hunter!" shouted Fran, as one of her Trap Cards lifted up. "Now I gain Life Points equal to Flurrie's Attack Score!"

Kurtis fidgeted a little. Then Harpie Lady 1 swooped on the set Monster, Uni-Horned Familiar, and crushed it in her talons.

Harpie Empress lashed her whip, and then flew towards Francesca…

Another of her Trap Card lifted up, revealing Draining Shield. The whip crashed against an invisible shield, and energy flowed into Francesca.

Unfortunately for her, she had nothing left to defend herself as Harpie Queen made a rush for her. She made a painful cry as the talons raked across her stomach, bringing her to her knees…

**(F: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)**

Francesca felt her stomach…

Blood… That attack had torn through her shirt and left a very real wound underneath… If Harpie Empress' attack had hit, that one may very well have eviscerated her…

As she got up, Flurrie and Ms. Mowz appeared next to her.

"This is insane…" she said. "Does Kurtis even realize what he's doing?"

"Maybe, maybe not…" said Ms. Mowz, sounding more serious than she usually did. "What he said to you a minute ago… Do you realize what it means?

"He said, 'If you happen to see my father when you get to Hell, tell him I always thought he could have saved everyone a lot of grief if he hadn't been so gullible.' Very strong words."

"Yeah, he hates his father…" said Francesca.

"Not necessarily hon," said Flurrie. "Think about it… What would have happened if his dad _hadn't _been so gullible as to fall into the Queen's clutches?"

Francesca looked at Kurtis, and slowly, the realization started to come to her…

This was someone who actually regretted being born. He despised his own existence.

But as terrible as the stakes of this duel seemed to be… She knew that it was either him or her…

Her last Trap Card lifted up as the two Companions vanished.

"I use Shock Draw!" she shouted. "I took a total of 5,700 points of damage that turn, so I get five draws."

_If I can just get my Mystical Space Typhoon… _she thought, as she started making draws, _I can destroy Hysteric Party and wipe out all four of those Harpies._

Then her eyes almost popped out of her head when she looked at the five cards…

No Mystical Space Typhoon… But…

"It's still my move!" shouted Kurtis.

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"There…" he said.

_Here goes… _thought Francesca, as she made another draw.

"I summon Lock Cat," she said, as the feline with the lock amulet appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Its effect lets me bring Key Mouse to the field," she said, as the small rodent appeared. (100 DEF) "And Chain Dog's effect lets me summon him too!"

As the bull terrier appeared, a low rumble of thunder sounded in the background. (1,600 ATK)

"I Tune together my Mouse, Cat, and Dog…" she said, as the three Beasts flew into the sky, as two more streaks of lightning flashed through the sky…

**(*1 + *3 + *4 = * 8)**

The storm started to intensify as Eachthighern the Fairy Stallion appeared in an aura of light. (2,000 ATK)

Fran nervously took a card from her hand. Thunder rolled again, lightning flashed.

"Because I have a Light, Beast-Type Synchro Monster on the field…" she said. "I can summon my best Monster…"

A spiral of light started to form as the thunder turned into a virtual cacophony…

Then, _she _appeared. At first, she looked like Lady of Unicorns, but far more intimidating, far more _real. _No, more than real… Larger than life. She had the same halter top, breechcloth, and scimitar, but all were of better quality… And those weren't the only things…

"She's beautiful…" gasped Andy.

That was an understatement to say the least. This woman's beauty seemed beyond words. Flawless porcelain skin, hair the color of flaxen tied back in a long braid, large green eyes that were both gorgeous and wild at the same time… She had a body and face that even a supermodel would sell her soul for. Even so, there was no mistaking the strength she held too, the power she exuded… Clearly, while Francesca's Unicorn's used the storm as a weapon, it called this woman master… (2,600 ATK)

"Now, there is one catch to this…" said Francesca. "Because I summoned Warrior Maiden of the Storm this way, then if I ever _don't _have a Light, Beast-Type Synchro Monster, she's destroyed, and if she's destroyed _at all_…

"Well, with my Life Points where they are, let's just say I lose, and leave it at that…"

Warrior Maiden of the Storm lifted her weapon.

"Wipe out Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon!" she shouted. "Tempest Blade!"

The Warrior's mighty scimitar crackled with energy, and she swung it downwards, causing a mighty blast of lightning to blast towards the Dragon, tearing the rocky ground apart as it did. The Dragon let out a roar of agony before the blast literally ripped it apart.

The four Harpies looked on with fright.

"There goes your direct attacker," said Fran, "and now that she's gone, she can't protect your Harpies either…"

She played a Quickplay Spell.

"And I'll use Enemy Controller to move Harpie Lady 1 to Defense Mode!"

The Harpie struggled, but it was too strong for her, forcing her to her knees. (1,400 DEF)

"Oh, that's right…" said Stan. "Harpie Lady 1 and Harpie Empress can juice up their Attack Scores… But those effects don't do much to help with defending."

"Right," said Fran. "And that makes her and easy target for Eachthighern."

The Fairy Stallion blasted a beam of radiant light from his horn, vaporizing the Harpie. Kurtis grunted.

"I gain 1,300 Life Points from Eachthighern's effect," said Francesca. "And with Harpie Lady 1 gone, the others lose the bonus they get from her, and part of the bonus from Harpie Empress."

(Harpie Empress: 3,500 ATK, Harpie Queen: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,200 ATK)

**(F: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,400)**

"I'll set these two cards, and then end my turn," as two face-down cards appeared.

"Okay, Fran, this is it," said Kurtis, as he made a draw. "Twice now, I've used my Deckmaster effect to protect my Harpies from being destroyed… And twice now, you've survived by a technicality, seeing as the set cards you had to protect yourself weren't the type that destroy Monsters…"

"Well… This time, I wised up."

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Trap Stun," he said. "This puts _all _Traps off limits this turn, period.

"Now, I seem to recall you saying that if _she _goes, you'd lose enough Life Points to lose the duel…"

"Possibly, but I should also tell you that she isn't as easy to hurt as she seems," replied Fran. "See, there's a lot more to her bond with Synchro Monsters of the Light, Beast variety.

"So long as I have one, like Eachthighern, she can't be attacked."

"Easily fixed…" said Kurtis. "Harpie Queen, attack that Stallion!"

Stan and Andy tensed as the Harpie closed in on the Synchro.

"The relationship works both ways!" shouted Fran. "If I lower Warrior Maiden's Attack and Defense Scores by 500 points apiece, your attack can't destroy him!"

Harpie Queen clawed at the Fairy Stallion. Warrior Maiden closed her eyes as her Attack Score fell to 2,100, and Francesca grunted a little. But Eachthighern stood firm.

"Then I'll just attack it again!" shouted Kurtis.

Harpie Empress flew towards the unicorn, holding her whip high.

"I can use that effect more than once!" shouted Francesca.

Then she screamed in pain as the whip hit, Warrior Maiden's score fell to 1,600, and Eachthighern still withstood it.

Kurtis sighed.

"All right, third time's the charm…" he said.

Harpie Lady 3 flew at the Synchro.

"Oh, you wish…" said Francesca, as Warrior Maiden's Attack Score fell to 1,100. She only felt a small twinge this time, and Eachthighern was still standing as strong as ever.

**(F: 750) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)**

"Seems all three of your attacks failed," said Francesca.

"Not all of them," replied Kurtis.

They all looked at him.

"Wait…" said Stan. "He means Harpie Lady 3's effect! When she battles a Monster, that Monster can't attack for two rounds…"

"Well…" said Andy. "At least he can still protect Warrior Maiden…"

"Yeah," replied Stan, "but Warrior Maiden can only protect _him _with her effect two more times."

_Actually, only ONE more time, _thought Francesca. _I had to lower her Defense Score too, and using the effect three times brought it down to 500. _

"I'll set this card," said Kurtis, "and that will be all…"

Francesca made a draw. She looked at it for a minute.

"While you're thinking of what you're going to do with that…" said Kurtis.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Calypso's Curse?" asked Francesca. "Don't like the look of that…"

"Oh, you'll like its effect even less…" replied Kurtis. "Keep your Monsters away from my Harpies, or you'll regret it.

"You see, if any of them are defeated this turn, then on my next turn, all I'll have to do is trigger the effect of this card, and send it to the Graveyard to deal 800 points of damage for each one you strike down.

"Your Life Points are at 750 right now… It would finish you off if you destroyed even one."

The card that Francesca had drawn was Sunlight Unicorn…

"It all depends on this…" she said.

She threw the card on her Disk, and the shining unicorn with a blue-mane appeared. (1,800 ATK)

She hesitated as her hand hovered over her deck.

Then she flipped the top card.

"All right!" she shouted, as she turned it forward. "It's Mage Power!

"But before I use it, I'll use my Deckmaster effect, and pay 500 Life Points to recover one of my banished Beast-Type Tuner Monsters."

Her points fell to 250 as Egotistical Ape appeared in her hand.

"Then," she said, as she discarded a card, "I'll discard Hypnocorn to summon it…"

The fiendish-looking primate appeared for the second time. (1,200 ATK)

"…and its effect lowers its Level to 1."

Then one of her two set cards lifted up.

"Then, by playing Rage Resynchro, I can Tune it with Warrior Maiden of the Storm…"

The monkey flew into the sky, and lightning flashed again as the Maiden followed. She turned into a gleaming, golden form before the two of them faded away…

**(*1 + *7 = *8)**

Lightning struck again, and Lightning Tricorn burst out of the ground. (2,800 ATK) –) (3,300 ATK)

"Next, I'll Equip Mage Power to Sunlight Unicorn," she said, as she played the card, "and with two cards in my Spell Zone, she gains 1,000 Attack Points."

(2,800 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon my Deckmaster to the field too…" she continued. "D.D. Unicorn Knight… You're up…"

The bestial Warrior stepped forward, and nodded. (1,800 ATK)

"All right…" said Francesca. "Let's take them down…

"Sunlight Unicorn… Attack Harpie Queen!"

The Beast and the Winged Beast looked each other in the eye, with very unpleasant expressions… Then the two rushed at each other…

An explosion shook the whole field as they were both incinerated.

"It was a draw!" shouted Stan.

"Yeah, but look!" shouted Andy. "Without Harpie Queen, the other two Harpies are 300 points weaker!"

(Harpie Empress: 3,200 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 1,900 ATK)

"Which means Lightning Tricorn is just strong enough to bring down Harpie Empress!" added Francesca. "Attack with Giga Volt Charge!"

For what would likely be the last time in this duel, Tricorn charged, striking Kujaku Mai's lookalike in the stomach and blowing her into minute pieces.

"Yes!" cheered Andy. "That means the last one loses the entire bonus!"

It was true… Harpie Lady 3 had fallen to her base Attack Score of 1,300.

D.D. Unicorn Knight pointed his trident, and a blast of fiery energy shot from it, eradicating the last Harpie and knocking Kurtis down on one knee.

**(F: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,100)**

"Congratulations..." growled Kurtis. "You managed to defeat them all...

"But you haven't defeated me, and Calypso's Curse is still going to finish you off on my next turn."

"And just who said I was done?" asked Francesca.

Her last Trap Card lifted up. It was Synchro Out.

Kurtis turned pale as Lightning Tricorn vanished, and Egotistical Ape (1,200 ATK) and Warrior Maiden of the Storm (2,600 ATK) appeared.

The Beast's shadow flew at him, its dark claw going right through him, and sending a deathly chill through his body.

Francesca paused.

"Kurtis…" she said. "I…"

"What?" he said, with a bitter tone. "Hesitating? Are you afraid to strike me down because of what mom said she'd do to us for losing?

"Trust me, Francesca… You three are the only ones who care…"

"_Francesca!" _said a voice.

Francesca looked up, and saw that Warrior Maiden of the Storm was looking at her.

"_What choice do you have Francesca?" _she said. _"You have no cards left in your hand… Nothing to destroy that Trap Card…_

"_Kurtis won't hesitate on HIS turn…"_

Francesca bowed her head. She knew she was right…

"Attack him directly!" she shouted.

The Maiden lifted her sword, and there was one final clap of thunder s she drove it home one last time…

**(F: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 0)**

The storm was silenced. Kurtis was out cold.

A dark portal appeared behind Kurtis, just like it did when Melissa had fallen. The three of them forced themselves to look away as the shadowy hands reached out to grab the Shadow Spawn of Wind.

Fortunately, they didn't have to do so for long. Again, the portal behind them opened, and they were seemingly _kicked _thought it.

**0000000000**

"This is _insane _Iris!"shouted Francesca, as she got to her feet in the dark chamber again, screaming to the ceiling. "Don't you have any decency in you at all? Is there nothing you won't sink to?"

She sighed. She really hadn't expected an answer, but it felt good to say it.

She sat down, and remembered what Kurtis had said.

It isn't unusual for a parent to be angry at a child. Nor is it unusual for parents to scold their children.

But sometimes, the things a parent says can go too far, and hurt their child too much. They can say downright horrible things that they might regret saying later.

One of the worst things an angry mother can tell her son is that she wished he was never born…

It seemed that the Shadow Queen was such a bad mother that Kurtis actually wished this on himself…

**0000000000**

**GOBLIN NEGOTIATOR (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **A portly goblin wearing a black, three-piece business suit and a fedora, carrying a briefcase and holding a document.

**Card Description: **Once per turn, when your opponent declares an attack against a Monster you control, you may negate that attack. If you use this effect, your opponent draws 1 card.

_Note: "Goblin Negotiator" was first used by Manjyome in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Blinded by the Light (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DESTRUCTION INSURANCE (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **The image on this card was unclear.

**Card Description:** When the Equipped Monster is destroyed by a card effect, the opponent of this card's controller takes damage equal to half the ATK of the Equipped Monster.

_Note: "Destruction Insurance" was first used by __Kinomiya Kodo__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Profiler". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**HARPIE LADY – PEAHEN FORMATION (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Similar to "Harpie Lady – Phoenix Formation" with a lavender peacock in place of the phoenix.

**Card Description: **Activate when you control at least 2 face-up "Harpie Lady" Monsters. Each "Harpie Lady" Monster you control that has a Level has its Level increased by 2.

**0000000000**

**HARPIE EMPRESS (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Wind/Xyz/Effect/Rank 6/2,600ATK/2,800DEF**

_3 Level 6 WIND Monsters_

**Effect:** This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady" while it is on the field or in your Graveyard. Increase the ATK of all Monsters on the field named "Harpie Lady" by 300 for every "Harpie Lady" on the field. Once per turn, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WIND Monster from your Graveyard.

_Note: "Harpie Lady Peahen Formation" and "Harpie Empress" were both created by MultiplePersonas and first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Tournament of Shadows."_

**0000000000**

**SURGE OF THE BANISHED (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Warrior, and D.D. Assailant leaping from the Different Dimension Gate.

**Card Description: **Increase the Equipped Monster's ATK by 300 for each of your removed from play Monsters with the same Type as the Equipped Monster.

_Note: "Surge of the Banished" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Ascension"._

**0000000000**

**DANCE OF RUIN (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The silhouettes of the Harpie Lady Sisters flying in a violent thunderstorm.

**Card Description: **Activate when you control only 3 Monsters, the Monsters you control are all in Attack Position, and the original (printed) names of the 3 Monsters you control are "Harpie Lady 1", "Harpie Lady 2", and "Harpie Lady 3". Pay 1,000 Life Points. Destroy all Monsters your opponent controls. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn.

**0000000000**

**CALYPSO'S CURSE (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **The three Harpie Lady Sisters fleeing (on foot) in a mountainous terrain under a dark, cloudy sky, with Harpie Queen's angry face among the clouds.

**Card Description: **Activate only during your opponent's Standby Phase. During the turn this card is activated, each time 1 or more "Harpie" Monsters you control are destroyed (except for "Harpie's Brother"), place 1 "Retribution Counter" on this card per "Harpie" Monster destroyed. During your next Standby Phase, send this card to the Graveyard and inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent for each "Retribution Counter" it has.

**0000000000**

**WARRIOR MAIDEN OF THE STORM (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Light/Effect/Lvl7/2,600ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **You may Special Summon this card (from your hand) if you control a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is destroyed after being Special Summoned via its own effect, you take 2,000 points of damage. If this card is Special Summoned via its own effect and you do not control a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster, destroy it. This card cannot be targeted for an attack if you control at least 1 face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster would be destroyed (by battle or by card effect) you can reduce the ATK and DEF of this card by 500 to prevent it from being destroyed.

**0000000000**

"**Harpie's Pet Dragon":** Dragon/Wind/Lvl7/2,000ATK/2,500: "Harpie Bodyguard": At the start of the duel, place 3 Bodyguard Counters on this card. During your Standby Phase, you may remove 1 one Bodyguard Counter from this card; if you do, all "Harpie Lady" Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by Spell, Trap, or Monster effects this turn.

**0000000000**

"**D.D. Unicorn Knight":** Warrior/Light/Lvl4/1,800ATK/900DEF: "Primal Portal": Once per turn, you may pay 500 Life Points to add of your banished Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast Monsters to your hand.

**0000000000**

_**It seems the true battle has started. It seems that our heroes might have at least a few new allies… And to keep their sanity right now as they make their way through this nightmarish gauntlet, they might need them…**_

_**Next:**_

_**Bleck: First Melissa, then Kurtis… It will be Tyson next, no doubt… For the proxy of an Exarch of Chaos, Iris is remarkably well-structured…**_

_**When she wants to be, anyway. In fact, that's one thing that sets Graz'zt apart from other demons, he's far more organized than most of the chaotic hordes.**_

_**Maybe too much so… All is going well…**_

_**Soon I can put my true plan into action… At last I will reveal myself to the Shadow Queen, at last I will have my revenge!**_

_**Heh, sorry… Couldn't resist making the reference there… **__**Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!**_

_**For now, "Wild Fire" is coming soon.**_


	53. Wild Fire

_**My name is Tyson, the Shadow Spawn of Fire. And I think I know what your reaction was to that whole thing in Glitzville; you were thinking that the guy dueling Andy was a third-rate comic who was flatter than a pancake. Well, to be honest, I get that a lot. **_

_**Still, if you think my routine wasn't funny, you should have seen General Jozzin, one of the leaders of the Company of Malice.**_

_**What I know about her (yes, her; if those guys had any redeeming features, one of them was the lack of a "glass ceiling" in their culture) I only know from hearsay and history, but she was the Minister of Morale, meaning it was her job to keep the troops in high spirits and confident of their abilities. A lot of people said that it was her job to cover up the mistakes of the **_**other **_**generals who led the Company, but whoever said that usually made sure they did so out of earshot of any of her underlings. **_

_**Anyway, Jozzin was never seen without a big smile on her face, and she had the best sense of humor of any member of the Company. Of course, it was said that she smiled even as she crushed the last bit of life out of an enemy, and being a demon, her idea of what was funny… Well it wasn't always funny to folks other than demons.**_

_**To put it simply, there are a few subjects that **_**really **_**should never be joked about, but for some reason still are from time to time. Things like bigotry, child abuse, spousal abuse, suicide, slavery, torture, and **_**especially **_**rape. Some controversial comedians use such subjects in their routines, which is one of the biggest reasons why they're "controversial".**_

_**These were Jozzin's favorite topics. Her jokes would have offended Andrew Dice Clay.**_

_**What's the point I'm trying to make here? As bad as your experience with someone is, you can be sure that you could be dealing with someone even worse…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-THREE**

**0000000000**

**Wild Fire**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Glitzville was quiet right now, which was _very _unusual for a place known for the nightlife.

Then there was an explosion, followed by screams as people fled towards the center of the city.

A figure walked from the smoke, shaking his head as he did. It was the Duel Spirit Vampire's Curse, a tired look on his face as he watched the fleeing citizens.

"As if running will work," he said. "We're on a city that's two miles in the air, people! Where are you going to run to?"

No-one answered, and he sighed.

"Humans are so dense…" he muttered. "These folk reminds me of the ones who try to hide in a house by running _upstairs. _I mean really, do they actually think…"

Then he fell forward with a loud "OOF!" as someone kicked him in the back.

"A guy who lets his guard down is pretty dumb too, fellah," said a voice behind him.

"Who dares…" said the now angry Spirit, turning around, his eyes glowing with evil energy.

He saw Yuki standing over him. She took off her mask as he got up. The sigil that Merlow had drawn on her forehead was still clearly visible.

"If you're working for the Queen, I'm glad you're here," she said, as she tossed it aside. "I'm done hiding… She wanted me to be a Ninja…

"Know how Ninja were viewed in feudal Japan? With fear, yes, but also with disgust, because they lacked honor.

"Well, since hiding from her just reinforces that…"

She activated her Duel Disk.

"…come and get me…"

The vampire smirked, and his own Disk, a gilded one shaped like a bat, unfolded…

**0000000000**

The three teenagers looked hard at the huge hand again.

"Do you really think that they…" said Andy.

"I'm trying not to think about it…" replied Francesca.

Then it started again. Another portal appeared on the huge thing's palm, this one a huge, flaming orb.

"Heads up!" shouted Stan. "Try to brace yourself this time!"

**0000000000**

His warning came just in time. The rather rough trip through the portal didn't hurt as bad this time.

Still, that didn't make them like the place they were in any better. The first thing they noticed was the smell of brimstone, and when they actually looked around, they found themselves in a large cavern with a hellish red glow.

Then they realized what was causing the glow. Flowing, churning lava was to both sides of them. They were in some sort of cave with serious volcanic activity.

In front of them was exactly who they expected to see in a place like this. Tyson was reclining on a throne that seemed to have been chiseled out of the stone wall behind him, wearing scarlet armor of the same design that Melissa and Kurtis had. He was leaning his head on his arm, and looking at them with a bored expression. Next to him, a long, iron, twin-headed spear was leaning against the wall.

After a few tense seconds, he sat up straight.

"Hi," he said.

"Look, Tyson…" said Stan. "If you want a duel, I really don't want to go through the same old stupid jokes you used on Andy last time."

"Heaven forbid," said Tyson.

He stood up.

"I have _all new _stupid jokes," he said.

"Can't you ever be serious?" asked Francesca.

"Serious, huh?" asked Tyson. "Okay, here's something serious. Look around you. See the place we're in? This volcanic cavern?

"Contrary to what you see in television, and movies, humans _can't _survive in places like this."

He reached over and picked up the spear.

"Uh…" said Stan.

"That's right…" said Tyson, as he started to walk forward. "Writers seem to think that pools of lava have rocks in it that you can use as stepping stones, that things can be used like rafts in it, and that so long as you don't actually _touch _themelted rock, you're perfectly safe around it.

"They don't realize just how hot this stuff is…"

He stuck the spear in the lava next to him, causing a sizzling sound and rising smoke. Then he pulled it out; the end had been melted off, and the stump was red-hot.

"They also don't know about a thing called convection," he said, as he tossed it aside, "how the rising heat turns the area into an oven that can kill a person rather quickly. Or if they _do _know, they choose to ignore it.

"I guess that's how artistic license works… If being realistic results in a boring movie that people won't pay ten bucks to see, the creators are allowed to ignore the laws of science.

"So, know why you three aren't dead right now?"

He pointed to his chest.

"You?" asked Stan, nervously.

"Yep," said Tyson, "a little trick I inherited from my dad. And now that the science lesson is over…"

He held up his left gauntlet, and like before, a Duel Disk unfolded from it.

"No more lame jokes this time," he said. "Believe me, we're capable of learning from all this, and I'm _deadly _serious now.

"So… Stan… I know you three are under the impression that you were roped into this against your wills… And frankly, that's the same way we feel, and we can't do anything about it.

"So let's see the Deckmaster."

Stan sighed, and stepped forward.

Then he took his deck, and spread the cards out, quickly taking one.

"Well, since I don't have a choice," he said. "I choose Gagaga Gardna!"

In an aura of energy behind him, the well-dressed, veiled Warrior appeared, holding his staff. (1,800 ATK)

Tyson closed his eyes and held up a card.

"This card is rather antiquated…" he said. "But… I've always been rather fond of it…"

He held up the card, and a fiery column appeared behind him. It subsided, and a man with flaming red hair wearing a formal suit and a cape appeared. (2,100 ATK)

"Mr. Volcano?" said Andy. "Huh, he wasn't kidding…"

"Hey…" said Francesca.

She looked the Monster in the face.

"It… It kinda looks like Tyson…" she said. "But older… And sharper-dressed…"

Stan quickly grabbed hold of the brim of his hat, and turned it backwards.

"It seems you have the first move, Stan," said Tyson, as Stan's Disk tray snapped into position. "Good luck…

"You're gonna need it…"

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Tyson: 8,000)**

_Yeah, Tyson, funny, _said Stan, as he drew a card. _I saw that movie too…_

He placed a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of him.

"All right Tyson, that will be enough for now…"

_So what are you going to throw at me? _he thought, as the Shadow Spawn of Fire drew a card. _Lavals? Flamvells? Jurracs? _

"I'll also set a Monster," said Tyson, as a defender appeared on his side of the field, "and then play Field Spell, Molten Destruction."

He fit the card into his Field Zone, and oddly, it didn't seem to do much of anything. Stan looked around.

_Well, of course… _he said. _We're already in the sort of place that Molten Destruction would create…_

Tyson looked at Stan and nodded. Stan made a draw.

_With that Field Spell in play, it means Fire Monsters take a penalty to their Defense Scores, _he thought. _But he's defending for some reason…_

He took a card from his hand and looked at it for a minute.

_Here goes nothing…_

"Magician's Valkyria, reveal yourself!" he said, as his set card flipped up, and the female mage stood forward. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I'll summon Frontier Wiseman too…" he said.

As he played the card, the aged sage appeared, holding his tome. (1,600 ATK)

"Then he'll destroy your Monster! Sacred Lightning!"

There was a clap of thunder, and the divine energy crashed down on the card, blowing UFO Turtle to little pieces.

"Crap…" said Stan.

"I use my Monster's effect," said Tyson, "to summon Molten Behemoth!"

There was a loud, rumbling groan, and a large, hulking creature made of volcanic rock rose out of the ground. (1,000 ATK)

"Say WHAT?" shouted Stan.

"And he gains 500 Attack Points due to the Field Spell," continued Tyson.

(1,500 ATK)

"Uh, Molten Behemoth?" said Stan.

"Is there a problem?" asked Tyson.

"Someone still uses that card?" asked Stan. "No, wait… Did _anyone_ ever use that card?"

"I'm using it now," said Tyson. "I don't think there's a rule against it."

"Uh, no…" said Stan, as Valkyria pointed her scepter. "It's a legal move… Not a _smart _move_, _but a legal move…"

She fired her blast of energy, blasting the creature into a pile of inert stone.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,900)**

"Uh…" he said, "I end my turn…"

"My move…" said Tyson, as he drew a card. "I'll banish my UFO Turtle…"

The Machine appeared behind him, and faded away.

"…to Special Summon Inferno."

A large, crackling bonfire with eyes appeared in front of him. (1,100 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)

"Next, I'll sacrifice it…"

The Fire elemental turned into a burning, fiery orb.

"…to summon Flame Champion."

The orb burst, and a young woman wearing plate armor holding a sword and a blazing shield appeared in front of him. (1,900 ATK) –) (2,400 ATK)

A minute ago, Stan questioned Tyson's intelligence… Now he was starting to question his opponent's sanity. Still, Tyson went on.

"I activate the Ancient Rules Spell Card!" he shouted, as the Spell appeared. "I can now Special Summon a high-Level Normal Monster to the field, and I choose to summon Garoozis!"

There was another spout of fire, and a lizard man holding a battle-axe appeared. (1,800 ATK –) 2,300 ATK)

He looked at Flame Champion, and the two Monsters nodded to each other.

"Get 'em!" shouted Tyson. "Attack with Fiery Sword of Vengeance!"

Flame Champion swung her sword with a downward stroke, sending a blast of fire along the floor, hitting Valkyria and roasting her to a crisp. Then Garoozis did the same, hitting Frontier Wiseman with his weapon and blowing him to pieces.

"Ugh…" said Stan.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,900)**

"That's enough for now…" said Tyson. "It's your move, Stan."

_Okay, Stan, think about this… _thought Stan to himself. _Tyson isn't an idiot… There has to be some reason he's using antiquated cards that no duelist in his right mind would…_

_Wait… All these Monsters he's using are Normal, Level 5 Fire Monsters…_

_And his Deckmaster fits all those criteria too…_

_He's up to something… But what?_

**0000000000**

As this was happening, Magical Scientist was hard at work, stirring a small pot of bubbling liquid. Eerie purple vapors rose from it.

He took a small tube of powder and slowly poured it into the concoction. As the vapors changed from purple to green, he started to chant…

"_Double, double, toil and trouble, Newton, Hawking, Edwin Hubble, 3.14159, secant, tangent, arccosine!"_

Then he threw back his head, and let out a loud cackle.

"Okay, okay, I guess it is kind of lame," he laughed. "I'm a scientist, not a poet!"

Then his expression suddenly turned serious. He picked up a ladle, and carefully dipped it in the mixture.

Then he looked at four cards next to him. The orange boarders suggested that they were Effect Monster cards, but they were blank, with no pictures or any text.

Carefully, he sprinkled the stuff over the four cards, and they started to emit an eerie, otherworldly aura…

"Almost done…" he said. "The Queen should be pleased…"

**0000000000**

"My move, Tyson!" said Stan, as he made a draw.

"And it's a good one! Because you have two Monsters more than I do, I don't need a sacrifice to summon Gagaga Druid!"

In a dark, eerie shadow, the mysterious robed, hooded Spellcaster appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Next," said Stan, as he played a card, "I use the Bond Wand Equip Spell."

The Druid's shillelagh vanished, quickly replaced by the ruby-tipped staff. (2,800 ATK)

"So, let's put out this fire! Attack Flame Champion with Dark Curse!"

The Spellcaster pointed the wand and fired. The Pyro tried to block the blast with her shield, but it shattered, and she tumbled backwards before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

"Guh…" mumbled Tyson.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,500)**

Stan looked at him with a frown.

"Your move…" he said.

Tyson flipped the top card from his deck, and then quickly played it.

"I activate Akashic Record," he said, as the Spell appeared in a glowing aura. "Now I get to make two draws.

"However, I lose them both if I've used either of them previously…"

He drew twice.

"Fortunately, I haven't," he said, as he turned them forward.

Stan looked strangely at the two Trap Cards. He recognized one – it was common enough – but he had no idea what the other was…

"I'll set two cards facedown," said Tyson, as two hidden cards appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then move Garoozis to Defense Mode…"

The lizard man knelt, and held his axe in his lap. (1,100 DEF)

"…and then I'm done…"

Stan drew a card. The Fiend Megacyber.

_I'll save this guy, _he thought, putting it with his others.

Then he took another one, and played it. Familiar Knight appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)

"Attack Garoozis with Chivalrous Blade!" he shouted.

The Knight made a fierce slash with his weapon, blasting the reptilian Beast-Warrior to little fragments.

"You're next, Tyson!" shouted Stan, as the Druid aimed his wand.

Tyson grit his teeth… Then the mighty blast hit him in the chest, and he let out a short, painful cry.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 4,700)**

"Look Tyson," said Stan, "this whole setup with you and the other Spawn is really giving me the creeps.

"I have no idea what happened to Melissa and Kurtis, but I doubt it was pleasant… And I'm wondering if _you _know."

"I know _exactly _where they are!" shouted Tyson.

He sighed.

"If I dwelled too much on it, I'd likely snap…

"You know Stan, that's one of the reasons why I always told those bad jokes all the time. All six of us needed a way to cope, a way to keep from going mad all these years…"

One of his two face-down cards lifted up, revealing the Shock Draw Trap Card.

"We all found some way to do it… More or less… Leopold studies, Kurtis plays the piano…"

"Really?" asked Francesca, lifting an eyebrow.

Tyson nodded.

"And he's really good," he said, as he made two draws. "I tell jokes… I'm not too good at it, but it keeps my mind occupied.

"But those things don't work forever… You can only do it for so long before it just stops working…"

"Uh…" said Stan. "I… guess it's your move…"

Tyson looked closely at his three cards, and then drew a fourth one.

_Okay… _he thought. _This is the last card I need for the first strike…_

"I activate Foolish Burial!" he shouted. "I'll use this card to send Woodborg Inpachi to my Graveyard…"

The Spell Card appeared, and then he took a card from his deck, and discarded it.

"You like baseball, Stan?" he asked.

"Oh, crud!" shouted Andy. "When a Fire duelist says that, it only means one thing…"

"That's right!" shouted Tyson, as he played a card. "I summon the pint-sized powerhouse known as… _Ultimate Baseball Kid!"_

He played the card, and the ground in front of him cracked open. A small form leapt out of the fiery pit, a rather unlikely Monster.

It was a small child, dressed in a scarlet baseball uniform, and a batting helmet with the Kanji symbol for Fire on the front. He held a metal bat with mace-like spikes covering it. (500 ATK) –) (1,000 ATK)

"Don't panic yet…" said Andy. "That guy is only serious trouble if someone has other Fire Monsters…"

"I'm about to have _several _more," said Tyson.

Mr. Volcano held up his palms, and fire appeared in them.

"My Deckmaster has an effect that I can only use once, but it's incredibly powerful. I can summon as many Fire Monsters from my Graveyard as I'm able to in Defense Mode.

"But… They have to be Normal Monsters that are the same Level as he is. I admit that those Monsters I used earlier were junk cards that you find in discount bins these days…"

Flame Champion appeared, kneeling behind her shield. (900 DEF) Then Garoozis appeared, also defending. (1,100 DEF)

"Most of the time, anyway…"

Then Woodborg Inpachi appeared (2,100 DEF) then Molten Behemoth (1,800 DEF)

Stan started to sweat, and it wasn't from the heat. The small slugger's eyes were starting to glow with fury.

"As you can see," said Tyson, "I now have four other Fire Monsters, and as your friend pointed out, Ultimate Baseball Kid gains 1,000 Attack Points for each one…"

(5,000 ATK)

"Now, my Trap Card activates…"

His face-down card lifted up.

"It's called Home Run!" he shouted. "By cutting my Life Points in half, my Kid can _really _belt one out of the park, and attack directly, so long as I don't make any other attacks this turn!"

"That's crazy!" screamed Stan.

'We're all a little crazy, Stan," said Tyson. "Attack directly with Ultimate Blazing Line Drive!"

The fiery batter held out his free hand, and a fireball appeared in it. Then he tossed it into the air, and it quickly started to grow, enlarging until it was fully twice the size of Ultimate Baseball Kid himself.

Then he gripped his bat in both hands, and socked it hard sending it screaming towards Stan.

Stan could hear Andy and Francesca shouting for him as the burning liner hit him and flames surrounded him, but all he could see and feel was the super-intense heat…

**(S: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,350)**

He collapsed on his side.

"No, no…" begged Francesca. "Tyson, please…"

"Oh, calm down…" said Tyson, rolling his eyes. "I _can't _use my Kid's other effect. In fact, _both _my Deckmaster and Home Run have side effects that would prevent it.

"Not that I wouldn't if I could…"

Stan groaned a little as he sat up.

"Anyway…" said Tyson. "I'll set this card…"

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Then, I play the Equip Spell, Light Law Protection," he said, "and I Equip it to my Kid."

He played the card, and a golden glow surrounded the batter.

"I realize that even having a ten-thousand Attack Points won't matter if you summon Gagaga Girl," he said. "However… If my Kid's Attack Score is changed by a card Effect, this card's effect will activate, foiling the attempt and destroying that card."

Stan gave him a weird look.

"Uh…" said Francesca. "There's one thing wrong with that…"

Andy nudged her with his elbow, and then shook his head. She quickly stopped.

"Any questions?" asked Tyson.

"Just one…" grunted Stan, as he got up.

"If the name of the Trap was 'Home Run', why did you call the attack a line drive?"

"Huh?" said Tyson.

"See," said Stan, "by definition, a 'line drive' is a level hit, and likely wouldn't achieve a home run. Unless we were talking about an inside-the-park-home run, which is kind of…"

"_Will you just move?!"_ shouted Tyson.

Stan drew a card, as Tyson grimaced at him.

"Smart-ass," he snapped.

"I Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!" shouted Stan.

He threw the card on his Disk, and the hulking, armored Warrior appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"And because he and Gagaga Druid are Level 6," he said, as the Overlay Network opened, "I can Overlay they both…"

The Spellcaster and the Warrior turned into dark orbs of energy, and flew into the spiraling vortex.

"I Xyz Summon… Sword Breaker!"

The portal opened, and the armored, armed-to-the-teeth Warrior slowly emerged. (2,700 ATK)

"All right, now I can use his effect," said Stan.

An orb flew out of the Warrior's chest, and then into his visor, which glowed with energy.

"By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, I can name a Type of Monster, like Warriors. And when Sword Breaker battles such a Monster… He can't lose, and neither can I.

"Attack his Ultimate Baseball Kid! Flashing Bladestorm!"

The Warrior's armor shimmered… Then he collapsed into a whirlwind of deadly swords and knives…

"I activate Staunch Defender!" shouted Tyson, as he Trap Card lifted up.

"Now you can only attack one of my Monsters, and I choose to have you attack…

"Ugh… Ultimate Baseball Kid…"

It didn't seem to matter to Sword Breaker at all, seeing as that was who he was aiming at. There was a loud "WHOOMP" and a burst of soot and smoke as he hit the target and the small slugger vanished.

"I have to admit, Tyson," said Stan, "it was a nice try… Your set-up seemed to have an obvious flaw in it…"

As he said this, both Koops and Bobbery appeared behind Andy. Tyson noticed them briefly, but he didn't say anything.

"See…" continued Stan, "Ultimate Baseball Kid can gain or lose Attack Points via his own effect, and if that happened, Light Law Protection would have done _him _in.

"You were expecting me to realize that, and try to attack one of your other Monsters so it would happen, at which point you would have triggered Staunch Defender to force _all _of my Monsters to attack the Kid.

"You would have won if it worked, but there was a _real _flaw in the plan that you didn't notice. You drew Staunch Defender using Akashic Record, so I knew you had that card and it was pretty obvious that it was the card you set."

"So, uhm…" said Koops. "Why did Tyson trigger it anyway?"

"Because he knew that Ultimate Baseball Kid couldn't defeat Sword Breaker," replied Bobbery. "By using Staunch Defender, Tyson made that Monster the only target, effectively protecting his other Monsters against Familiar Knight…

"And that worries me… It clearly means he has other plans for them…"

"It's still my turn, Tyson…" said Stan. "I'll set one Monster, and then move my Knight to Defense Mode…"

A set Monster appeared, and then the Familiar Knight knelt and lifted his shield. (1,400 DEF)

"…and I end my turn…"

**0000000000**

Back in Glitzville, a large crowd had turned out to watch Yuki's duel.

She sighed, remembering the duel with Francesca. No-one was cheering for her then… She was the villain who had forced someone to fight for her life.

The roles were reversed now, and everyone was supporting her… But for some reason, it didn't make her feel any more secure.

In fact, it made her start to realize just how Francesca must have felt…

**(Yuki: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vampire's Curse: 5,000)**

The Duel Spirit in front of her had Vampire Lord in play. (2,000 ATK) Yuki had Senior Silver Ninja (2,300 ATK) and two set cards in her Spell Zone.

She looked her opponent directly in the eye.

"Your move, Morbius," she said.

The armored vampire made a draw…

Then he smiled slightly, briefly showing his fangs.

"Vampire Lord, begone," he said, as the Zombie in front of him vanished into a ripple of energy. "I cast you out to summon…"

There was a loud bellow, and a huge, hulking, muscular creature with mauve skin and a demonic face, along with a spike-studded cape, appeared in its place. (3,000 ATK)

Yuki wasn't all-too intimidated, however.

"Vampire Genesis?" she said. "I've seen worse…"

"Oh, I can do much worse…" said the Spirit.

He turned a card in his hand around.

"True, this Monster isn't as formidable as it used to be, but the Continuous Spell Genesis Crisis makes it deadlier by far."

He played the card, and an aura of unholy darkness surrounded the creature.

"This Spell, along with Vampire Genesis, lets me take one Zombie from my deck each turn…"

He took a card from his deck, a second Vampire Lord.

"…which makes using its effect a great deal easier… By discarding this Level 5 Zombie, I can raise a Level 4 one, like Blood Sucker."

He discarded the card, and the ground split open, disgorging a fiendish, bat-like vampire. (1,300 ATK)

He paused for a minute. He looked a little embarrassed, actually.

"Attack her Ninja!" he shouted.

The creature clenched its fists as it looked at Senior Silver Ninja. Yuki tensed.

"I activate the effect of…" said Vampire's Curse. "Uh… Bacon Saver… In my Graveyard…"

As he said this, a small, black pig floated out of the ground in front of Vampire Genesis.

Everyone stared in slack jawed silence for a moment, and then people started to giggle even as they tried to cover it up.

Hearing this, a blood vessel started to bulge on the side of Curse's head.

"SH-SHUT IT!" he shouted. "I didn't name the damn card, I just use it okay?!"

He sneered a little.

"I swear to Obelisk I'm going to petition to the Queen to have every one of the idiots in charge of naming cards at I2 publicly disemboweled if she ever conquers the States," he growled through clenched teeth "You think it's funny? Well guess what? By banishing this swine from my Graveyard…"

The strange pig's flesh melted away, leaving a pig's skeleton in its place. Then _that _vanished too.

"…I can stop the attack of a Monster dead in its tracks, even mine…"

The huge vampire paused. Then its master played another card.

"And because Vampire Genesis' attack was negated I can let him have another go with Double or Nothing with TWICE his original Attack Score!"

The giggling came to an abrupt halt as every watched the undead demon swell in size howling in bloodlust. (6,000 ATK)

Seeing the color leave Yuki's face, Curse gave a grin that looked more than a little unhinged.

"Not so funny now is it?"

It certainly wasn't. They all realized that he didn't even need Blood Sucker. An attack from that beast would wipe Yuki out.

"Destroy her Ninja with Crimson Shroud! There'll be no stopping it this time!"

"I may not be able to stop it," shouted Yuki, as her Quickplay Spell Card lifted up. "But I can still protect myself from it! I activate… Star Changer! This changes my Ninja's Level from 6 to 7!"

Vampire Genesis turned into a roaring cloud of blood-red vapor, and rushed at Senior Silver Ninja.

"And since he's Level 7 now, it's the right time to activate this…"

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"Ninjitsu Art of Duplication! By sacrificing one strong Ninja, I can take two weak ones from my deck, and then set them in Defense Mode."

Senior Silver Ninja vanished, and then two set Monsters appeared in front of her.

"So long as the combined Levels of both don't exceed that of the one I sacrificed."

The red cloud thundered towards one of the two Monsters. Lady Ninja Yae appeared on it, and covered herself before she was blown to bits.

"Since she was defending, my Life Points are safe…"

Then Blood Sucker flew towards the other Monster. However, it wasn't as successful. Upstart Golden Ninja appeared on the card, and slugged it hard in the jaw. (1,800 DEF) The well-dressed Ninja looked at it with an annoyed frown as it stumbled away.

"I end my turn…" said Vampire's Curse. "He won't be so lucky next time…"

Vampire Genesis calmed down, and fell to its base Attack Score of 3,000.

**(Y: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VC: 4,500)**

Yuki made a draw.

"I summon Ninja Commando Kabuki to the field!" she shouted.

She played the card, and a Ninja dressed in white, with black trousers and a flared, golden skirt, appeared in front of her. (700 ATK)

Vampire's Curse rolled his eyes.

"First a Ninja that dresses in loud clothing," he muttered, "now this guy… These so-called Ninja you have couldn't sneak up on a blind man."

"They may be historically inaccurate," said Yuki, "but Kabuki's very useful effect lets me Special Summon another low-Level Ninja from my deck, like another copy of himself."

She played a card, and a second Ninja Commando appeared.

"And I'll just use _his _effect to summon a third one…"

She played another card, and a third Kabuki appeared. (700 ATK x2)

"Hell, why stop there? I'll use the third one's effect to summon Strike Ninja."

She played another card, and the tall Ninja in black appeared on the last space in her Monster Zone. (1,700 ATK)

"So what are you going to do with them all?" asked Vampire's Curse.

"Depends," said Yuki. "First of all, I'm going to Overlay Upstart Gold Ninja and Strike Ninja…"

The two Ninja were drawn into the Overlay Network, and then, with a powerful gust of wind, Blade Armor Ninja appeared, brandishing his twin katana. (2,200 ATK)

"He's no match for your Vampire Genesis, at the moment…" she said, "fortunately, I have this…"

She played a Spell Card.

"Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy! By destroying all of my Trap Cards with the words 'Ninjitsu Art' in their names…"

The now-inert Ninjitsu Art of Duplication card shattered.

"…I can draw twice…"

She made two draws.

"Well…" she said. "Maybe a necklace of garlic cloves might have been better… But this will do! I play the United We Stand Spell Card!"

She threw the card into her Disk, and Blade Armor Ninja shot up to an Attack Score of 5,400.

"Hey, look!" laughed someone in the crowd, pointing at Vampire's Curse. "That guy's so scared, he's turning pale!

"Oh, wait… He's a vampire… He's always like that."

"Oh, shut up!" shouted Vampire's Curse.

"I'm going to shut _you _up permanently!" shouted Yuki. "By getting rid of one of Blade Armor Ninja's Overlay Units, he can attack twice this turn!

"Attack! Move like thunder, strike like lightning!"

The Ninja leapt, and lightning did indeed flash as he struck, slicing right _through _Vampire Genesis. The demon howled, and then burst.

"That's serious bad news for you," she continued, "because Genesis Crisis has a downside… When Vampire Genesis goes when it's on the field, ALL your other Monsters go with it!"

Blood Sucker shattered. Then Blade Armor Ninja lifted his weapons again.

"Oh, by the way… Tell the Queen that I quit…"

Vampire's Curse let out a scream that shook the whole floating city as the blade impaled him…

**(Y: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (VC: 0)**

Then he shattered, just as his Monster did.

Yuki picked up the mask she had discarded, and then wiped her brow with it.

Slowly, she took a mobile phone out of her _gi, _and hit a number on it.

"Merlow?" she said into it. "Glitzville is secure…"

**0000000000**

Back in the lava-filled cavern, Tyson drew a card.

_Time for plan-B, _he thought. _Stan may not have known it, but these antiquated Level 5s actually have more than one use…_

"I Overlay Molten Behemoth, Garoozis, and Flame Champion…" he said.

The three Monsters turned into balls of fire, and then flew into the boiling lava, two to the left, and one to the right. The molten rock started to boil even fiercer…

"Something bad is cooking…" said Andy, "and _really _don't think it's gonna be good to eat…"

Tyson chuckled.

"Seriously, Andy," he said, "this one is more like the type that will eat _you._

"I Xyz Summon… The Czar Dragon!"

As he said that, the whole cavern changed, transforming the whole surface from a stony floor surrounded by lava to just lava. Exactly how they were standing on it was something Stan didn't know, and quite frankly, he didn't _want _to know.

Then the Monster appeared, a huge, red Dragon that seemed to be _made _of lava, literally. Its eyes burned with blazing fire, and the still molten lava dripped from its wings. (2,500 ATK) –) (3,000 ATK)

"Now, this guy is incredibly strong now…" said Tyson. "However… It will lose 400 Attack Points every time it loses an Overlay Unit, and it automatically loses one during each of my End Phases…"

"Good to know…" said Stan, looking up at the huge Dragon.

"But…" said Tyson. "Since it obviously isn't a Warrior… Barbecue his Sword Breaker with Magma Storm!"

The attack was like an erupting volcano. That was the best way to describe it. A blast of magma and flaming rocks shot from the beast's maw, literally _melting _Sword Breaker partially before he shattered. Stan could actually feel the heat.

Tyson looked at Stan and then played the Spell Card he had just drawn.

"I use the Field Barrier Spell Card."

He fit the card into his Disk.

"This Continuous Spell makes my Field Spell nearly invulnerable, unless the Field Barrier is destroyed first.

"I'll end my turn there, and like I said…"

He discarded Woodborg Inpachi's card, and Czar Dragon fell to an Attack Score of 2,600.

**(S: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,350)**

Stan drew the top card from his deck.

_Mirror Force… _he thought. _Man, I really hope the Queen's men never found out that Cleo helped us… She did wonders for our decks…_

"I'm Flip Summoning Crystal Seer," he said, as his face-down Monster flipped up, revealing the mysterious fortuneteller. (100 ATK)

"Now, let's see what it does…"

He picked up the top two cards on his deck. Apprentice Magician and Shrink.

He quickly put the latter one with his other four cards, and slid the other underneath his deck.

"Next, I'm summoning Anarchist Monk Rashin," he said.

He played a new card, and a new Spellcaster appeared, a frightening-looking man wearing a fancy red jacket over a metal vest, a wide-brimmed hat, and a Hannibal Lector mask. He held a slender, golden rod. (1,800 ATK)

"A new one, Stan?" asked Tyson.

"Maybe," replied Stan. "Now I use my Deckmaster effect…"

Gagaga Kaiser's staff started to glow.

"I choose one Monster I have on the field, and one in my Graveyard, both of the same Type. Then I banish the one in my Graveyard, and the one on the field becomes the same Level as that one."

Frontier Wiseman's card appeared, and then disappeared into a void. Crystal Seer started to glow with energy.

"That means Seer is now Level 3… So is Familiar Knight, meaning I can Overlay both Monsters…"

The Overlay Network opened again, and Familiar Knight and Crystal Seer were absorbed into it.

Muzurhythm the String Djinn appeared in a blast of colored stars. (1,500 ATK)

"That's what I'm talking about!" said Stan, as the Djinn started to play his battle melody. "Get that Dragon!"

The small Fiend rushed at Czar Dragon as Stan discarded Familiar Knight's card, and its Attack Score shot up to 3,000. The huge Dragon let out a roar…

And then there was an explosion, followed by a rain of ash and cinders, as the beast was smashed to a million pieces.

"All right!" cheered Koops. "Muzurhythm just blew that awful thing to Kingdom Come!"

"So… Uh… Why does Tyson seem so happy about it?" asked Bobbery.

It was only too true. Tyson had a wicked grin on his face. Stan had a bad feeling that he had just been played for a sucker…

"Thank you…" said Tyson. "When Czar Dragon is destroyed while it has at least one Overlay Unit, it's dead… But not defeated…"

A dark, ominous shape started to appear behind him, and the whole chamber that was so hot just a minute ago suddenly had a deathly chill.

"My Czar Dragon lives again…" continued Tyson. "As _Zombone!"_

The new Monster wasn't a Dragon… It was a huge Dragon's _skeleton. _To Stan and his two friends, it was as if Hooktail's corpse, the one they had seen back in that castle, had come to life, and was looking at them with murderous revenge on its mind.

(3,000 ATK)

Stan quickly snatched the Shrink card from his hand.

"Still my turn, Tyson!" he shouted. "I'm using Shrink to make that thing more manageable…"

He played the card, and Zombone hissed a little. (1,500 ATK)

"Rashin, destroy it!" he shouted, as the Anarchist Monk aimed his rod. "Chaos Hammer!"

A bolt of multicolored energy shot from the rod at the huge Zombie… Unfortunately, it only glanced off the thing's bony hide.

**(S: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 1,650)**

"Sorry, Stan, but Zombone won't go down as easy as Czar Dragon did…" said Tyson. "Got anything else?"

"Uh, uhm…" said Stan.

He fit two cards into his Disk, and two set cards appeared behind his two Monsters.

"Only those…" he said. "It's… uh… Your move…"

Zombone returned to 3,000 Attack Points, while Muzurhythm fell to 1,500.

Tyson quickly drew a card.

"Destroy his String Djinn!" he shouted. "Plague of Ruin!"

The huge Zombie's jaws opened with a loud creak…

"I activate Mirror Force!" shouted Stan, as his Trap Card lifted up.

"Sorry…" said Tyson, "that won't work either…"

A cloud of corrosive gas shot towards the Fiend, literally causing it to rot and decay until it turned into a pile of dust.

"Stan…" said Francesca, sadly. A tear started to form in her eye.

"Well?" said Tyson. "Fall down! You should…"

**(S: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 1,650)**

"HUH?"

"I was just taking advice from the Boy Scouts…" said Stan. "You know what their motto is… 'Be Prepared'? I used Emergency Provisions to send Mirror Force to the Graveyard and gain 1,000 Life Points right before I took damage.

"So it's not over."

"Yeah, well, it's all over but the crying…" said Tyson, as he played the card he had drawn.

Pot of Avarice appeared in front of him, and then Ultimate Baseball Kid, Czar Dragon, Garoozis, Flame Champion, and Inferno's cards appeared over him. He shuffled his deck, and made two draws.

Then he used one of them.

"I play Mystik Wok," he said.

Woodborg Inpachi vanished into grains of light.

"That means I gain 2,100 Life Points. And it's your move…"

**(S: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 3,750)**

As Stan drew a card, Goombella and Vivian appeared behind him. The card was Call of the Haunted.

"Right…" he muttered. "Like _that's _useful…

"How the hell am I gonna beat this thing? I can't destroy it with attacks, Trap Cards… What _can _destroy it?"

"Not sure…" said Vivian. "Although… There is something really funny about it… And I don't mean funny as in 'ha-ha', I mean funny as in _weird."_

"Huh?" said Stan.

"I think I see what she's saying," said Goombella. "See, Tyson is the Shadow Spawn of Fire, and Zombone clearly _isn't _Fire.

"And Tyson has gone to great lengths to protect his Field Spell despite the fact that Zombone doesn't benefit from it…

"Or _does _it?"

"Yeah…" said Stan. "Yeah, I get it! The Field Spell has something to do with its defensive ability! So if I get rid of that…"

He stopped.

"Which is _much _easier said than done…"

"Well…" said Goombella. "First you'd need a card that could destroy Field Barrier, _then _a card that could destroy the actual Field Spell, then find a way to launch an effective offense against Zombone… True, the chances of accomplishing that are pretty slim…"

"Especially since Tyson is going to be attacking with it the whole time…" muttered Stan.

"Well…" said Vivian. "There are other options…"

As the two Companions disappeared, Stan looked at Call of the Haunted and the other card he had, Kycoo the Ghost destroyer.

He played both, and the set Trap Card and the bald, scarred monk appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, I Overlay both of them…"

The vortex appeared once again, and the two Spellcasters were drawn through it.

Slowly, Gagaga Cowboy rose through it, and kneeled in Defense Mode. (2,400 DEF)

"And what's he going to do?" asked Tyson.

"This," said Stan, as he discarded Rashin's card. "By getting rid of one Overlay Unit while he's in Defense Mode…"

The Cowboy stood up, and drew his pistols, firing two rounds. A look of shock came over Tyson's face as a pain pierced his chest.

_The bastard SHOT me? _he thought.

**(S: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,950)**

"It's your move, Tyson…" said Stan, with sweat running down his face.

"Okay, now I'm pissed…" said the Shadow Spawn.

He drew a card. Then he growled a little.

"Problem?" asked Stan, with a nervous smile. "Bad draw, huh?"

Tyson didn't answer. Zombone simply shot its Plague of Ruin at Gagaga Cowboy, eradicating him.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Stan. "It's another one of those Level 5s, isn't it? Seems that deck of yours does have a downside."

"Just move…" said Tyson. "What else do you have, pray tell?"

Stan drew a card.

He sighed.

"I'll show you…" he said.

His Call of the Haunted card lifted up, and Gagaga Cowboy appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

"And he's going to help you how?" asked Tyson.

"It didn't matter which Monster I summoned," said Stan. "I just needed one to use this card…"

He turned the card forward, and Tyson stopped cold.

"See, Tyson, your strategy was pretty solid…" said Stan. "You made it so that Zombone was nearly unbeatable…

"But, as the old saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em… Or better yet, get 'em to join you! I activate Enemy Controller!"

He played the card, and Gagaga Cowboy vanished. Then the large video game controller appeared, and a cord shot out of it, hooking to the huge Zombie.

It roared, but the roar quickly faded to a whimper. It quickly flew over to Stan's side of the field.

"I hate to do this, Tyson, I really do…" said Stan. "If there was a way to end this peacefully, I'd do it… But your mother doesn't seem to want to walk that route…

"Attack him directly!"

Tyson closed his eyes.

_This is it… _thought Tyson, as the creature opened its jaws. _Still… There may be one thing I can get out of this…_

He opened his eyes again and clenched his fist.

_On way I can truly get the last laugh…_

Then he screamed as the foul breath tore into him, and he fell over, slamming against the stone chair behind him.

**(S: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 0)**

The lava that Czar Dragon had created started to recede, turning the cavern back to the way it was. Tyson's armor was rusted and corroded, and he didn't seem able to get up. He was trying to, but it was taking effort.

"Stan… Andy… Francesca… All three of you…" he said, with a painful tone to his voice.

The dark portal started to form behind him.

"Listen!" he shouted, as the hands started to claw at him. "If you ever make it to the center of the palace and fight mom, you have to…"

Unfortunately, that was all they heard. Before he could finish the sentence, the _other _portal opened, kicking them out just like it had twice before.

**0000000000**

Stan looked at the giant hand.

"DAMN!" he shouted, as he hit his first against the ground.

Then he sighed hard, and looked at Andy and Francesca.

"Anyone have any idea what he was going to say?" he asked.

They shook their heads sadly.

**0000000000**

**NINJA COMMANDO KABUKI (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/700ATK/700DEF**

**Effect: **When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Ninja" Monster from your deck.

_Note: "Ninja Commando Kabuki" was first used by Jean-Claude Magnum in the original anime episode "Lights, Camera, Duel!" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**AKASHIC RECORD (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image:** A dinosaur skull with a few bones scattered.

**Card Description:** Draw two cards. If a card with the same name as either card has been used previously in the duel, banish both of the drawn cards.

_Note: "Akashic Record" was first used by Johan (possessed by Yubel) in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Ultimate Face-Off (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GENESIS CRISIS (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Vampire Genesis' face surrounded by hellfire.

**Card Description: **Upon activation, select 1 "Vampire Genesis" you control. Once per turn, you may add 1 Zombie-Type Monster from your deck to your hand. If the selected "Vampire Genesis" leaves the field, destroy this card and all other Monsters you control.

_Note: "Genesis Crisis" was first used by Camula in the original anime episode "Doomsday Duel (Part 3)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**LIGHT LAW PROTECTION (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image:** A male figure with a crown and a sword with an angelic female figure behind him.

**Card Description:** If the ATK of the Equipped Monster if increased or decreased by a card effect, destroy that card.

_Note: "Light Law Protection" was first used by __Kodo Kinomiya__ in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" episode "Bloom of the Black Rose". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**HOME RUN (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Ultimate Baseball Kid hitting a flaming baseball over a centerfield wall.

**Card Description: **Activate during the Main Phase 1 of your turn. Pay half your Life Points and select 1 "Ultimate Baseball Kid" you control. This turn, the selected "Ultimate Baseball Kid" is the only Monster that may attack, and may attack directly. You cannot Tribute Monsters during the turn you use this card.

**0000000000**

**CZAR DRAGON (Monster Card)**

**Dragon/Fire/Xyz/Effect/Rank 5/2,500ATK/2,000DEF**

_3 Level 5 Monsters_

**Effect:** During each of your End Phases, remove 1 Xyz Material from this card. When this card loses 1 or more Xyz Materials, decrease its ATK and DEF by 400 for each Xyz Material lost. If this card is destroyed while it has at least 1 Xyz Materials, Special Summon 1 "Zombone" from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**ZOMBONE (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Dark/Effect/Lvl8/3,000ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned, except via the effect of "Czar Dragon". If you control a face-up Field Spell, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.

**0000000000**

"**Gagaga Kaiser":** Warrior/Earth/Lvl3/1,800/600: "Effect Mentor": Once per turn, you may select 1 Warrior or Spellcaster-Type Monster you control and banish 1 Monster in your Graveyard of the same Type. The Level of the selected Monster becomes the Level of the banished Monster until the End Phase of the turn. This effect cannot be activated if this Deckmaster is summoned to the field.

**0000000000**

"**Mr. Volcano":** Pyro/Fire/Lvl5/2,100/1,300: "Volcanic Eruption": Once per duel, you may Special Summon as many Normal Level 5 FIRE Monsters as possible from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position. Monsters Special Summoned this way cannot change their battle position except via a card effect. During the turn you use this effect, the Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot be sent to the Graveyard unless they are destroyed.

**0000000000**

_**As the dark gauntlet continues, it seems that the Shadow Queen's forces may be showing signs of strain. Still… It seems that the ending may not be happy for everyone… The Queen's heirs are showing signs of having second thoughts… But is it too late?**_

_**Next:**_

_**Merlow: As a sage, I've spent much of my long life studying, but one cannot be general while doing so. I've specialized in one area… Psychology.**_

_**Specifically, the study of Evil in mortals.**_

_**I've spent years researching the most wicked tyrants and dictators in human history. Genocidal tyrants like Hitler and Pol Pot, notorious madmen like Vlad the Impaler and Shaka Zulu, and a lot folks that you've probably never heard of but were just as bad, like Zhang Xianzhong. (Eh? Well, he was the leader of a peasant revolt in China during the 17**__**th**__** Century, and after conquering the Sichuan region, became so paranoid that he ordered the execution of anyone who opposed his rule, which meant almost **_**everyone. **_**By the time he was killed, his forces had murdered almost ninety-nine percent of Sichuan.)**_

_**Some of these people are worse than the Shadow Queen… And I study them hoping to understand her.**_

_**What lurks inside the Mind of a Monster? What motivates a man to do such things? The notes I have accumulated while trying to figure this out could fill volumes, and while I have made progress, I only have theories… No definite answers…**_

_**I often wonder if Leopold has had any success… I have reason to believe he's spent some time on this too…**_

"_**Rare Value" is coming soon. **_


	54. Rare Value

_**My name is Leopold, the Shadow Spawn of Earth…**_

_**You may remember how Kurtis told Francesca that we "knew" how mom dealt with traitors, and didn't elaborate on it… Maybe I can do so by giving an example, and telling you about someone who she considered the **_**worst **_**traitor.**_

_**He was one of the few officers in her army not a member of the Company of Malice. He wasn't the Queen's most powerful servant, not by a long shot, but he had an ego that was almost as big as mom's back at the time before the Three Heroes struck (which is saying a lot). His original plan was to win her heart and convince her to marry him, but when it was obvious that this would fail, he saw an opportunity when the Heroes stormed the Palace: he could dispose of whichever side won, seeing as that side would clearly be exhausted, and rule the Empire of Shadow himself.**_

_**A big part of this plan involved gaining a magical sword that mom had given to her second-in-command, the first of a long line of people who have held Grodus' position. It was a powerful weapon that, in theory, could have killed even her. This powerful dark warrior was much cleverer and far more powerful than any of his successors; he managed to separate the Unicorn Maiden from her allies and her Companions, and engage her in a battle that she eventually started to lose. But just when it seemed that a third of the Queen's problems was about to be eliminated, the betrayer stabbed him in the back. He then tried to turn his weapon on the Unicorn Maiden, but it seemed that his first victim had enough strength left for one last strike, which he turned against the traitor, wounding him horribly. **_

_**But when the first victim actually died, a scream echoed through the Palace, shaking the whole structure… The Shadow Queen's scream of anguish… Clearly, there was a reason why the traitor's original plan to marry her failed… She loved someone else.**_

_**He took the hint, and made a run for it. He never even got the sword – the Unicorn Maiden picked it up. He still lives, and thinks that mom has forgotten about him, or maybe forgiven him, but she knows exactly where he is. He's only safe because he's**__**hundreds of miles away**_**, **_**and there are limits to what mom's henchmen can do**_**.**_** When she's in a bad mood, she often tells us about the well-detailed punishment he'll receive if she ever gets her hands on him, which is enough to give us nightmares. More so than actually seeing what she does to traitors who she's actually caught…**_

_**And since she considers him the worst traitor… Well… You get the idea.**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-FOUR**

**0000000000**

**Rare Value**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Andy woke up.

He hadn't known he had been asleep, but apparently he had. His two friends had nodded off too, and were snoring next to him.

"Wake up guys, wake up!" he shouted, shaking them.

They slowly sat up.

"Man, we have to be crazy…" he said, "falling asleep in _this _place…"

Stan looked at his watch.

"It's four o'clock in the morning…" he said. "Just how long have we _been _in this place?"

Before he could answer, a small sheet of paper fluttered down from the ceiling. Andy caught it, and they all looked at it.

What looked like a small, incomplete poem was written on it:

_Taffy was a chemist._

_Taffy is no more._

_What Taffy thought was H2O_

_Was_

The last line was followed by a blank, indicating that a word was supposed to go there.

"What on Earth does that mean?" asked Francesca.

"Well, H2O is water, of course…" replied Stan.

"Hold on…" said Andy. "I think I may have heard something like that before…"

He dug into his pocket and took a pen out of it. Then he put the paper on the floor and wrote "H2SO4" in the blank.

"Yeah, that rhymes," he said.

"H2SO4…" said Stan. "Ah… Sulfuric acid, right?"

"Yeah…" said Andy. "I think Leopold might be trying to get our attention…"

Then the hand glowed again, and a portal of bronze-colored energy appeared in front of them. It didn't pull them in, however.

"At least he's letting us walk in this time…" said Andy.

His voice lowered.

"We all clear on…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but nodded. They nodded back.

_Let's just hope the Queen isn't truly omniscient in this place… _he thought.

They slowly approached the portal.

**0000000000**

The morning sun started to peak over the horizon in Poshley Heights…

But the new day would not end the Shadow Queen's assault, it appeared.

A blast of flame hit a building, setting fire to the roof. A twisted laugh came the one who had caused it: a six-foot-eight muscular, bare-chested man with fire for hair and tattoos on his arms wearing a kilt, the Duel Spirit Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi.

"Hey, where's everyone goin'?" he laughed. "Just wanted to liven up this place… It was kinda dull, you know?"

He looked around.

"Meh…" he said. "Trashing _this _place would only improve it…"

He held up his hand, and another fireball appeared in it… Then he was startled, as a small stab hit him in the left shoulder.

It hadn't hurt him much, but he did turn around and saw what had hit him. Dumbfounded, he saw a pink parasol on the ground.

"Hey, flame-brain!" shouted a voice.

He looked up, and saw Cindy glaring at him with a cross look. He smirked a little.

"You think you can come here and start blowing up everything in sight?" she said.

"Who's gonna stop me?" he asked. "You?"

Cindy frowned, and held up her left arm, which held her Duel Disk. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi chuckled a little.

"Strawberry Shortcake wants to duel _me?" _he laughed. "Well… How can I say no?"

A bronze Duel Disk with a tray shaped like a flame appeared on his arm. Cindy activated hers…

**0000000000**

The three teenagers entered another subterranean location. Unlike the place they met Tyson, there was no fire here. Just a dark, dank, limestone cavern. Exactly what was providing illumination was uncertain.

As they expected, Leopold was at the other end of the grotto, sitting behind an altar that was rather plain; just a stone slab roughly in the shape of a trapezoid. Like his siblings, he was wearing armor of the same style, the color of tarnished brass.

He wasn't looking at them when they entered, instead focusing his attention on a book he was holding.

As he read, he said the following:

"I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing Hell, or fearing Heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of Hell, I think the boredom of Heaven would be even worse."

He closed the book.

"Isaac Asimov said that…" he said. "Strong words, wouldn't you say? Not that I believe him…

"I notice you solved my riddle…"

"Yeah, it was funny, Leopold," replied Andy. "In a morbid way…"

"Black comedy is as old as comedy itself, Mr. Markova," said Leopold. "Ever hear of Edward Gorey? Charles Addams?"

"Yes…" said Andy.

"Amateurs, both of them," replied Leopold. "You'd find humor much grimmer than theirs even if you read Lewis Carroll's work closely enough, and there were many even better ones before him."

Andy rubbed his chin as he looked at the Shadow Spawn of Earth.

"You claim to be so smart, Leopold," said Andy. "Well, Wile E. Coyote claimed to be a genius too."

Leopold actually started to laugh.

"Ah, yes," he said, "I fondly remember those cartoons when I was a youngster… You might call stuff like that black humor too, by the way. You know, I think that guy would have done better if he simply stopped ordering his equipment from that same company… I think it was named 'Acme', I believe?"

"He worked for them," said Francesca. "They mentioned that in movie, I think."

"I have a question for you…" said Andy. "Who controls Law?"

"Eh?" said Leopold, "what are you talking about?"

"It's simple," said Andy. "Is the being who controls Law a lawful being himself? It's not as easy a question as you may think.

"If the answer is yes, then it would mean that there's a higher authority than that being, and it doesn't truly control Law.

"But if the answer is no, then it would mean that the being who controls Law is itself lawless."

Leopold chuckled softly.

"Nice try, Mr. Markova," he said. "You're trying to get me to doubt my intelligence by posing a paradox. Unfortunately – for you – I know of that paradox. It was posed by Plato, who attributed it to Socrates.

"And believe me, I've studied philosophers who have posed far more confusing paradoxes in my time. Ever hear of the Pinocchio Paradox?"

"The Pinocchio Paradox?" asked Andy.

"It doesn't have the cosmic implications that your paradox does," said Leopold, "but it's still confusing. The question is, what would happen if Pinocchio said 'My nose is now going to grow'?

"See, he'd be lying, and lying causes Pinocchio's nose to grow, but when it did in response to such a statement, that would make the statement the truth, wouldn't it?"

He looked at them.

"Wow…" said Stan.

"Such questions have no answers, Mr. Markova," said Leopold, "and even wasting time trying to answer them is proof of stupidity."

_Okay… _thought Andy. _I guess he is kinda smart… Getting into a battle of wits with him is likely futile. _

"Leopold, listen…" he said, "your brother tried to tell us something a while ago. I don't suppose _you'd _tell us."

Leopold looked at him. Then he turned his head slightly, and looked at him again with an odd sideways glance.

"You want to elaborate on that?" he asked.

"Something about your mother, I think…" replied Andy. "Maybe something only you six would know?"

The Spawn gave him that odd sideways glance again.

"Doesn't narrow it down much…" he said. "We know a _lot _of things about her that no-one else does…"

He sighed. Then he lifted his left gauntlet, and like before, the Duel Disk unfolded.

"Enough with the small talk, Mr. Markova…" he sighed.

"I guess asking you to stop this madness is going to be just as pointless with you as it was with the others?" asked Andy.

"Let me be perfectly honest," replied Leopold.

He took a card from his deck.

"I would have stopped a long time ago if it were possible… But while Richard Feynman once claimed he wanted to memorize _pi _to the 762nd digit, even he never wasted time trying to find its finite value, because he knew it was impossible.

"Which is why I know it's too late…"

He held up the card, and a cute little guy with a body shaped like an inverted cone (no legs), rubbery arms, and glowing eyes under a large, wide-brimmed wizard's hat, appeared behind him, hovering in mid-air. (1,000 ATK)

"Huh?" said Andy. "Who's _that?"_

"Gem Merchant," said Leopold. "He'll be my Deckmaster for this duel."

_Gem Merchant? _thought Leopold. _Could the Queen have… I mean, she's already copied the Destiny Heroes, maybe she…_

_No, no, not likely… More than half of them aren't Earth Monsters…_

He held up the card, and Lord of Dragons appeared behind him again. (1,200 ATK)

_Hopefully, I'll get more use out of this guy than last time… _

He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

"It's time…" said Leopold. "No threats, no blackmail, no hostages… Just you and me…"

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Leopold: 8,000)**

"Your Monster beats mine by 200 points, so I draw first…" said Leopold, as he made his first draw.

He carefully set three cards in his Disk. The first card to appear was a Monster, in a sideways position, and then two cards behind it.

"That will do to start…" he said. "Just letting you know in advance… What you're up against this time is _entirely _different than what I had in Twilight Town."

_Doesn't exactly tell me much… _thought Andy. _Earth is a rather common Attribute…_

He drew a card, and looked at Mirage Dragon.

_All right! _he thought. _It's a beginning…_

"I'll throw this guy out," he said, as the shimmering, transparent Dragon appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Then I'll use my Deckmaster effect, and pay 500 Life Points to summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok too…"

The Spellcaster glowed, and the wispy, wise-looking Dragon appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Mirage Dragon's effect prevents you from using Trap Cards when I attack, so don't bother.

"Attack with Spectrum Blast!"

The bolt of multi-colored light shot towards the card, and it flipped up, causing a sleek, armored figure with plate armor that appeared to be made of white, crystalline stone to appear kneeling on it. (2,100 ATK)

Andy shouted as the bolt bounced off, and a sharp pain hit him in the chest.

"That was Gem-Knight Sapphire," said Leopold. "Know how hard sapphires are? They register 9 on the Mohs scale.

"To give a comparison… A diamond is 10 on that scale."

"In other words, pretty damn hard," muttered Andy. "I'm gonna set one more card, and then it's your move…"

He slapped a card into his Duel Disk, and the card appeared in a flash of energy.

**(A: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,000)**

"Gem-Knights?" asked Francesca.

Ms. Mowz appeared next to her, and started to sniff the air.

"I've… heard of them…" said Stan. "But I don't think I've seen any before…"

"You like Fusions, Andy?" asked Leopold, as he made a draw.

"Gem-Knights love them too… So much that, like Dragons, they have a card of their own to summon Fusion Monsters. I play Gem-Knight Fusion!

"For the Fusion Monster I want to summon, I have to fuse together Gem-Knight Tourmaline and any other Gem-Knight. I have Tourmaline right here…"

A second Gem-Knight, one with orange armor and a full helmet, appeared next to Sapphire, and they both turned into sparking, shimmering energy.

"I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Topaz!"

The shimmering aura burst, and another Gem-Knight appeared. It looked like Tourmaline, but with darker-colored armor and a green cape, holding twin kukri. (1,800 ATK)

"It may not look impressive for a Level 6 Monster," continued Leopold, "but believe me, it's stronger than it looks. This creature can attack twice per turn.

"And if it destroys a Monster when it attacks, it deals damage equal to the Attack Score of the Monster it destroys."

"Uh, in that case…" said Andy. "I think I believe you…"

The gemstone warrior made a rush at Mirage Dragon and cleaved it in half with its right kukri, and Andy let out a scream. Then it followed with a blow from the second, cutting Divine Dragon Ragnarok in half, causing Andy to scream again.

**(A: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,000)**

"I like precious stones," said Ms. Mowz, "but ones that _attack _you? That's as bad as casu marzu!"

"Casu marzu?" asked Stan.

"A Sardinian sheep milk cheese that is aged by putting live insect maggots in the curds," said Leopold. "Traditionally, it is eaten with the maggots still _in _the cheese. This stuff was outlawed for a long time by the European Union, but the ban was eventually lifted due a law that stated that 'traditional' foods did not have to abide by their standards regarding hygiene in food production.

"Nonetheless, I agree with your little friend there… That stuff is _disgusting_…"

They looked at him oddly.

"What?" he said. "I can see her over there just fine.

"However… I'm far from done…"

One of his two Trap Cards lifted up.

"I activate Birthright, to summon Gem-Knight Tourmaline back to the field."

In another sparkle of lights, the first orange Gem-Knight appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Attack Mr. Markova directly!" he shouted.

The Gem-Knight flew at Andy fist-first…

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted up, and Mirage Dragon appeared again. (1,600 ATK)

"Well?" said Andy. "Still going to attack? Our Monsters will kill each other…"

"No, Tourmaline won't…" said Leopold, as the Gem-Knight came to a halt. "However, I'm _still _not done. You see, I wasn't being entirely honest when I said that the Gem-Knights had A card of their own for Fusions…"

His other Trap Card lifted up.

"I should have said _cards, _as in plural. I activate Pyroxene Fusion!

"This card… Well, it's pretty much the same as Gem-Knight Fusion, but it's a Trap. Meaning I can Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight in the middle of a battle.

"The one I want to summon is created by combining any Gem-Knight and any Thunder-Type Monster. Since both the Monsters I have right now fit _both _categories, that's easy to do…"

Tourmaline and Topaz vanished into another glimmering aura.

"I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Prismaura!" he shouted.

In a flash, a far-more intimidating Gem-Knight appeared. It stood a head taller than any of the others, had bulkier armor, a horned helmet, and carried a sword and a shield. Its armor looked like translucent glass, and multicolored light shone inside it, flickering in rainbow hues. (2,450 ATK)

"Attack his Monster with Shining Light Saber!"

The gem warrior swung, and made three flashing cuts. Andy fell backwards as Mirage Dragon was blown to pieces.

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,000)**

"Good lord…" said Fran. "If Andy didn't have that Call of the Haunted…"

"It would have been a One-Turn-Kill…" gasped Stan.

"Mmm…" said Leopold, "and dodging was indeed commendable…

"Anyway, I'm still not done… Gem-Knight Fusion has another effect… Because it is in my Graveyard right now, I can banish a Gem-Knight from there to recover it."

Sapphire appeared behind him, and vanished. He took the Spell Card from his discard slot.

"Having done that," he said, as Gem Merchant's eyes started to glow, "I'll use my Deckmaster ability. As his name implies, I can pay 1,000 Life Points to recover a banished Gem-Knight."

Sapphire's card appeared in his hand.

"And that will be all…"

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,000)**

Andy nervously looked at his deck. He didn't know much about these Gem-Knights… But he _did _know they were kicking his ass good…

**0000000000**

In Poshley Heights, Cindy actually seemed to be winning.

**(Cindy: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (****Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi: 3,000)**

The Madolche Chateau Field Spell was in play, and she had both Madolche Chouxvalier and Madolche Puddingcess on the field, Chouxvalier's Attack Score increased to 2,200 by the Field Spell, and Puddingcess' had increased to 2,300 by the Field Spell and her own effect.

The Duel Spirit had an odd-looking warrior kneeling in Defense Mode. It (the gender was more-or-less ambiguous, but leaned towards female) had very fancy, very colorful armor that suggested an oriental feel, along with a helmet, and flames licking at the shoulders. It held a bow on its lap. (1,500 DEF)

He also had a set card behind the Monster.

Cindy fit a card into her Disk, and a concealed card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"Your move, big guy," said Cindy. "I'm still waiting for this big surprise of yours, whatever it is…"

The fiery Spirit made a draw.

"I play Card Destruction!" he shouted.

He grinned as he saw the expression on her face.

"That's it…" he said. "Dump 'em…"

Cindy slowly discarded the three cards in her hand as he discarded his. Puddingcess' Attack Score fell to 1,500.

"Seems you had a Monster with those cards…" he chuckled, as she made three more draws, "because she was just taken down a few pegs…

"But I'm about to go a few up… I summon the Tuner Monster, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Spirit!"

He played a card, and a creature in a long robe covered with black streamers that fluttered and danced in the same way that fire did appeared, hovering over the ground. (500 ATK)

"Because I Normal Summoned him, I get to take a Fire Attribute Monster with 200 or less Defense Points in my Graveyard and Special Summon it. So I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Panther!"

As he said this, a flaming tiger appeared behind him. Then it shrunk, turning into a man in oriental leather armor, who knelt beside the first Monster. (200 DEF)

"Then," he said, as the Monster that he had at the start of the turn stood up, "I'll Tune Spirit together with Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Hawk…"

The two Monsters flew into the sky, and turned into a collage of stars.

**(*3 + * 3 = *6)**

"I Synchro Summon… Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Horse Prince!"

A shower of fiery stars rained down from the heavens, and a handsome, armored warrior (again wearing colorful armor) mounted on a horse made of blue flames appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"I'm just starting!" he laughed. "By Synchro Summoning him, I'm able to Special Summon a Level 3 Fire Attribute Monster from my deck. So I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Chicken!"

As he said this, a large, flaming rooster appeared. Then it shrank and turned into another colorful armored warrior, this one also slightly feminine, wearing feathers in its hair, with a long cloak and a sword shaped like a flame. (1,500 ATK)

"The catch to Horse Prince's effect is," he continued, "I'm not allowed to summon any other Level 5 or higher Monsters this turn. But… There are ways around that…"

_He's talking about Xyz Summoning… _thought Cindy, nervously.

"Anyway…" continued the Duel Spirit. "Because I summoned Chicken using the effect of a Fire Fist Monster, I now get to take another one from my deck…"

He quickly took the card he wanted and looked at it.

"But I'll save that one… For now…"

He played another card, and Monster Reborn appeared in front of him. Hawk appeared once again. (200 ATK)

"Using Hawk and Panther…" exclaimed Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, "I build the Overlay Network!"

The two Monsters were drawn into the vortex, and there was a blast of heat that turned the chilly morning air rather balmy. A fierce-looking man with a full beard, wearing the same armor as the others, holding a katana that burned with white fire appeared. A flaming lion appeared behind him, and roared. (2,200 ATK)

"Meet Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Lion Emperor," he said. "You might say he's the _big _brother."

"Anyway… I realize that attacking Pollyanna over there would be bad because of her effect…"

Puddingcess did _not _seem to like the remark. She gave him a cold glare.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how nasty she can be sometimes…" replied Cindy.

"Ah, well…" said the Spirit.

He held up a card.

"I'm using Forbidden Chalice," he said, as Puddingcess rose to an Attack Score of 1,900. "So that problem is no longer an issue."

"You didn't nullify Chouxvalier's effect, wise guy," replied Cindy. "You can't attack Puddingcess until you get rid of him, and you can't do that with either of those two guys without losing _your _Monster."

The Pyro looked at Chouxvalier.

"Good point…" he said.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"I activate Fire Formation – Tensen!" he shouted. "This Trap Card raises the Attack Score of all of my Beast-Warriors by 300, and gives an additional 700 points to one of them for one turn."

Flames surrounded all three of the Fire Fist Monsters, and all three of them rose to 2,500 Attack Points.

"Not bad, wouldn't you say?"

The large, fiery rooster appeared again, and Chicken flew at Chouxvalier. A flashing of blades later, and the Madolche soldier dissolved into vapor.

Then Lion Emperor lifted his sword, and the fiery lion roared again. Puddingcess scowled at him…

Then he slashed downward, and a stream of fire shot across the ground towards her. She shattered.

"I got news for you big guy," said Cindy, "that Forbidden Chalice only applies on the field. Her effect in the Graveyard still works, and so does Chouxvalier's.

"And since my Field Spell is still in play, I get those two cards back right away…"

She took the two cards as they slipped out of her discard slot.

"Yeah, well…" said the creature. "You're about to know what a Crêpe Suzette feels like. Attack directly, Horse Prince!"

The mounted Fire Fist pointed, sending a huge ball of fire at Cindy. She cried out in pain as the inferno hit her, knocking her on her behind.

**(Cindy: 600) - - - - - - - - - - (****HKT: 3,000)**

Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi looked around. Everyone watching the duel was looking at him strange…

"What?" he said. "Can't the bad guy make a witty one-liner now and then?"

"It wasn't a very good one…" muttered Cindy.

She stood up.

"Let me show you how it's done…" she said.

She drew a card.

"I'm gonna serve up my special ass-kicking ala mode and throw it in your face."

"HEY…" he shouted. "You take that back, you little…"

Then he chuckled.

"Actually, that _was _a good one…"

"Here's a better one," said Cindy. "The Trap Card, Madolchepalooza!"

Her set card lifted up.

"This powerful Trap lets me Special Summon _all _the Madolche I have in my hand, on the condition that I send them back to my deck at the end of my turn…"

She threw three cards on her Disk. Puddingcess appeared first. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,500 ATK) Then Chouxvalier. (1,700 ATK) –) (2,200 ATK) Then a young woman with short, red hair, dressed like a French maid. (800 ATK) –) (1,300 ATK)

"Next, I build the Overlay Network, and use my Level 4 Madolche Chouxvalier and Madolche Marmalmaide…"

The two servants turned into orbs of energy as the energy field opened.

"And Xyz Summon the Queen of Candy, the Matron of Muffins… _Queen Madolche Tiaramisu!"_

The clouds parted, and a sunbeam appeared with the chirping of songbirds. A new Madolche emerged, one that looked older than all the others… Older, but still a beauty, with a gentle face with rosy cheeks, long, silver hair, and a decorative dress that was clearly an adult version of the one worn by Puddingcess. She also wore a long, fur cape, and a gem-encrusted crown, and held a long, golden scepter. (2,200 ATK)

"She's a lot friendlier than the Queen running this place," said Cindy.

"Yeah, well, friendly is one thing," grumbled Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi. "I don't see how ruling Candyland makes you a threat…"

"Want to see how much of a threat she can be?" asked Cindy. "First of all, like any other Madolche, she gains 500 Attack Points from my Field Spell, making her stronger than any of those guys…"

(2,700 ATK)

"Next, by getting rid of one Overlay Unit…"

She threw Madolche Chouxvalier's card into her Graveyard slot.

"I can choose any two cards in my Graveyard with the word 'Madolche' in their names, and send them back to my deck. In return, I can choose two of _your _cards, and send both of them back to _your _deck!"

The Duel Spirit gasped as Horse Prince and Fire Formation – Tensen both vanished, and the Attack Scores of his other two Monsters went down. (Lion Emperor: 2,200 ATK, Chicken: 1,500 ATK)

"And it's only going to get worse," said Cindy. "You see, the two cards I just sent back to my deck were the Monster you sent to my Graveyard by playing Card Destruction and the Overlay Unit itself. That means I have no Monsters in my Graveyard again…

"You know what that means…"

Puddingcess glared at him again as her Attack Score rose to 2,300.

"Ho boy…" he muttered, as the two royal Madolche looked at him angrily.

The princess rushed at Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Chicken, and gave the Beast-Warrior a vicious little kick to the gut. The creature doubled over in pain, and vanished in a cloud of soot.

"You're next, hothead!" shouted Cindy, as the Queen aimed her scepter. "Attack directly with Super Sugar Rush!"

A blast of colorful stars, hearts, and moons shot from Tiaramisu's staff, and the Pyro let out a scream as the candy monarch's spell hit him hard…

**(Cindy: 600) - - - - - - - - - - (****HKT: 0)**

Then he vanished in an even bigger cloud of ash and soot. Cindy sighed, and collapsed in a sitting position.

Her Monsters and the Field Spell vanished. She slowly took a cellphone out of her purse. As she hit the speed dial, she took the Queen Madolche Tiaramisu card off of her Disk and looked at it.

"Merlow?" she said. "Yeah, I'm fine… Everything is okay here…

"And by the way… Thanks again for the card…"

**0000000000**

_Okay, let's see here… _thought Andy, as he made a draw.

The cards he had now were Goddess With the Third Eye, Rare Metal Dragon, Polymerization, and Fusion Recovery.

"Yeah, I like Fusions…" he said, as the Polymerization card appeared.

Then Goddess and Rare Metal Dragon appeared in front of him, and the two flew through the vortex. Metal Dragoon appeared from out of it, and then knelt, crouching behind his shield. (2,400 DEF)

_Metal Dragoon is only fifty points shy of being able to defeat Prismaura, _he thought, _hopefully, he'll hold for now. _

"I end my turn…" he said.

Leopold looked at Andy's Fusion Monster strangely before drawing a card.

"I use Gem-Knight Prismaura's effect…" he said. "Once per turn, by sending another Gem-Knight from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy any face-up card on the field."

He took a card from his hand and threw it into his discard pile, and a scintillating beam of colored light shot at Metal Dragoon.

"I use my Monster's effect!" shouted Andy. "By getting rid of one of his two Metal Counters, I can prevent him from being destroyed!"

The Warrior blocked the blow with his shield, and it cracked a little, but held.

"Then Prismaura will just have to handle him the old fashioned way…" said Leopold.

The Gem-Knight lifted its sword, and charged at the defending Warrior. Again, Metal Dragoon blocked with his shield, and while the weapon cracked it even more, it _still _held.

"Didn't I say that this guy had _two _Metal Counters?" asked Andy.

"So you did…" replied Leopold. "It's your move…"

Andy quickly made a draw.

_Good… _he thought.

"Metal Dragoon…" he said. "Move to Attack Mode!"

The Warrior stood up, and lifted his sword.

"Go! Attack Gem-Knight Prismaura!"

The Gem-Knight lifted its weapon to meet the attack… At which point a Spell Card appeared behind its enemy. Andy had used Battle Fusion. Quickly, Dragoon's Attack Score shot up to 4,850, and a powerful stroke smashed the gem warrior like glass. Leopold was knocked over from the impact, slamming against the stone altar.

**(A: 2,550) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 4,600)**

"Ouch…" said the Shadow Spawn of Earth.

_Ouch? _thought Andy. _Man, he must be made of the same stuff those Gem-Knights are…_

"I, uh…" he said. "I end my turn…"

Leopold grunted, and then stood up.

"I draw one card…" said Leopold, as he made a draw.

"Then I summon Gem-Knight Sapphire again…"

He played the card, and the shimmering, white Gem-Knight appeared again. (0 ATK)

"Then, I use the Spell Card, Silent Doom," he said. "I'll summon Gem-Knight Garnet from my Graveyard…"

He played the card, and Gem-Knight with fiery red armor appeared next to Sapphire, kneeling in Defense Mode. (0 DEF)

"Okay…" said Stan. "He summoned a Monster with no Attack Points in Attack Mode, and one with no Defense Points in Defense Mode…"

"Really Stan…" said Leopold.

He held up another Spell Card.

"I'd think you'd realize how this works by now. I play Particle Fusion!"

As the card appeared, Vivian and Yoshi appeared next to Stan. He turned to them slightly, but didn't say anything.

"Good lord…" shouted Andy. "Exactly how many cards do these guys have that can be used to make Fusion Summons?"

"You'd be surprised," replied Leopold, as the two Gem-Knights turned into red and white orbs of energy. "Still, Particle Fusion has a condition… The Material Monsters must actually be on the field.

"But anyway… By fusing together Sapphire and one other Gem-Knight, I can summon Gem-Knight Aquamarine."

There was another flash of energy, and a warrior clad in midnight blue armor with a bullet-shaped helmet, holding an odd weapon on his right arm that seemed to be both a shield and a sword at the same time, rose out of the ground. (1,400 ATK)

"Particle Fusion has an additional effect that I can enact now. By banishing that Spell Card, I can increase the Attack Score of this Fusion Monster by the Attack Score of one of its Fusion Material Monsters.

"And since Gem-Knight Garnet had 1,900 Attack Points…"

(3,300 ATK)

_This is not my day… _thought Andy.

Aquamarine slashed downward with its weapon, sending a blade of energy flashing towards Metal Dragoon, blowing him into shards of metal. Andy felt a sharp pain across his chest, as if the blade had hit him there…

**(A: 1,650) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 4,600)**

"After attacking, Aquamarine has to move to Defense Mode…" said Leopold.

The Gem-Knight knelt, and covered itself with its shield. (2,600 ATK)

"…but as you can see, defending is something it's rather good at."

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card materialized in a flash of light.

"That should be enough…" he said. "It's your move…"

"Man…" said Yoshi. "These Gem-Knights… It's almost as if…"

"It's almost as if someone took Yukai Judai's Elemental Heroes and Johan Andersen's Crystal Beasts," said Vivian, "and fused them ALL together."

"Vivian…" said Stan. "The scary part is, that kind of makes sense…"

"Before you do anything, Mr. Markova…" said Leopold, as Andy made a draw, "just a warning… Aquamarine has a more powerful effect…

"If it goes to the Graveyard, I get to send one of your cards back to your hand."

_And with only 1,650 Life Points left, that would put in a bad position… _thought Andy. _However…_

"I set one card," he said, as a card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then play Sweet Feast!"

He played the Spell Card, and then nervously made five draws.

_This is gonna be cutting it close… _he thought, as he looked at them.

"I activate Dragon's Mirror!" he shouted, as he played a card.

Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Goddess with the Third Eye appeared, and then turned into a spiraling vortex.

"I fuse them together… Into King Dragun!"

Yoshi let out a cry of excitement as the majestic Dragon King appeared. (2,400 ATK)

"Yes!" he shouted. "With that guy on the field, that Gem-Knight's effect can't touch his Dragons!"

"Uh, yeah…" said Vivian. "But… Aquamarine still has 2,600 Defense Points…"

"Don't give up the ship yet," said Andy. "King Dragun lets me Special Summon another Dragon, remember?"

He played a card, and Tyrant Dragon appeared in a burning inferno. (2,900 ATK)

"And this one will do nicely…

'Destroy Gem-Knight Aquamarine with Imperial Inferno!"

The huge Dragon belched fire at the crouching Knight, and it exploded into blue triangles.

Leopold looked King Dragun in the eye, and the Dragon looked back at him…

"Attack him directly!" ordered Andy. "Twilight Burn!"

The Fusion Dragon pointed his wand, and Leopold shielded himself with his forearm as the bolt of black fire scorched him. He kept standing, but still grunted and strained a little.

**(A: 1,650) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,200)**

The fire died down. Sweat was running down the Shadow Spawn's forehead, but he was otherwise unfazed.

Andy threw his two remaining cards into his Duel Disk, and two more set cards appeared in his Spell Card.

"Sure you don't want to change your mind, Leopold?" he said. "You say you can't… A guy as smart as you must know that humans do have free will…"

"I'm not human…" said Leopold, with a sigh.

He drew a card.

"Honestly, some people have called the six of us half-human, like how Spock is from _Star Trek… _But frankly, I don't even know how accurate _that _is. Mom may have once been human, but I'm really not sure if the designation truly describes her anymore…

"She's become something else… As much a demon as she is a woman…

"And as a result, I don't know just how much of my blood has traces of her human self in it… A few drops if I'm lucky…

"My dad wasn't a nice guy either, you know… The dao are notorious throughout the universe for being slave traders. In their society, _everyone _except other dao are viewed as potential property. The only creatures a dao sees as off-limits are ones owned by other dao… _Most _of the time. There are even some rumors that they may have _invented _the concept of slavery eons ago…"

"You weren't born evil, Leopold!" shouted Francesca.

He looked at her. He hadn't said that yet, but she really had a feeling that it was the point he was getting to.

He didn't answer. His Trap Card lifted up.

"I use Soul Resurrection to Special Summon Gem-Knight Sapphire again…" he said, as the Gem-Knight appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,100 DEF)

"Then, I use the Spell Card Dark Factory of Mass Production," he said, as he played one of his two cards. "To take two more Normal Monsters from my Graveyard…"

Two cards, Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Tourmaline appeared in his hand.

"You may remember…" he said. "How when I first used Gem-Knight Fusion, I used its effect to recover it. And now I'm using it again…"

As he played the Spell Card, Garnet and Tourmaline appeared to either side of Sapphire.

"To summon a Monster with hardness second only to the black heart of Ogremoch himself, I have to fuse together _three _Gem-Knights!"

The three creatures turned into orbs of blue, orange, and red energy… Then the ground started to shake…

"Arise… _Gem-Knight Master Diamond!"_ he shouted, as the ground split open.

The creature that emerged was fully _seven feet tall. _It was indeed made of diamond, and carved in the shape of a knight in shining armor, wearing a scarlet cape. It held a _very _large sword, the size of one you would need two hands to use, which had sparkling gems of all colors of the rainbow along the steel blade. (2,900 ATK)

"This is only going to get worse, Mr. Markova…" said Leopold. "Diamond's first effect grants it 100 extra Attack Points for each Gem-Knight in my Graveyard…"

(3,500 ATK)

"But that's rather trivial compared to its other effect. If I banish a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster from my Graveyard that's Level 7 or lower, Diamond's effect changes to that of the banished Monster for the remainder of the turn.

"So I'll banish Gem-Knight Topaz."

Diamond lifted its sword (with _one _hand, no less), and a flash of light turned its armor orange, the same hue as Topaz's armor, as its Attack Score fell back to 2,900.

"Good lord…" said Yoshi, as Stan and Francesca watched with horror. "If it has Topaz's effect, that means it can inflict burn damage when it kills a Monster!"

"But the difference is," added Vivian, "it's 1,100 points stronger than Topaz! Leopold can finish Andy with one blow…"

"Attack King Dragun with Cursed Flame Slash!" commanded Leopold.

The huge sword glowed and shimmered in the dim light as the Gem-Knight king lifted it… Then it burned with blazing green fire.

"I activate… Battle Simulation!" shouted Andy, as one of his cards lifted up.

"This Trap Card affects the whole Battle Phase," he said. "Case in point… Whenever two Monsters battle, both of their Attack Scores are halved and neither is destroyed."

King Dragun was reduced to 1,200 Attack Points, and Diamond to 1,450.

"And because that guy has to destroy a Monster to use that burn effect, it seems I'm safe for now."

The burning sword slammed into King Dragun, and both Andy and his Monster flinched a little.

"But you still take damage," said Leopold. "And Diamond has Topaz's _other _effect too, as in the ability to attack twice."

Diamond made another swing, and Andy grunted again.

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,200)**

Andy looked at Gem-Knight Master Diamond.

"Cursed Flame Slash?" he said with a chuckle. "Never pegged you for much of an anime fan, Leopold…"

Leopold sighed.

"Your ability to stay in such good spirits despite the terrible stakes involved here…" he said. "I don't know whether I should admire you or simply stare in disbelief…

"My turn is over, which means that my Monster loses Topaz's effect and regains its regular effect…"

The orange luster vanished from Diamond's armor, and its Attack Score rose to 3,400.

Andy made a draw.

He turned to Stan and Francesca. He slowly nodded. They slowly nodded back, and Ms. Mowz, Vivian, and Yoshi slowly faded away.

They all knew that the chances of their plan working – the plan they had agreed to try right after what happened to Tyson, which they made in the quietest of whispers in hopes that their "host" wouldn't hear – were slim at best, but they still _had _to try.

And now was the time…

"I activate Panic Wave!" he shouted, as one of his two set cards lifted up. "I'll destroy my other set card…"

His face-down card (it was Pot of Avarice) shattered.

"…and in exchange, the effects of all face-up cards on the field are negated this turn, meaning that Gem-Knight Master Diamond's Attack Score returns to its base value."

(2,900 ATK)

"Tyrant Dragon… You know what to do…"

The huge Dragon nodded. It turned to the Gem-Knight, and exhaled a stream of flames… Leopold watched, the fire reflecting in his glasses as Diamond held up his sword, blocking the fire as Tyrant Dragon's assault intensified…

Then, the two evenly-matched Monsters broke under the pressure, both of them shattering into bits.

"Do it, quick!" shouted Andy to King Dragun.

The Fusion Monster didn't waste time. It thrust its wand forward, hitting Leopold directly with its Twilight Burn…

**(A: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 0)**

As Leopold fell over, Andy and his two allies ran towards him, just as the two portals – the one behind them and the one behind him – opened. And it seemed that the first part of their plan worked. The one behind them failed to grab them like the three previous ones had done.

Then all three of them grabbed hold of Leopold, Stan and Francesca grabbing his right arm and Andy grabbing his left as the demonic hands grabbed for his legs.

"ANDY?" shouted the Shadow Spawn of Earth. "What the Hell are you guys doing?"

"What does it look like, genius?" shouted Andy. "We're saving you!"

"Don't be insane!" shouted Leopold. "They'll just drag you in with me! Run!"

"Fine!" grunted Francesca. "If that's what it takes to get your mom to come to her senses…"

"Maybe we _are _insane…" replied Stan. "After all, your mom has been doing a Hell of a job trying to _drive _us crazy!"

Unfortunately, it seemed that Leopold was right. They were clearly losing this struggle. Whatever was pulling him was stronger than they were, and slowly dragging all four of them towards the portal, not as fast maybe, but it was inevitable.

Leopold looked at them sadly.

"I'm… I'm flattered, I really am…" he said.

"Still, as noble as your intentions are… I have to prevent it…"

As he said this, Gem-Knight Aquamarine, Gem-Knight Topaz, and Gem-Knight Prismaura appeared next to him. The three Fusion Monsters leapt at the three teenagers, each of them grappling one of them with a tackle, forcing them to let go of Leopold.

Then they each gave the one they grappled a powerful shove, throwing them towards the other portal, and they fell through it.

**0000000000**

They sat in the dark chamber a long time without saying anything.

They had known it likely wouldn't have worked… But of all the ways they could think of how it could fail, _that _one had really never occurred to them…

Andy looked at Francesca, who looked ready to cry. Andy put her arm around her.

"No, no, I'm alright…" she said.

"You sure?" asked Andy.

Francesca looked at the huge, ominous hand.

"You think you can hide forever, Iris?" she said, with bile in her voice. "We're going to meet face to face eventually…

"And then we'll see how _you _like it…"

**0000000000**

**BATTLE SIMULATION (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A soldier wearing Spartan-style armor fighting a werewolf-like creature, while two statues of the fighters stand in the background in poses that suggest a fight between them.

**Card Description: **Activate during either players' Battle Phase. During this Battle Phase, when two Monsters battle each other, reduce the ATK of each Monster by half and neither Monster is destroyed by battle.

_Note: "Battle Simulation" was first used by Kaito in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "The Dragon Awakens". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

"**Gem Merchant":** Spellcaster/Earth/Lvl3/1,000/1,000: Once per turn, you may pay 1,000 Life Points to add 1 of your banished "Gem-Knight" Monsters to your hand.

**0000000000**

_**Well, that definitely wasn't in the script… At least not how the Queen intended it. This could be trouble for her…**_

_**Francesca: Yeah, right. Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?**_

_**She's going to sic Maria on us next, and I really doubt that she's going to let us try that again. This place is the Shadow Queen's jail, but it's still her home… She MAKES the rules here. **_

_**And I'm more than willing to bet that it's not going to be quite the same this time…**_

"_**Rain Storm" is coming soon, and I have a feeling it's not gonna be a drizzle…**_


	55. Rain Storm

_**Author's Note: Before I get started here, I'd like to recommend the new web-comic "Vexing Gears", which is written by someone who I think you are all familiar with. Just Google it and you'll find it. **_

_**And no, he did not ask me to make this shameless pitch for him.**_

_**Now that I've done that...**_

**0000000000**

_**Maria here. Mom gave me the title of "Shadow Spawn of Water", as if that really meant much…**_

_**I want to ask you a question. Ever hear the old saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity"? As in, bad publicity can help you? Is it true? Maybe. It helped Genghis Khan.**_

_**Genghis Khan didn't have an army of demons to help him, but he was, without a doubt, an even better conqueror than mom was, likely the best that ever lived. In case history isn't your strong point, he did the impossible – he united the Mongol clans (that was the Dark Ages equivalent of getting Iran and Israel to kiss and make up). What he did after that seemed easy by comparison. He conquered China, Russia, Afghanistan, and Korea. He would have done the same to Japan if bad weather hadn't kept him from sailing there. Then there was Khwarezm. Huh? You never heard of that place? That's the point.**_

_**Basically, Genghis Khan was a military genius (not the primitive, savage barbarian that he's often portrayed as), and one secret of his success was, he thought that if his enemies were afraid of him, it would give him a serious advantage. And it worked, too. There were benefits to being notorious, and he knew it.**_

_**But… This isn't always the case… It can backfire, like it did with Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. He was feared for his cruelty. To give one example, he not only killed people who he didn't like, he destroyed all government records of them. By destroying all evidence that they had lived, he purged them from existence, making it as if they had never been born. Not even mom would stoop to that.**_

_**And so, one night, after drinking with his cronies and watching movies, he went to sleep after giving stern orders that no-one was to disturb him. It was three days before anyone checked on him, they were so terrified of disobeying him. By then, he had suffered a stroke, and was long-dead.**_

_**So sometimes the idea works, but sometimes it doesn't. Why am I saying this, you ask? **_

_**When you work for someone who thinks this way… It's something that's useful to know.**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-FIVE**

**0000000000**

**Rain Storm**

**0000000000**

**00000**

The three duelists had been sitting in the room for almost an hour, watching the huge, ominous hand.

Finally, Francesca stood up.

"Well?" she shouted, looking at it. "You gonna do anything? Any day now!"

Then, it _did _do something. With a rumble, it slowly closed into a clenched fist, like it was when it first appeared. Then, with a louder rumble, it slowly sank into the floor again.

Andy and Stan stood up. All three of them gave each other puzzled looks.

"Uh, okay…" said Stan. "I really wasn't expecting it to do _that… _I mean…"

Then he was interrupted as the floor literally crumbled into pieces, and the three of them screamed as they plummeted into a dark abyss below.

**0000000000**

At Fahr Outpost, the weather was even worse than usual. Driving snow and howling wind mercilessly assaulted the small town.

Boris was trying to open the door to the biggest longhouse as several others watched him.

"Damn, it's frozen shut!" he cursed. "Someone get an axe… I'll break it down if I have to…"

"Boris, watch out!" shouted someone else.

The warning came just in time. Boris quickly fell flat on the ground, a trick he had learned as a soldier in the Russian Army. As he did so, a bolt of icy energy covered the door with a thick layer of ice.

Boris sat up and the others turned around. A coldly beautiful woman in a long, white dress with hair that looked like it was sculpted out of ice (the bangs covering her eyes completely) holding a long staff made of ice, was standing there.

She smirked as the blizzard slowly started to subside, turning into a gentle snow.

"Nice swan dive," she said, with a grin. "Why don't you try a half-gainer next time?"

"Very funny," growled Boris, as he got up. "You're really lucky I never hit a lady."

"Chivalry, huh?" she said, clearly not impressed. "Don't let _that _stop you, big guy."

"All right fine!" he shouted. "You asked for it!"

The Ice Queen didn't move an inch as he rushed for her, and didn't even move when he socked her in the face…

But when he did, he fell to his knees, clutching his fist in pain.

"Boris?" asked someone else.

"That was…" he groaned. "Like hitting rock…"

"You'd be surprised how hard ice can be," she said.

Then she pointed her staff at them.

"Now, if every duelist here could step forward and give themselves up, I'd appreciate…"

"Everyone scatter!" shouted a voice.

"Huh?" she said.

Whoever the warning came from, everyone took it to heart, because they ran from the Duel Spirit as fast as they could. She slowly turned around…

Before she could finish the sentence she felt glass breaking against her shoulder and something warm splashing over it…

Then she let out a shriek as her dress caught on fire, the flames quickly covering her. As she fell over, Hyde appeared as the others nervously backed away even further.

"How did you make a Molotov cocktail?" asked Boris. "The closest place to get gasoline is in Poshley Heights…"

"I improvised…" said Hyde. "I found some turpentine in the shed over there, and it works. It doesn't work as well as gasoline, but it works.

"Heck, you could use any flammable liquid really, diesel fuel, methanol…"

He was interrupted as a loud shriek came from Ice Queen, and a literal explosion of cold blasted from her, knocking everyone over with a death-like chill.

The snow stopped. The Duel Spirit stood up. Her clothes weren't even singed.

She chuckled a little as she looked at Hyde. He was down on one knee, not hit as hard by the sudden surge as the others, apparently.

"_Very _clever, Mr. Vayne," she said. "If I had been Cold Enchanter or an Ice Knight, you may well have done me in just then…

"But… A Duel Spirit like myself wouldn't have survived as long as she had without knowing how to deal with fire…"

"It was worth a shot…" said Hyde.

He stood up and looked at her as she looked back coldly.

"So…" she said.

She pointed her staff at him menacingly. He didn't flinch, but took the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket.

"Seeing as you knew how to cobble together a makeshift incendiary device…" she said, "I'm guessing you know more about what's been happening here than everyone else?"

Hyde calmly lit the cigarette.

"I believe the Geneva Convention only requires me to give my name, rank, and serial number," he remarked. "And that's only if I'm a prisoner, which doesn't appear to be the case right now…"

"How'd you like the blood in your veins frozen solid, wise guy?" asked the Ice Queen.

"You can't learn anything from me if I'm dead," replied Hyde.

He took a drag on the cigarette and then flicked it at her, causing it to bounce off her chest.

"The old Clint Eastwood approach, huh?" she asked.

"Clint didn't smoke," said Hyde. "He was an actor, and just played a lot of characters that did. It's called method acting."

Then he lifted his left arm, and his Duel Disk activated.

"And we both know that talking all day isn't going to accomplish much…"

The Ice Queen looked at him. Then her staff disappeared, and a Disk appeared on her arm.

"I hate it when folks like you make sense…" she said. "True, I'm no interrogator, Mr. Vayne, but the Shadow Queen has excellent ones…"

The Disk activated, and the Life Point counters set.

**0000000000**

Stan, Andy, and Francesca landed with a loud thump. Strangely, they didn't seem hurt at all, despite apparently fallen several hundred feet.

The first thing they noticed was the smell of seawater… And the surface they were on… It seemed a little unsteady.

Francesca got up. They were on a wooden surface, outdoors, under a cloudy sky…

"We're on a ship!" she shouted.

Well, that kind of depended on your definition of "ship". The craft they were on looked like a very old galleon… With a rotten hull and deck, and sails that were torn and ragged. It creaked and groaned as it swayed, the wind somehow still pushing it through whatever ocean they were sailing through.

Bobbery appeared next to them.

"Uh…" he said. "People… I admit that my specialty is sailing ships, not building and fixing them… But… Seriously, this craft does _not _look very seaworthy."

"Don't worry…" said Maria's voice.

They looked up, and saw the Shadow Spawn of Water holding onto the mast, dressed in the same style armor as her sister's, but dark blue.

"After all, ask anyone who's tried, and they'll tell you it's _very _hard to sink a ghost ship…"

She leapt off the mast, and landed on her feet, shaking the whole craft.

"So…" she said. "Welcome to the good ship H.M.S. Asskicking, courtesy of its captain, me."

"Good ship?" said Bobbery. "Listen, young lady, I'd sooner call that old limerick about that lad from Nantucket a great work of literature than call this wreck a 'good ship'."

"Bobbery!" shouted Vivian, as she appeared.

"Huh?" said Stan, looking at her.

"There's something seriously wrong with Maria, people…" said Vivian. "Something different in her that wasn't there with the others…

"She has nothing but hate and rage inside her right now… It's almost as if…"

"Yeah, yeah," interrupted Melissa. "Shut it! You and Mr. Blow-Everything-Up can just go back to your decks!

"This is between me and Francesca. I owe her _big!"_

The two Companions vanished.

"All right…" said Francesca. "This_ is_ different…"

"Yeah…" said Stan. "Vivian was right… I know Maria was pretty mean last time but now she seems like she's out for blood!"

"Don't bother jumping overboard to try to escape…" said Maria.

"I can swim…" said Francesca.

"Remember what Kurtis said about pocket dimensions?" asked Maria. "This is another one, and it's one big ocean. Try to make a swim for it, and you'll never find a shore to swim to."

"Well, uh…" said Francesca, as she activated her Disk. "If you… put it that way…"

Maria lifted her left arm, and like before, a Duel Disk unfolded from the gauntlet.

"Listen, Maria," said Francesca. "If you think I'm scared of you, you're in for a surprise. I beat you before, and I can do it again…"

Then the ship suddenly lurched.

_Didn't lie… _she thought. _I'm not scared of dueling her… I am a little scared of the place where we're dueling, however…_

_Unsinkable? Didn't they say _The Titanic _was like that?_

As she looked up, she saw a large object behind Maria. A small pirate ship (well, small as far as ships went, but still bigger than she was) with a hull made of blood-red wood, and a large skull and ribcage on the bow. (1,600 ATK)

"Uh…" said Francesca. "Skull Mariner…

"Oh, right… The Deckmaster…"

She took her deck and looked at the cards.

_I'm really gonna need the first move here, _she thought. _I need someone I can trust, but who's weaker than that thing…_

_Wait… Of course!_

She held up a card, and Ms. Mowz appeared behind her. (1,200 ATK)

"Good work, Fran!" squeaked the Squeek.

She gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Heh, thanks…" said Fran. "Now let's _get _to work."

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Maria: 8,000)**

Fran quickly drew her first five cards. They were Monoceros, Limit Reverse, Key Mouse, Chain Dog, and Uni-Horned Familiar.

"I'm going first, Maria…" said Fran, as she made her opening draw.

The drawn card was Lock Cat. She put that aside and took Uni-Horned Familiar.

"Here," she said, as it appeared set in front of her. "That will be all for now."

"Very well…" said Maria, as she made a draw.

Then she played a card, and a dark circle covered with runes appeared on the floor as the Monster appeared.

"I summon Cursed Cannoneer!" she shouted.

The Monster revealed itself, a ghostly pirate bound by chains, with a cannon strapped to its back. (1,000 ATK)

"Uh…" said Andy. "I'm getting a serious sense of déjà vu here…"

"No kidding…" said Stan, now sounding angrier than he was nervous. "That's one of Cortez's cards!

"So seriously, Maria, I guess when you were checking off ways to be a complete bitch you figured you might as well qualify for a hypocrite and a poser in one fell swoop?"

Maria chuckled a little.

"You think I'm copying Cortez?" she asked. "Well… I guess his deck and mine may have a _few _cards in common_, _yes… But that doesn't mean there isn't another way – or even several – to use them…

"I'll throw a card face-down and end my turn…"

She set a card, and it slowly appeared behind Cursed Cannoneer.

_All right, let's see… _thought Francesca, as she drew a card.

She looked at Cursed Cannoneer.

_Think back… What did this guy do again?_

_Oh right… If I destroy it, she can summon another one… Well, maybe I can get rid of at least two of them…_

"First, I flip Uni-Horned Familiar into Attack Mode…" she said, as the card flipped up, and the small imp appeared. (0 ATK)

Then she held up a Spell Card, Card From a Different Dimension.

"Then I'll get rid of this to Special Summon Monoceros…"

The hulking, long-horned unicorn started to appear…

"I activate a Counter Trap!" shouted Maria.

Her Trap Card lifted up.

"Walk the Plank," she said. "Since you just Special Summoned a Monster, I can destroy it, so long as I also destroy one of my Water Monsters…"

Both Monoceros and Cursed Cannoneer shattered.

"But I'm a lot better off, because Cursed Cannoneer's effect lets me Special Summon another one…"

A second of the phantoms appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (800 DEF)

"O-kay, I guess maybe _that _was a new one…" said Stan.

_Seriously… _thought Fran. _Didn't expect that… Now Uni-Horned Familiar is a sitting duck!_

"Walk the Plank has one more effect," said Maria, "we both draw once."

"Uh, well, if you insist…" said Fran, as she made a draw.

Maria drew one card, and then smirked at Fran. Fran looked at _her _card a little nervously.

"Cheer up, Fran!" squeaked Ms. Mowz. "Monoceros was a Special Summon, remember?"

"Oh, right…" said Francesca.

She took Lock Cat from her hand, and set it on her Disk, causing it to appear reversed next to Familiar.

_If I attack that second Cannoneer, she'd just summon a third one, _she thought. _So I'd best see what she's up to…_

She fit one more card into her Disk, and another set card appeared.

"Done," she said.

Maria made a brief chuckle as she drew another card.

"First, I'll summon Captain Phantasm," she said, as she played another card, causing the dark circle to appear again.

They all remembered this Monster from the duel with Cortez too. A dark, shadowy specter dressed in a ripped and torn pirate's outfit holding a rusted and pitted cutlass. (1,300 ATK)

"Now, I call upon my Deckmaster's effect," she said, as the "eyes" of Skull Mariner started to glow. "By sending one Spell or Trap Card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can choose a Water-Attribute Monster from my deck and send _it _there as well."

She discarded a card from her hand, then took a card from her deck, and then discarded that one too.

"Oh, Stan?" she said. "I think you might remember the Monster I'm about to summon… He's a special Zombie that I can Special Summon from my Graveyard by sacrificing two of my Water-Attribute Zombies on the field."

"Oh… my… God…" said Stan.

Yes, he remembered it. It wasn't like that thing was hard to forget. And Francesca clearly remembered it too. Sweat started to form on her brow as the two Zombies vanished…

With a low, ghostly moan, the tall, hideous, waterlogged form of Davy Jones rose in front of Maria. Strangely, the horrible glare that came from the one eye that peered from under its dark hood was even worse than before… (2,750 ATK)

"Destroy Uni-Horned Familiar!" shouted Maria. "Wrath of the Sea Devil!"

The sky turned dark, and lightning flashed. In the next instant, a wave of foul, black water rushed towards Francesca's side of the field, swamping the Tuner and Francesca with it.

**(F: 5,250) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)**

Francesca sat there for a minute… The foul water was dripping off of her…

And then she screamed. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Francesca!" shouted Ms. Mowz.

The Tease Thief slapped her in the face.

"Snap out of it!"

Quickly, Francesca stopped, holding her chest.

"Francesca?" said Andy.

"Okay, okay…" said Fran. "I panicked for a minute… Could have happened to anyone, right?"

"Actually, yes…" replied Ms. Mowz, sounding far more serious than she usually did. "The same thing happened to the Unicorn Maiden at one point. You're becoming more like her by the minute!"

She held out a paw, and helped Francesca stand up.

"But just like you, she didn't let that sudden rush of fear get the better of her, or let it keep her down for long."

"I guess…" said Francesca.

She looked at Maria.

"That all?"

The Shadow Spawn of Water fit a card into her Disk, and a set card appeared. Then she nodded.

Fran made a draw, and put the card aside.

"All right," she said, "since as I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn… Ah, really, do I have to explain this _again?"_

Maria chuckled a little. The card reappeared with Francesca's other ones, and they both drew twice.

Then Francesca's set card lifted up.

"I'll use Limit Reverse to summon Uni-Horned Familiar back from the Graveyard," she said, as the Beast Tuner appeared. (0 ATK)

"Then I'll move Lock Cat to Attack Mode…"

The set card turned 30 degrees and flipped up, and the small feline with the lock on the collar appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"So Uni-Horned Familiar can give Lock Cat a Tune-up!"

The two Beasts flew into the sky, and the dark clouds started to rumble again.

**(*2 + *3 = *5)**

Thunder Unicorn appeared, and looked around nervously. She _really _didn't seem to like this place. (2,200 ATK)

"That Synchro Monster is out of her element," said Maria. "You don't hear all too many stories about pirates using horses, and there's a good reason for that."

"Did you know Greek mythology claims that Poseidon held horses to be sacred?" asked Francesca. "You know, Poseidon, the god of the sea?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that…" said Andy. "That came from a story about his short affair with Demeter. She resisted him and tried to escape by turning into a mare, but he turned himself into a stallion, and caught her.

"So, this resulted in her giving birth to a foal named Arion, which grew into a horse that could _talk_."

"Okay, fine!" shouted Maria, as she rolled her eyes. "The God of the Sea really liked horses. If we're done with the mythology lesson…"

Francesca frowned at her. Then she nodded at Thunder Unicorn. The steed's horn glowed, and Davy Jones grunted as sparks of electricity flowed over his cloak. (2,250 ATK)

"Nice try," said Maria, "but that's not gonna do it…"

Francesca's frown turned into a smirk as she held up another card.

"Sick 'em…" she said to Thunder Unicorn.

The Synchro charged at the demon as she threw the card into her Disk, and her Attack Score rose to 3,200 as the Ego Boost Quickplay glowed with radiant energy. There was a bright display of sparks and an unholy howl from Davy Jones right before he burst.

**(F: 5,250) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,050)**

"I'm still waiting to see just why this deck is so different than the one Cortez had," said Francesca. "By the way, it's your move…"

Maria made a draw. The card was Salvage.

"I'm using my Deckmaster effect again…" she said, as she discarded it.

Then she took another card from her deck, and discarded _that _one. Koops appeared next to Andy, shivering slightly.

"Next, I play Book of Life," continued Maria, as she played another Spell Card. "A rather old card, but one that's _never _fallen out of use among Zombie duelists.

"So, the card I choose to summon from my Graveyard is Evil Shade Cutlass…"

As she played it, the phantom sword appeared in front of her. (500 ATK)

"And I also get to banish a Monster from your Graveyard…

"So I'll… uh…"

She stopped.

"Well?" said Francesca.

"Give me a minute here…" replied Maria.

"There are only three Monsters there, Maria," said Fran, "is it really _that _hard a choice?"

"All right, all right…" said Maria. "Monoceros is no good to you, since I countered the summon, meaning you can't summon it from your Graveyard. So… Uni-Horned Familiar is a Tuner, and you can use it to Synchro Summon…

"But on the other hand, there's that combo you have with Lock Cat, which could potentially summon three Monsters at once…

"All right, I choose to get rid of that one!"

Francesca sighed a little as she pocketed Lock Cat's card. Then Maria's Trap Card lifted up.

"Next, I use Deep Sea Summoning," she said, "and pay 1,000 summon two more Evil Shade Cutlasses."

Two more of the ghostly swords appeared in front of her with loud, spooky moans. (500 ATK x2)

"I still don't see any difference here…" said Stan, as he crossed his arms. "Cortez used that exact combo."

Koops, however, was shaking like a leaf.

"Ooh, she's going to summon that creepy guy again…" he stuttered.

"Eh, look who knows so much," said Maria.

She played another card, and a new Zombie started to appear.

"I summon the Tuner Monster, First Mate Nightblood!"

Thunder rumbled in the background, and a rather short Zombie appeared next to three swords. It looked like a child dressed as a pirate… Well, honestly, more like a pirate Halloween costume. He held a toy cutlass in one hand and a popgun in the other. He had red hair, blue skin, and vampiric features. (500 ATK)

"Tuner Monster?" exclaimed Francesca.

"That's right!" replied Maria.

First Mate Nightblood lifted the toy gun, and fired it with a loud pop. Then he and two of the Evil Shade Cutlasses flew into the dark, stormy sky. Thunder rumbled again…

**(*3 + *2 + *2 = *7)**

"I Synchro Summon… Captain Nightblood!"

A pair of glowing, blood-red eyes appeared, followed by the rest of the creature. Clearly, this was an _adult _vampire (there could be no doubting it) wearing a pirate's outfit that was a _real _version of the First Mate's, with, long, white hair. He held cutlasses in both hands. (2,400 ATK)

"Okay, Cortez _certainly _didn't have that one!" shouted Stan.

"I'd love to tell you what he can do…" she continued. "But that will have to wait…"

She took a Spell Card from her hand.

"Eh?" said Francesca. "Battle-Tuned?"

"I'm sure you know what this does," said Maria. "By banishing one of my Tuners, like First Mate Nightblood, my Monster gains Attack Points equal to the Tuner's Attack Points."

(2,900 ATK)

"Attack that Unicorn!" ordered Maria, as the creature literally _flew _towards the Beast. "Kill it!"

Francesca grunted as both swords struck, striking the steed down.

She looked around. Aside from her losing a Monster and 700 Life Points, nothing seemed to have happened… Whatever dark secret Captain Nightblood was hiding, he hadn't shown it… yet…

Koops scratched his chin as Yoshi appeared next to him.

"Kinda weird…" said the Koopa. "Why use Battle-Tuned then? That guy didn't need it to win the battle…"

"Not sure…" said Yoshi. "Unless…"

"Unless?" asked Koops.

"I dunno…" said Yoshi. "Maybe there's some benefit to banishing that Monster…"

Stan looked at him.

"Yeah, there probably is!" he exclaimed. "When I dueled Cortez, I remember a lot of these pirate Monsters had effects that were activated by banishing other ones…

"Maria is up to something…"

Maria pointed, and the third Evil Shade Cutlass darted forward, hitting Francesca in the stomach point-first.

"Ow…" she said.

**(F: 4,050) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,050)**

'That will do for now, Francesca…" said Maria. "Feeling your sea legs yet?"

As she said that, the ship lurched again, and Francesca clutched her stomach.

"Thank you _so _much for reminding me about that…" she grumbled.

She quickly made a draw.

_Hmm… _she thought.

"I'll set these," said, as she fit two cards in her Disk, setting one card in her Monster Zone, and one in her Spell Zone, "and my turn is over…"

Maria drew and smirked a bit.

"I sacrifice my third Cutlass…" she said, as the phantom weapon dissolved into eerie mist, "to summon Captain Dem Bonez!"

Another Zombie that they clearly remembered rose out of the floor, the gaunt, skeletal one covered with a thin, transparent skin, dressed in rotted and tattered pirate clothes, with a strangely handsome face. (2,000 ATK)

Stan flinched a little.

"Oh… crap…" he said. "That's the Monster Cortez needed to summon that crazy Fusion Monster of his… If Maria manages that…"

"Calm down…" said Andy. "Take it from someone who knows about Fusions, Maria wouldn't have summoned that guy to the field if she had a Spell Card she needed to make a Fusion Summon…"

"Dead Sea Ship – The Flying Dutchman, right?" asked Maria.

She chuckled a little.

"I wish… I have no idea how Cortez got that one and I certainly don't have it…

"Still… I do have one other… unique way to use Captain Dem Bonez…

"Maybe we'll get to that later. For now, I use his regular effect, and banish one Zombie from my Graveyard…"

One of the Evil Shade Cutlasses floated out of the ground, and then turned to dust.

"…to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Water-Attribute Zombie from there…"

The dark circle appeared again, and Captain Phantasm rose out of the ground. (1,300 ATK)

"Which means I can sacrifice the two good Captains…"

The two ghost pirates turned into dark orbs of liquid. Francesca flinched a little as Davy Jones appeared again. (2,750 ATK)

"Destroy her last defense, Jones!" shouted Maria.

Francesca frowned as the wave of foul water crashed towards her set Monster… But quickly smiled when Elephun appeared on the card briefly before it shattered.

"Thank you…" she said. "Because you just deep-sixed Elephun, I get to recover one of my banished Level 3 or lower Beast-Type Monsters…"

Lock Cat's card appeared in her hand.

"So thank you so much for using Book of Life on this… Not sure how I would have gotten it back otherwise."

Maria looked at Francesca with surprise…

Then she groaned a little. She held her chest…

"Is she seasick too?" asked Yoshi.

"Looks more like heartburn…" replied Koops.

Then Vivian appeared out of the shadows again.

"I don't think so Koops…" she said. "Contrary to it name, when you have heartburn, it's your stomach that's hurting. I think this has something to do with her actual heart."

"WHAT?" gasped Stan. "You mean a heart attack? She can't be more than seventeen!"

"I don't think this has anything to do with health," replied Vivian. "This is that thing I mentioned before, that thing I felt that was wrong with her…

"It's a dark spell of some sort… The shock she felt from making that mistake just caused something inside her to nudge, and now she's fighting it…"

"A spell cast on her heart?" asked Andy.

Vivian looked at Maria.

"No…" she said, ominously. "This rage that Maria is feeling is clearly the result of some dark spell, but it wasn't cast on her heart…

"Her heart… Is what's _causing _it…"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Maria.

"Attack Francesca directly, Nightblood!"

The vampire pirate lifted his swords and flew at Fran…

"I activate Miracle's Wake!" she shouted, as her Trap Card lifted up, and Elephun appeared in Defense Mode. (300 DEF) The swords slashed, cutting the small Tuner in half.

_That was close… _she thought.

"I end my turn…" snarled Maria.

Francesca looked at Ms. Mowz as she made a draw.

"Any ideas?" she asked.

"Well, I can offer some suggestions about how to beat those two Monsters…" replied Ms. Mowz. "But… If you're asking me how to solve this problem with your opponent… I have no idea."

"You can't think of anything?" asked Francesca.

"Seriously, Fran, we're in hot fondue here!" replied the Squeek. "She's under a curse that her _heart _is causing? I mean, even if she succeeded in fighting it, do you know what might happen?"

"She could have a real cardiac arrest…" muttered Fran. "Perfect… Even if I knew CPR, it would be awfully hard to do on a victim wearing plate armor…"

"I hate to give the Shadow Queen credit," said Ms. Mowz, "but this has to be the most _brilliant _way I've ever seen of keeping a minion from disobeying. A lot of people like her use stuff like mind-control devices or slave collars that shock you if you don't do as you're told… You've seen all that in movies right?

"And you know that the heroes in those movies always manage to find some way to deactivate, destroy, or remove such things…

"But in this case, the device in question is her most vital organ… How in the world can you shut _that _off without killing her?"

"So… What do I do?" asked Fran.

Ms. Mowz peered at the cards she was holding.

"Keep dueling…" she sighed. "That's all you _can _do for now… My dad always said that sometimes you have to wait for the solution to come to you. Hopefully it will."

Francesca nodded, and then played a Spell Card.

"I use Magical Stone Excavation!" she shouted. "So I'll ditch these two cards…"

She took Key Mouse and Chain Dog from her hand, and slipped them into her Disk's discard slot. Then a card slipped out of the same slot.

"…then get a Spell Card back…" she said, as she held it up. "Like my Ego Boost.

"Then, I'll summon Lock Cat again…"

The sassy feline appeared again. It meowed as it looked at Maria. (1,200 ATK)

"As you already know, I can use its effect to summon Key Mouse from my Graveyard…"

The small rodent hopped onto the field. (100 DEF)

"Which means, with two Beasts on the field, Chain Dog's effect can summon _itself _from my Graveyard."

The chain-wrapped Bull Terrier appeared, completing the trio. (1,600 ATK)

"So I'll Tune together my three Beasts…" she said, as the Mouse, Cat, and Dog turned into eight glowing stars."

The stars flew into the cloudy, stormy sky.

"_In the depths of the forest primeval, a gate to the Fairy World opens, and a divine messenger emerges. Gallop forth, bringing your holy light!"_

**(*1 + *3 + *4 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… __Eachthighern the Fairy Stallion!"_

The clouds parted, and a sunbeam shone through. The magnificent unicorn stallion appeared, glowing with holy light, and the two undead pirates clearly did _not _like it. (2,000 ATK)

"Attack Davy Jones with Shining Sunbeam!" she shouted, as the sapphire in his crown started to glow.

She threw Ego Boost into her Disk, and Eachthighern's Attack Score shot up to 3,000 right before the blast of pure light shot from his horn, vaporizing the sea demon.

Francesca closed her eyes as a soft, golden glow formed around her.

"Oh right…" said Andy. "That guy's effect grants her Life Points equal to the Attack Score of the Monster it destroys."

**(F: 6,800) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,800)**

"I'll throw out this," said Francesca, as a set card appeared with a flash behind Eachthighern, "and it's your move…"

**0000000000**

In another part of the Palace of Shadow, Count Bleck brooded on a makeshift chair.

This cavernous room had no magical protection from the Queen's site, but he was reasonably certain she wouldn't check here.

Not that this room wasn't _important. _It was a crypt of sorts. The stone coffins contained the remains of many soldiers that, while loyal to the Queen, weren't as high-ranking as Grodus. The Queen didn't make a habit of guarding or checking on this place often… There really wasn't anything valuable in the coffins.

"Ironic…" he said. "By banishing that Monster, Maria let Francesca accomplish the action she hoped to prevent…

"That girl is a chip off the old block…"

He took a golden pocket watch out of his vest and opened it, the face making a soft light that made slight illumination.

"Seven o'clock in the morning…" he muttered. "Pelor's radiant light is just starting to shine over Arcadia, but as the morning progresses, it will climb further in the sky, and grow stronger..."

He shut the lid of the watch.

"…until five hours from now, the light will be shine brightest over Arcadia, and then… Then will be the time to strike…

"Looks like it's going to be a nice, sunny day…"

**0000000000**

At the Fahr Outpost…

Hyde seemed to have field advantage for now. He had an odd creature on his side of the field: A large fox with nine long tails that looked both beautiful and menacing at the same time. (2,200 ATK) Ice Queen had a strange Monster, a humanoid dressed in armor that seemed to be made out of ice and a long, scarlet cape. (1,700 ATK)

"Nine-Tailed Fox, turn that thing into cocktail ice with Nine Tailed Spear!"

The strange creature's eyes glowed fiery red, and its tails darted forward, impaling the armored creature and smashing it into little pieces.

"Ugh…" said Ice Queen.

**(Hyde: 2,500) - - - - - - - - - - (Ice Queen: 3,500)**

"Your move, Jadis," he said.

The Ice Queen drew a card, clearly not getting the reference. Her eyes, narrowed.

"You know, Mr. Vayne…" she said. "I was awfully fond of Ice Knight…

"A shame he had to be a sacrificial lamb! I summon Cold Enchanter!"

She played a card, and a coldly attractive young woman (possibly what Ice Queen was like when younger) with her hair held in place by a tiara, a white strapless dress and a cloak, holding a staff tipped with a snowflake-shaped head, appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, for each card I choose to discard…" she continued, as she took two of her three cards, "I can put one Ice Counter on any Monster I choose. Cold Enchanter then gains 300 Attack Points for each one.

"So, I'll discard these cards, and put them on Cold Enchanter herself…"

She made the two discards, and the Aqua's eyes glowed with icy energy. (2,200 ATK)

"Now, you're probably wondering why I didn't discard the last card to make it three Counters so she would be stronger than your Monster…"

"I think you're gonna tell me…" said Hyde.

"I have _exactly _five Water Monsters in my Graveyard right now!" exclaimed Ice Queen. "So now I can Special Summon…"

She threw her last card on her Disk, and the icy ground behind her burst open.

"_Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord!"_

With a bellow, a thing rose out of the ground that was truly a titan. It was as big as Grandsoil, but this time made of pure, frigid, solid ice. (2,800 ATK)

"Holy Mary Mother of God…" gasped Boris.

"Calm down, big guy…" said Hyde. "Ever hear the old saying, the bigger they are, the harder they fall?"

"Very strong words…" said Ice Queen, "considering that my two Monsters combined are enough to wipe you out before you can try. But just in case…

"I'll use Moulinglacia's effect, which destroys two cards in your hand when it's summoned."

"HEY!" shouted Hyde, as two of his three cards shattered.

"Smash that Fox!" shouted the Spellcaster. "Flatten it!"

Moulinglacia's mighty hand crashed down, crushing Nine-Tailed Fox with one mighty squash.

"Gah…" said Hyde.

**(H: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (IQ: 3,500)**

"You're through!" shouted Ice Queen. "Cold Enchanter…"

"I use Nine-Tailed Fox's effect!" shouted Hyde. "You destroyed it, so I get to conjure up _these _little guys."

Two small, fiery foxes appeared in front of him, defending. (300 DEF x2)

"Eh…" said the Ice Queen.

Cold Enchanter shot a blast of frost from her staff, and one of the two small foxes turned to vapor.

"Okay, so you're on the field with one little Token," she said, "while I have a Monster with 2,200 Attack Points, and another with 2,800. So just what do you plan on doing?"

_Simple… _thought Hyde. _I'm going to use what I have…_

"My draw!" he shouted.

He drew a card.

"You see, you actually helped my just then… Some Monsters are more dangerous when they're dead than they are when they're alive.

"Because that big lug's effect just sent Mezuki to my Graveyard, I can banish it, and then Special Summon my own ice maiden… Yuki-Onna!"

He pocketed the card, and the frigid, blue-haired woman in a kimono appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"By doing so, I'm able to Special Summon a second Zombie from my Graveyard, like Onmoraki."

There was a burst of ghostly fire, and a large, black crane with a flaming crest appeared too. (1,200 ATK)

"By summoning him from the Graveyard, I get to draw once," he said, as he made a draw. "And now I sacrifice Yuki-Onna and my Fox Token…"

The two Yokai burst into little shards.

"…to summon the mighty Red Ogre!"

With a snarl, a seven-foot-tall, muscular, red-skinned, horned demon stood up, brandishing a nasty-looking kanabō. (2,800 ATK)

"By Normal Summoning this big guy," he said, as he held up his last two cards, "I can send one Monster on the field back to the owner's hand for each card I discard."

"HEY, wait a minute…" said the Ice Queen as he discarded both cards.

Then Red Ogre made a mighty swing with his weapon, and both Cold Enchanter and the huge, icy giant simply disappeared.

"Uh…" she said.

"Let's see you handle _this _fire!" shouted Hyde. "Red Ogre, attack directly with Ogre Burn!"

The huge oni leapt at the wicked Queen, and blew flames from its jaws. She screamed as hot steam rose from her dress.

Onmoraki quickly followed, flying at her and shooting flames of its own. She screamed again…

**(H: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (IQ: 0)**

Hyde watched as the large cloud of steam cleared… There was no sign of her. She was gone.

"What happened?" asked Boris. "Did she… Melt?"

"Dunno…" replied Hyde. "Important thing is, she's gone…"

He took the pack of cigarettes again, and pulled one of them from it with his teeth. As he lit it, he hit his mobile.

"Is that you, Mr. Vayne?" asked Merlow's voice.

"Yeah," he replied. "I took care of her. Was she the last one?"

"Maybe," replied Merlow. "We'll do one more sweep. For now, just stay alert."

_So all we can do now, _thought Hyde, as he hung up, _is wait see what happens next…_

**0000000000**

As Maria made a draw, there was a much louder clap of thunder…

Then it started. Rain started to fall from the sky above.

_Oh, great… _thought Francesca. _Just when I thought this couldn't get worse…_

"I'm not letting a little inclement weather ruin this duel," said Maria, as she made a draw. "After all, I'm the Shadow Spawn of Water, and I'd be a sorry excuse for one if a little rain bothered me.

"Destroy her Stallion, Nightblood!"

The vampiric pirate flew at Eachthighern…

"Gotcha…" said Francesca.

"What? A Trap?" said Maria, as Fran's face-down card lifted up. "Wha…"

"Synchro Strike," said Francesca. "It gives my Synchro Monster 500 more Attack Points this turn for each Monster I used to summon it."

(3,500 ATK)

Eachthighern blasted the ray of light from his horn, turning the Zombie into a cloud of water vapor.

"And that means I gain 2,400 more Life Points!"

**(F: 9,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,700)**

"SCORE!" cheered Yoshi. "She can't lose now!"

"Will you be quiet?" whispered Koops. "Let's not jinx this, okay?"

Maria, grimaced, and then fit a card into her Disk, causing it to appear reversed in her Spell Zone.

"I'm done…" she said.

Fran made one draw. The card was Hyena.

_Should I go with this? _she thought.

She looked at Ms. Mowz.

"Be careful here, Fran…" cautioned the Deckmaster.

Fran nodded.

"Eachthighern, attack Maria directly!" she commanded, as the unicorn's crown glowed again.

"I activate… Shadow Spell!" shouted Maria, as her Trap Card lifted up.

Chains ripped out of the wooden floor with a burst of splinters, grabbing Eachthighern and looping around his torso. He tried to struggle, but they quickly bound him fast. (1,300 ATK)

"That will hold him…" said Maria.

Fran sighed a little, and set the Hyena card on her Disk, and it appeared reversed.

"So now what?" she said.

"I'll show you," said Maria, as she made a draw. "I'm going to bring Captain Nightblood back…"

"Huh," said Fran. "But…"

"In case you didn't notice, Fran, he's a vampire," replied Maria. "And just like Vampire Lord and Vampire's Curse, you can't keep him down for long.

"In fact, under the right conditions, it's even _harder. _You see, if he's in my Graveyard, and you have more cards on the field than I do – which you do – I can banish one of my other Water-Attribute Zombies from there…"

One of the Cursed Cannoneers' cards fell out of her discard slot.

"…and see for yourself…"

The glowing eyes appeared again, and the evil vampire rose onto the field once more. (2,400 ATK)

"Now for that unicorn… Attack with Curse of Leviathan!"

The vampire held up his blades, and lightning flashed. Two slashes lit up the darkness of the storm, and the Fairy Stallion shattered.

**(F: 8,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,700)**

"So what do you say now?"

Fran looked at her opponent. Then she sneezed.

"Got the sniffles, huh?" said Maria, with a chuckle. "I'll throw a card face-down, and then you go…"

A set card appeared behind Nightblood.

Francesca coughed a little as she made a draw.

_De-Synchro? _she thought. _Damn, if only I'd had this last turn, I could have…_

_Hey… Wait a minute…_

"Hey, Maria!" she said. "I just drew my De-Synchro!

"See, if I use this card on one of _my _Synchro Monsters, it goes back to my Extra Deck, and I get to Special Summon the Monsters I Tuned to summon it.

"But if I use it on _your _Synchro Monster…"

She played the card, and Captain Nightblood vanished.

"…it just goes back to your Extra Deck. Neat, huh?"

Her set card flipped up, and Hyena appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"So chew on this!"

The Beast leapt at Maria, and sank its teeth into her leg.

"Ah…" grunted the Shadow Spawn.

**(F: 8,100) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,700)**

"And I'll end my turn there…" she said.

"You may have gotten rid of Captain Nightblood," said Maria, as she made a draw. "But… Now's my chance to use First Mate Nightblood's effect."

"Huh?" said Fran. "But… You banished him…"

"Exactly…" replied Maria. "You see, _because _he's banished right now, I can take another of my banished Water Zombies, and then send it back to my Graveyard. So I'll use that effect on the Evil Shade Cutlass I banished when I used Captain Dem Bonez's effect."

She discarded the card, and flinched a little as a dark aura appeared around her.

"I take 200 points of damage for each Level of the returned Monster," she said, "but dealing with dead things is never easy."

**(F: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,300)**

"Next, you may remember how my Deckmaster effect requires me to discard a Spell or Trap Card. I'm not going to use that effect right now, but… The first time I used it, the Spell Card I discarded was a special one called Buried Treasure.

"When ten or more cards are piled on top of this card in my discard pile, which is the case right not, I can banish it, and then both players draw twice. I think I'll use that effect right now…"

Francesca shrugged, and drew twice. Maria did too, and then played one.

"I summon Evil Shade Buccaneer!" she shouted.

Another ghostly pirate appeared, one wearing waterlogged and torn clothing with long, tangled hair, holding two flintlock pistols. (1,400 ATK)

"Oh, I remember that guy too…" said Stan. "He gains 300 points for each additional Buccaneer in her Graveyard… And those three sword-things count, because _their _effect gives them the same name."

The ghost aimed his pistols at Hyena. (2,300 ATK) Then he fired, blowing the Beast to little pieces.

"That may have cost me a little…" said Fran, "but now I get to summon _two _Hyenas!"

Two more of the small predators appeared, in a sitting position. (300 DEF x2)

Maria set another card, and it appeared reversed in front of her.

_Keep going, Francesca… _she thought. _One more turn, and I'll be able to bring out the true master of the Dead Sea…_

"That's all for my turn…" she said, in an ominous tone.

The rain started to come down harder. A chill came over Francesca, and she wasn't sure if it was from cold, or simply dread. She drew.

"Come out, Al-Mi'Raj!" she shouted, as she played the card, causing the small, rabbit-like Beast with a unicorn horn to appear. (600 ATK)

"Then I'll Tune my Level 2 Al-Mi'Raj with my two Level 3 Hyenas…" she said, as the three Beasts flew into the sky.

"_Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"_

**(*2 + *3 + *3 = *8)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"_

As the sacred unicorn appeared, she leapt up on her rear hooves triumphantly as lightning flashed again. (2,800 ATK)

"Because I Synchro Summoned using Al-Mi'Raj as a Tuner, I get to draw once," said Fran, as she made a draw.

"Now destroy it! Giga Volt Charge!"

Lightning flashed from the stormy sky, striking Tricorn and surrounding her with an aura of incredible energy as she leapt at the undead pirate. Maria let out a cry of pain as Evil Shade Buccaneer was blown to pieces and she fell on her back.

**(F: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,800)**

"Seriously," said Yoshi, "maybe she should have thought twice about using Water Monsters against ones that use electricity."

"I'll deal with you later, wise guy," said Maria. "For now… I believe it's my move…"

She stood up, and made a draw.

_Ghostly Lantern… _she thought. _This should do the trick…_

"I summon Anchor Cut Throat to the field," she said, as she played a card.

The dark magical circle appeared again, along with another phantom, a rotting, decayed corpse in a seaman's uniform with more chains strapped to its body and a large anchor on its back. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, by discarding a card from my hand, I can Special Summon another Water-Attribute Zombie from my Graveyard, like Captain Dem Bonez…"

She discarded the Ghostly Lantern, and the dark Captain appeared again. (2,000 ATK)

"Now for my big surprise…" she said. "I play Deep Sea Fusion!"

As she played the card, the thunder and lightning overhead reached a crescendo. As Captain Dem Bonez and Anchor Cut Throat vanished, ghostly, demonic creatures started to fly around the ship, letting out a hideous keening.

"This is really creepy…" said Andy.

"I may not have that Fusion Monster that Cortez used," said Maria, "but I have someone even better…"

The floor in front of her ripped open, and a sickly, unholy light poured out of it.

"Mom knew this guy well… He was a pirate almost as successful as Cortez was, about six-hundred years later, but with far more blood on his hands… Dying didn't stop his murderous ways… Some say that Hell itself couldn't hold him…

"I Fusion Summon Captain Skull!"

Lightning flashed one more time, and another specter leapt out of the pit…

This one looked much like the other Zombie pirates in _most _ways. Maybe his clothes were a bit newer and in better condition. His face was a bare skull (with a beard).

What made him stand out was his right arm. Now, the whole idea of a villainous amputee that had his missing hand replaced by a weapon had _started _with a pirate (Captain Hook, to be specific). Since he had appeared, the theme had been used frequently, many times with pirate villains.

This guy took the stereotype to an extreme. His whole right arm was missing, and it had been replaced by _a cannon. _(2,500 ATK)

"You have _got _to be kidding me…" said Stan.

"I'll show you how much I'm kidding," said Maria. "Deep Sea Fusion's effect, in case you forgot, gives each Water-Attribute Fusion Monster on the field 200 extra Attack Points for each Water Monster in my Graveyard, so long as the Spell Card itself is there. As of right now, the count is ten."

(4,500 ATK)

"Forty-five hundred Attack Points?" shouted Andy, as Captain Skull aimed his cannon at Lightning Tricorn.

"I am willing to lower it a little," replied Maria, as the evil Captain started to absorb energy through the barrel of the weapon. "You see, in order to use his effect, I have to banish two Water-Attribute Zombies from my Graveyard…"

Captain Nightblood and a Cursed Cannoneer appeared behind Skull, and then crumbled into dust. Skull's Attack Score fell to 4,100.

"But so long as he's strong enough to _win _the battle, that's all that matters. You see, if he destroys a Monster when I use this effect, the Battle Damage is reduced to zero, and you take 2,000 points of _effect damage _instead!

"Attack with Soul-Crusher Blast!"

What came next was about as subtle as a ton of dynamite, but it worked. The blast from the cannon blew Lightning Tricorn to bits, knocked Francesca on her side…

…and shook the whole ship in the process.

**(F: 4,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,800)**

Then Francesca and her allies realized that it was even worse. The shockwave from the brutal attack had actually damaged the ship. The whole thing was straining and groaning more than ever, and cracks were starting to appear in both the mast and the hull.

Francesca quickly took Thunder Unicorn's card from her discard slot and played it, and she appeared, sitting in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF) But it still got worse… The rusted iron rivets holding parts of the wooden hull around them were starting to fall apart…

"Guess there _is_ a way to sink a ghost ship…" said Vivian. "A ghost packing a ghost-cannon can do the job…"

"Hold on!" shouted Yoshi.

"To what?" shouted Koops. "Each other?"

"Maria, listen to me!" shouted Francesca, as she stood up. "This creature is going to sink this ship to the bottom of the ocean and kill all of us!"

Maria didn't answer her. The Shadow Spawn of Water was looking at her with a cold, icy stare.

"Or don't you care?" asked Fran.

"I end my turn…" said Maria, in a stoic monotone. "Fortunately for you, two of my Standby Phases must pass before Captain Skull can use that effect again, so you're safe from it next turn."

"So we have one turn to do something…" muttered Fran, turning to Ms. Mowz. "Any ideas?"

"Well, uhm…" said Ms. Mowz. "In order for Thunder Unicorn's effect to defeat that guy, you'd need to summon four other Monsters…"

Francesca drew a card, and looked at it, along with her other three.

"Which I literally can't do right now…" she said.

"Then the other option is to simply hold it off for a round," replied the Squeek, "and I have an idea…"

She quickly whispered into Fran's ear. Fran quickly nodded.

This was a risk, but she'd have to take it.

"I'm using my Deckmaster effect, Maria," she said, "and I'm gonna make this count.

"See, each time either of us activated a Spell Card, Ms. Mowz gained a Silver Counter. She has the maximum of five Silver Counters right now, meaning she can turn them to Gold.

"That means I can take any Normal Trap Card from my deck that I want…"

A card appeared in her hand.

"…like my Crest of Valarian here, and then set it.

"I'll set another one along with it…"

Two face-down cards appeared behind Thunder Unicorn.

"…so do your worst…"

_If I trigger that Trap Card when Captain Skull attacks, Thunder Unicorn will survive. Hopefully, it will give me time to think of something…_

Maria made a draw, and then played the card, not skipping a beat.

"I activate Different Dimension Deepsea Trench," she said, as a Continuous Spell Card appeared in front of her. "When this card is activated, I select one Water Monster in my hand, my side of the field, or my Graveyard, and then banish it…"

"I have a feeling it's not going to be Captain Skull…" moaned Andy.

"I choose to banish my Ghostly Lantern," said Maria. "If this Spell Card is destroyed, Ghostly Lantern is summoned to the field… However…

"The Lantern's own effect activates because I just banished it, causing every Water-Attribute Zombie except itself to return to my Graveyard…"

Four ghostly shapes appeared, and flew into her discard slot with ominous howls. Captain Skull's empty eye-sockets glowed with hellish light. (4,900 ATK)

Then Maria's set Trap Card lifted up.

"Meteorain?" screamed Andy. "Good lord…"

The evil pirate aimed his weapon at Thunder Unicorn…

"I activate Crest of Valarian!" screamed Francesca.

Her Trap lifted up as the cannon fired a thunderous blast. Both Fran and the Unicorn screamed as the whole ship shook again…

**(F: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,800)**

Fran was on her knees, holding her stomach. Thunder Unicorn had survived, but she didn't seem in very good shape either. The storm was even worse, and it was obvious at this point, Maria's early claim that this ship was safe had not been true at all.

Bobbery appeared next to Andy again, and for the first time, even he looked close to losing his nerve.

"Francesca?" he said. "Not to give undue pressure, milady, but one more blast like that is likely going to scuttle this whole ship."

_And I'll be leading the way…_ thought Francesca.

A sinister smile appeared on Maria's face. She took one of the two remaining cards in her hand and flipped it around. It was Call of the Haunted.

Then she fit it into her Disk, and it appeared reversed in her Spell Zone.

"Your move…" she said.

"She's mocking me…" muttered Fran, as she stood up. "She's going to use that card to summon Anchor Cutthroat next turn, then use its effect to summon Captain Dem Bonez, and then use _his _effect to summon another Monster. She'll have four Monsters before she even needs to Normal Summon.

"As if she even needs them! If Captain Skull manages to use his effect again, I've had it…"

She looked at Ms. Mowz.

"What can I say?" replied the Companion. "You're right… We're dealing with one rotten piece of rochebaron here, and I'm not sure what to do…"

Francesca looked at her cards.

"All right…" she thought.

She made a draw.

As she did so, the biggest shudder yet shook the ship. She looked at the card.

"Not a moment too soon…" she said. "I summon Beast Striker!"

She played the card, and the ape-like Beast holding a huge sledge appeared, roaring and baring its fangs at the undead pirate. (1,850 ATK)

"Now, I'll discard this card," she said, as she discarded Card From a Different Dimension (which she had been holding onto for most of the duel), "and use Beast Striker's effect to summon Moja!"

Beast Striker slammed its hammer down, and the small, blob-like Beast popped out of the floor. (100 ATK)

"Then, I play Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

The ankh appeared, and Lightning Tricorn appeared on the fourth space in her Monster Zone. (2,800 ATK)

"Then, I move Thunder Unicorn to Attack Mode," she said, as the Unicorn stood up (2,200 ATK), "and use her effect to lower Captain Skull's Attack Score by 2,000 points!"

As she said this, the demon clutched his chest and groaned. (2,900 ATK)

"Then I play The Big March of Animals!" shouted Francesca, as she used her last card. "It gives each of my Beast-Type Monsters 200 Attack Points for each Beast I have!"

(Thunder Unicorn: 3,000 ATK, Beast Striker: 2,650 ATK, Moja: 900 ATK, Lightning Tricorn: 3,600 ATK)

Then her set card lifted up.

"Finally, I activate Beast Rising! I'll banish Lightning Tricorn…"

The larger unicorn vanished into a ripple of light.

"…and another of my Beasts gains Attack Points equal to her Attack Points!"

Thunder Unicorn started to glow more radiantly than ever before. Her eyes shone like the sun itself. (5,800 ATK)

A look of absolute terror appeared on Captain Skull's bony face…

Then Thunder Unicorn charged, and the explosion as the wicked pirate was vanquished caused an explosion that turned the dark, stormy sky a hellish red…

**(F: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)**

The force of the explosion threw Maria backwards, smashing through the guardrail on the bow of the ship… And then overboard.

Francesca likely would have suffered the same fate if she hadn't had allies. Both of her human partners and all seven of the Companions had rushed behind her to brace her. Even so, they were all knocked over like a set of ninepins.

"MARIA!" screamed Francesca, sitting up.

"Fran, get ahold of yourself!" shouted Stan. "She's the Shadow Spawn of Water, I'm sure she won't drown…

"We, on the other hand… We're in much bigger trouble…"

It was only too true. That explosion had sealed the ship's fate. Its mast had broken in half, and it was taking on water, very quickly. To make things worse, there wasn't any portal dragging them back this time.

"_You're _the one with experience here!" said Yoshi, pointing to Bobbery. "What would you do in a situation like this?"

"Uh, probably give the order to abandon ship…" replied the Admiral.

"HEY!" shouted a voice from above them.

As they looked up, they saw that a portal had opened after all.

"Vladimir?" gasped Andy, seeing who it was.

The Shadow Spawn of Darkness tossed a rope down from the portal.

"Grab it!" he shouted.

They looked up at him. They paused.

"Oh come on, people!" he shouted. "What choice do you have?"

Clearly, they had none. The Companions all vanished, retreating back to the three decks, as their owners grabbed hold of the rope. Slowly, something pulled the rope upwards, towards the portal.

They sincerely hoped that they wouldn't regret not staying behind to go down with that ship…

**0000000000**

**NINE-TAILED FOX (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Fire/Lvl6/2,200ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **If this card is in your Graveyard, you may Special Summon it (from your Graveyard) by Tributing 2 Zombie-Type Monsters you control. If this card is Special Summoned in this manner, it gains the following effects:

* This card inflicts piercing damage.

* If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you may Special Summon 2 "Fox Tokens" (Zombie/Fire/Lvl1/300ATK/300DEF)

_Note: "Nine-Tailed Fox" was first used by Misawa in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga._

**0000000000**

**ICE KNIGHT (Monster Card)**

**Aqua/Water/Lvl4/1,300ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **Increase the ATK of this card by 400 for each face-up Aqua-Type Monster on the field.

_Note: "Ice Knight" was first used by __Kourimaru in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Taken by Storm (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of the episode._

**0000000000**

**BURIED TREASURE (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A gang of pirates on a beach, digging up a treasure chest.

**Card Description: **You can activate this card's effect if it is in your Graveyard with 10 or more cards on top of it. Banish this card; both players draw two cards.

_Note: "Buried Treasure" first appeared in "Legend of the Sorcerer Kings"._

**0000000000**

**FIRST MATE NIGHTBLOOD (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Tuner/Effect/Level 3/500ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **During each of your Standby Phases if you are the owner of this card and it was banished, you may select 1 of your banished WATER Zombie-Type Monsters and return it to your Graveyard. Then, you take damage equal to 200x the Level of the returned Monster. This effect can no longer be applied if this card is no longer banished.

**0000000000**

**CAPTAIN NIGHTBLOOD (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Synchro/Effect/Level 7/2,400ATK/2,000DEF**

_WATER Tuner + 1 or more Zombie-Type Monsters_

**Effect: **If this card is in your Graveyard and your opponent controls more cards than you do, you may banish 1 WATER Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard (except this one) to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

**0000000000**

**WALK THE PLANK (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **Evil Shade Buccaneer holding a cutlass to the back of Elemental Hero Burstinatrix as she stands on a plank over the ocean.

**Card Description: **Activate by selecting 1 WATER Zombie-Type Monster you control a when your opponent Normal Summons or Special Summons a Monster. Destroy the selected Monster to destroy the summoned Monster. Then, both players draw 1 card.

_Again, the preceeding three cards were created by Lux-Nero. Credit goes to him._

**0000000000**

**CAPTAIN SKULL (Monster Card)**

**Zombie/Water/Fusion/Effect/Level 8/2,500ATK/2,000DEF**

"_Captain Dem Bonez" + 1 other WATER Zombie-Type Monster_

**Effect: **When this card declares an attack on an opposing Monster, you may banish 2 WATER Zombie-Type Monsters in your Graveyard. If you do, and the opposing Monster is destroyed by battle, reduce Battle Damage to zero and inflict 2,000 points of damage to your opponent. If you use this effect, you may not use the effect of "Captain Skull" again until 2 of your Standby Phases have passed.

**0000000000**

"**Skull Mariner":** Warrior/Water/Lvl4/1,600/900: "Dead Man's Chest": Once per turn, you may discard 1 Spell or Trap Card from your hand to select 1 WATER Monster in your deck and send it to the Graveyard.

**0000000000**

"**Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief": **Beast/Earth/Lvl3/1,200/1,000: "Silver and Gold": Each time you or your opponent activates a Spell Card, put one "Silver Counter" on this card (Max: 5). You may remove 5 "Silver Counters" from this card to reveal 1 Normal Trap from your deck and set it.

**0000000000**

_**Vladimir has rescued our heroes from certain doom… But is this a good thing? Even with Tyson no longer around, the old saying about "out of the frying pan, into the fire" may well apply here…**_

_**Stan: Tell me about it. After what happened last time, I figured that Vlad may have been the one member of this group who we may have had a chance of reasoning with. But I'm not sure right now.**_

_**I used to watch old sitcoms, like **_**All in the Family. **_**I remember one episode where Mike was paranoid that he had flunked an important test. He had a nightmare that he was drowning in quicksand. In the nightmare, his college professor appeared, and saved his life by pulling him out… And then told him that he had flunked. (If you saw it, it was kinda funny… I guess.)**_

_**So, did Vladimir save us simply to try to kill us? Probably… But maybe he'll at least listen more than the others did…**_

"_**Curse of the Circle" is coming soon.**_


	56. Curse of the Circle

_**Know what the secret to success is when you're a leader?**_

_**Lying.**_

_**No, I'm serious. "Honest politician" is an oxymoron, pretty much. The thing is, a good liar is successful, because people believe him. A bad liar, who's lying is obvious, not so much. **_

_**Let me give some examples of bad liars. If a country's name has the word "democratic" and "people's" in it, you can bet that it's nothing of the sort. North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It's neither a democracy nor a republic, not run by the people, and doesn't take up all of Korea. Four lies in one. That place is a worse dictatorship than Arcadia.**_

_**In Germany, there's a political party called the NPD, the German Nationalist Party. They will tell you, as I am right now, that they are definitely **_**not **_**a**__**Neo-Nazi group. They do NOT organize Skinhead marches, or propose anti-democratic ideals, or attend World War II reenactments dressed in Axis uniforms. They certainly DON'T or endorse "former" street brawlers or **_**terrorists **_**as candidates, or plan to cut the funding for Jewish communities if their members are elected, and they certainly don't celebrate the birthdays and dates of death of the most notorious Nazis as if they were holidays. They don't do ANY of that.**_

_**See, you're learning. You probably didn't believe any of those denials. I was lying, just like THEY always do. **_

_**Mom's a bad liar too. Or rather, she would be if Arcadia was more well-known. True, much of the rest of the world is fooled into thinking that she doesn't rule Arcadia as a dictator, but that's because not much of anything is known about Arcadia. Not many people have been able to study the place in much depth.**_

_**Now, if she ever freed herself, she'd see no need for lies anymore.**_

_**She'd still be a tyrant… But she'd be **_**very **_**honest about it. **_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-SIX**

**0000000000**

**Curse of the Circle**

**0000000000**

**00000**

In her throne room, the Queen was very upset at all that was happening. She was slumped over, a sulk on her face…

She turned her head slightly. And a sad smile crossed her lips. _He _was there.

He was slightly translucent, a man in dark plate armor with shoulder guards and a belt buckle shaped like the heads of dragons. His dark hair was long, and his face may have been handsome if it wasn't so grim.

She slowly lifted her hand to him, the sad look still on her face. He slowly reached out to take it.

"My Queen!" shouted Grodus' voice.

The strange man vanished into the shadows as Grodus rushed into the room.

"My Queen…" he said.

"What did you see?" growled the Queen, sounding annoyed.

"Uh, should I have seen anything?" he asked.

He was lying. He had seen the shadowy warrior perfectly clearly. Everyone in the Palace knew about "the ghost" (as they called him) and knew about how the Queen talked to him when she thought she was alone. (They had never heard him say anything back, but maybe they had just never witnessed it.)

Grodus actually knew who he was, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about it.

"This better be important, Grodus," she said, as she sat up straight. "We're in the middle of a crisis, in case you didn't know…"

"We have another one," said Grodus, nervously. "Those elite Duel Spirits that you sent out to apprehend the rest of the tournament guests… They aren't having the predicted success rate…"

The Queen looked at him strangely.

"How successful have they been?" she asked.

"To be perfectly honest, not at all," replied Grodus. "You see… Their orders were to attack by ambush… But somehow, they didn't take anyone by surprise in the least.

"It seems that they've all become organized under one leader…"

"Merlow…" hissed the Shadow Queen.

"This is very, very bad…" said Grodus. "We may be looking at the beginnings of an…"

"_Don't _say it…" she said, sternly.

She picked up a Duel Disk and shoved it into his hands.

"HERE!" she shouted. "Vladimir can't possibly defeat all three of them… I want you to duel one of them while I prepare for the finals…"

She stood up.

"I'll see this tournament to the end… And if it comes to an insurrection, they won't breach the walls of the Palace so long as I live…"

**0000000000**

Francesca sneezed.

Still, if she was catching a cold, she couldn't worry about that now…

The strange place they were in… It was sort of a desert, a barren, sandy, flat, desolate place. There was a night sky overhead with no stars and a dim moon.

They and Vladimir were the only people in this empty, lonely place…

And the Shadow Spawn of Darkness had not spoken for the whole fifteen minutes since he had brought them here.

He was wearing armor similar to that of his brothers and sisters, but much more intimidating. It looked like it was made of glossy, black metal, the typical attire of the classic black knight of fantasy. The sunglasses made him stand out, but not as much.

"This place is creepy…" said Fran.

"Vladimir…" said Stan.

He turned towards them.

_Well, at least he's listening… _thought Stan.

"Be honest, Vlad…" said Francesca. "What happened to them? Was your mom _really _so cold-blooded that she'd cast them into Hell?"

Vladimir sighed.

"They're in the sixth level of my mother's prison, Francesca," said Vladimir. "To us, that's Hell…"

The revelation at first came as a relief to them, but Vladimir went on.

"Let me tell you about the levels of my mother's prison," he said. "If you're in level one, you aren't tortured, just restrained. Mom keeps the prisoners there in line by threatening to send them to lower levels.

"Starting at level two, the punishments begin, and they get progressively more severe the lower you go. She often visits levels two through five to watch or participate, as the mood strikes her."

"But not six?" asked Stan.

"The sixth level is for prisoners that are actually dangerous. Prisoners there are punished, yes, but she rarely goes there. She leaves them to the demonic jailers.

"As the Queen's enforcers, the folks we've dealt with who go there are the most challenging. Far more often than other times, they're people who've _really _done something bad…

"And we _don't _handle the people who she sends to levels seven, eight, or nine. She has other was of apprehending them which aren't as… formal. Level seven is reserved for most traitors, while level eight is for those who have tried to commit crimes of violence against her, personally.

"Both of which on the occasions she decides to spare the lives of such people, which isn't often.

"Level nine has _never _been used, at least not to anyone's knowledge. She says she's saving it 'for a special occasion'. Most assumed she was going to put _you _there…"

"Uh, she kind of mentioned that place when she spoke to us…" said Andy. "She claimed it's for something else…"

"But she didn't say what…" added Stan.

"Who knows?" replied Vladimir. "Maybe there_ is_ something there, and it's just as well that we don't know what. But anyway… Let's just say I don't envy my brothers and sisters right now…"

"Are you still going to duel us?" asked Stan.

"I don't even know…" sighed Vladimir. "It seems pointless now… At first we all just assumed that this was going to be the same as anything else mom told us to do.

"But I speak for all three of us when I say that the first duels changed things… Mom sent us to the first level to punish us after we lost, like she did all the other times we did something bad… Most parents would send a kid to his room, she's a bit more dramatic…

"But this time… We all took the time to look at ourselves closely… We really didn't like what we saw…

"Now it's come to this… We never dreamed you'd get this far, but I'm starting to wonder if…"

Then he stopped.

He groaned, and held his hand over his chest.

"No…" said Francesca. "This is the same thing that happened to Maria!"

"Iris, for the love of God, stop it!" shouted Stan.

Then Vladimir screamed…

Then he stopped again. There were a few tense seconds of dead quiet…

He took off his sunglasses. His eyes were large, and they were blue. Not blue in a sexy way, like Paul Newman's were, but more like a downright intimidating way, like how Superman and Cloud Strife were often depicted when they were angry.

Then he held up his left arm and the Duel Disk unfolded from his gauntlet.

"Of course I'm going to duel you," he said. "I have no other purpose."

Stan sighed, and looked at the ground sadly.

At least he knew now that there was a chance to rescue the others… They were alive… Not in the best shape, but at least their worst fears had been debunked.

He took hold of the brim of his hat, and turned it backwards with a swift yank.

_Then the only way to help them and anyone else their mother has hurt is to get all the way to her and take her down… _thought Stan. _So if the only way to do that is to get past Vlad, then as crazy as it sounds…_

His Duel Disk activated.

_To save them… I have to do the same thing to him…_

"I call forth my Deckmaster!" shouted Vladimir.

He held up a card, and a large… thing appeared behind him. It was a bizarre creature that looked like a giant tongue coiled up like a snake, with one fiendish eye and a fanged mouth. (400 ATK)

"What the…" said Francesca.

"Uh…" said Andy. "I think it's called a Tongue Twister."

Francesca looked at him. Then she looked at the Monster.

"No, seriously," she said.

"Yes, that's what this Monster is called," replied Vladimir.

Francesca tried hard to hold back laughing. She didn't succeed. Andy chuckled a little too.

"Want to know what's even funnier?" he asked. "It's Level 6!"

Then Francesca laughed even harder.

"Okay, okay people!" said Stan. "Didn't we go over this with Doopliss?"

Francesca quickly stopped laughing.

_Okay… _thought Stan, as he took his deck and looked at the cards. _I have a couple Monsters with lower Attack Scores, but…_

Then he heard a familiar voice.

"_Stan!" _shouted Goombella. _"Send me out this time!"_

Stan took her card, and looked closely at it.

"Seriously?" he asked. "Okay…"

He held up the card, and the spunky little Goomba appeared behind him. (500 ATK)

_I just hope she's enough to handle whatever Vladimir throws at me… _he thought.

He still remembered what happened back at Poshley Heights, and he doubted that the Heir Apparent of the Empire of Shadow had lost his touch…

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vlad: 8,000)**

"I think it's your move, Vlad…" said Stan.

The Dark prince made a draw. He looked at the card with some surprise.

_Well, there it is… _he thought. _The card that HE gave me… Well… I guess it can't hurt…_

"I'll start slow…" he said. "I summon Goblin Zombie."

As he played the card, the ground cracked, and a gaunt, ugly creature crawled out. It had beady eyes, was covered with bony spurs, and carried a plain-looking sword. (1,100 ATK)

"Then I'll throw down a face-down, as they used to say," as a set card appeared, "and I end my turn…"

Stan drew, and looked cautiously at the set card behind the Zombie. He clearly remembered the powerful effect that Vladimir was able to cause that was evident the last time, the dark feeling of dread that made his opponents fear what they couldn't see… Still, it didn't seem as intense as the dark curse that had struck Andy.

"Calm down, Stan," Goombella. "You know Goblin Zombie's effect, right? He probably _wants _you to destroy it…"

"I know…" replied Stan. "That's what I'm afraid of…"

The card he had drawn was Trident Warrior.

_Say, what's that old saying? _he thought. _It is better to light a single candle than to curse darkness…_

_Maybe using a little Light will help fight the Dark… Or more than a little!_

He played the card, and as Trident Warrior appeared, his radiant glow did seem to light up the dim wasteland a great deal. (1,800 ATK)

"I'll use Trident Warrior's effect to Special Summon Familiar Knight!" he shouted, as the knight in shining armor materialized. (1,200 ATK)

"Which means he can go medieval – literally – on Goblin Zombie! Attack with Chivalrous Blade!"

The Knight drew his blade, and it shimmered in the light. He leapt at the Zombie and smote the creature, cutting it in half.

"Goblin Zombie's effect activates…" said Vladimir. "When sent to my Graveyard, I take another Zombie with a Defense Score of 1,200 or lower from my deck."

As he said that, a fifth card appeared in his hand.

"Trident Warrior, attack him directly!" shouted Stan, as the Warrior aimed his weapon.

Vladimir barely budged as the powerful surge of lightning flashed from the spear, hitting him in the chest.

Smoke rose from his breastplate, but he just looked at Stan and his two Monsters with a stony glare.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,100)**

_Well, he hasn't lost his touch… _thought Stan, as a bead of sweat formed on his brown.

"Uh…" he said. "It's your move…"

Vladimir drew. He paused for a second.

"I activate Zombie World!" he shouted.

As he played the Field Spell, a _very _dramatic change came over the terrain. Twisted, dead trees sprang up around them first, followed by broken, moss-covered tombstones. Then, a full moon the color of blood appeared in the sky.

"I take it back!" shouted Francesca, "the way this place was before was just fine!"

"With Zombie World in play," said Vladimir, "all Monsters on the field and in both Graveyards are considered Zombies, and Monsters can't be Tribute Summoned unless they were Zombies in the first place."

"Oh, really?" said Stan. "Xyz Monsters aren't Tribute Summoned Vlad, and turning them into Zombies isn't going to stop them."

"Good point…" replied Vladimir.

He played a card, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared in front of him.

"Spear of Submission?" shouted Stan. "Oh, for the love of… _Does everyone working for the Queen have that damn card?"_

"Uh, Stan," said Francesca, "uhm, Cloaker and Domino were technically working for Smithy…"

Stan turned to her with an annoyed glance.

"Uh, right…" she said. "Rhetorical question… Sorry…"

"Then you know how it works, I take it?" asked Vladimir. "I name Fusions, Rituals, Synchros, or Xyzs, and neither player can summon the type of Monster named for the next three turns. I'll naturally name Xyzs.

"Next, I'll play the Hand Destruction Spell Card…"

The Quickplay Spell appeared in front of him, and he chose two cards rather quickly, discarding both. Stan was a little more undecided.

He had Overlay Eater right now, and that was probably a good choice for one card to discard… His others were Anarchist Monk Rashin, Level Retuner, and Sangan.

"Well?" asked Vlad.

"Hey, don't rush me, okay?" said Stan.

He took Overlay Eater and the Trap Card, and discarded both. Then he made two draws.

Vlad drew twice, and then his set card lifted, revealing Call of the Haunted. The ground cracked again, and Zombie Master crawled out of the soil. (1,800 ATK)

Then its dead eyes glowed with a very unpleasant light… (2,000 ATK)

"Huh?" said Stan. "How did it…"

Then, a ghostly figure appeared behind Vladimir, next to Tongue Twister. It was a creepy-looking little girl, dressed in a black, Victorian-style dress.

She looked at Stan with a smirk, and then her eyes glowed with evil, green light…

"That's Alice in Despairland," said Vlad. "But don't concern yourself with her, she can't hurt you…

"The effect she has on my Dark Monsters while she's in my Graveyard, however… That's something to be concerned about. She grants all of them 200 more Attack Points.

"Now then… I'm sure you know how Zombie Master works, how he can do that voodoo so well… So long as I discard one Monster from my hand…"

He discarded a card, Immortal Ruler, and Zombie Master cackled as lightning flashed from his hands. Goblin Zombie burst out of the ground with a groan. (1,100 ATK) –) (1,300 ATK)

"Then…" continued Vladimir. "This next Zombie is Level 7, but I only need one sacrifice to summon it if that sacrifice is itself a Zombie.

"So I'll swap my Goblin Zombie…"

The walking corpse turned into an inky orb of blackness…

Then the blood-red moon overhead glowed with a hellish light, and two eyes appeared in the gloomy fog. A huge Zombie appeared… A rotting, decaying dragon with glowing, red eyes. (2,400 ATK) Alice's eyes glowed again, and the foul thing's Attack Score rose to 2,600.

"Dear God…" said Andy.

He recognized it… It was as if Red-Eyes Black Dragon had died and come back to life… Or rather, come back _wrong…_

"Once again, I get to use Goblin Zombie's effect," said Vladimir.

A new card appeared in his left hand, and he put it with his others.

"Attack Trident Warrior, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" he ordered. "Wretched Blight!"

What came next was even worse than Berserk Dragon's attack. It was a cloud of filth, decay, and rot that enveloped Trident Warrior, literally causing him to decompose before Stan's eyes and collapse into a pile of dust.

"I may have destroyed your Trident Warrior," said Vladimir, "but he won't be down for long… You see, when Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon destroys a Zombie-Type Monster – which all of your Monsters are, thanks to my Field Spell – that Monster is Special Summoned to _my _side of the field."

The ground split open again, and Trident Warrior crawled out. (1,800 ATK)

"Still my turn, I believe…" said Vladimir.

Zombie Master cackled again, and the lightning bolts shot at Familiar Knight, reducing him to particles.

"I use Familiar Knight's effect!" shouted Stan.

He played Anarchist Monk Rashin's card, and the well-dressed Spellcaster appeared in the Knight's place.

"Unfortunately," said Vladimir, as he looked at the card he got from Goblin Zombie's effect, "I don't have a Level 4 Monster…

"But anyway… Trident Warrior…"

The Warrior aimed his spear at Rashin.

"Uhm, on second thought, hold off on that," said Vladimir. "I'll just end my turn…"

Stan looked at his opponent strangely as Trident Warrior lowered his weapon…

**(S: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,100)**

Stan made a draw. Then he sighed, and turned Rashin's card, causing him to kneel in Defense Mode. (100 DEF) Then he set Sangan's card and another card, causing both to appear reversed, one behind the other.

_Guess that's the best I can do for now… _he thought.

He turned to Vladimir and nodded. The Shadow Spawn of Darkness drew.

"I summon the Tuner Monster, Pain Painter," he said.

He played the card, and a short, portly Zombie wearing torn overalls and a bandana on its head, holding an industrial-size paintbrush, appeared next to the other Zombies. (400 ATK) –) (600 ATK)

"I can use this Monster's effect to select two other Zombies," explained Vladimir, "and the Levels of those two Zombies both become 2. I'll thus use that effect on both Zombie Master and Trident Warrior.

"Pain Painter has another effect… When on the field, its name is assumed to be 'Plaguespreader Zombie'…"

"That means…" said Stan.

"Yes…" said Vladimir. "This Tuner is quite possibly the best friend that a certain Synchro Monster could have…

"I Tune together Pain Painter, Trident Warrior, and Zombie Master…"

Pain Painter flew into the dark sky, with the two Zombies following close behind…

**(*2 + *2 + *2 = *6)**

"I Synchro Summon… _Archfiend Zombie Skull!"_

There was a blast of lightning and an unholy howl as the ground of the dark cemetery burst open. The demonic creature that appeared was a decaying, undead version of the famous Summoned Skull, even nastier-looking than the real thing. (2,500 ATK)

Alice's eyes glowed again, and the Skull's eyes glowed in response. (2,700 ATK)

"With this Monster under my control, all of my Monsters that are Zombies – which, due to the Field Spell, means all of them – can't be destroyed by card effects.

"Now that we've explained that… Attack his Anarchist Monk, Red-Eyes!"

The cloud of decay blasted from the Zombie's jaws, covering Rashin and consuming him.

"Nice one, fellah," said Stan. "You just activated Rashin's effect. When you do _anything _that sends him to the Graveyard, I get to banish a Monster from _your _Graveyard."

Vladimir looked at his Duel Disk in surprise as Pain Painter's card fell out of the discard slot.

"Maybe so…" he said, as he put it aside, "but my Monster's attack _did _send him to the Graveyard, and you know what that means…"

Again, the ground cracked open, and the Anarchist Monk crawled out. (1,800 ATK)

"And that means he can attack your other Monster… Attack with Chaos Hammer!"

The Monk aimed his wand, and a bolt of colored lights flew at the set card. Sangan appeared on it, and the bolt hit it, blowing it to minute shards.

Stan quickly took Gagaga Girl's card from his deck. Unfortunately, Vladimir wasn't wasting much time…

"Attack him directly, Zombie Skull!" he ordered.

Stan started to sweat as lighting started to form in the demonic Zombie's hands…

"Uh, Stan…" said Goombella.

"Eh?" said Stan.

He looked at his set card.

"Oh right!" he said.

"I activate Defense Draw!" he shouted.

His Trap Card lifted up as the lethal electricity shot at him, and they glanced off his chest.

"Phew!" he said. "Not only does than reduce the damage to zero, I get to draw once…"

He did so… And then his face fell.

_Aw, crud, Bound Wand? _he thought. _I can't use that on a Spellcaster who isn't a Spellcaster!_

"I'm not done, Mr. Mason," said Vladimir.

He played a Spell Card, and Foolish Burial appeared in front of him.

"Pain Painter is only a substitute for Plaguespreader Zombie, but my deck does have the real thing, and I'm sending it to my Graveyard now…

"Which means I can take a card from my hand and return it to the top of my deck…"

He placed one of his two cards on the top of his deck.

"…something which, oddly, most people these days don't consider a cost worth making…"

A short Zombie in a very bad state of decay, bloated and diseased. (400 ATK) –) (600 ATK)

"I tend to disagree, because I can now Tune it with your Anarchist Monk…"

The Tuner flew into the dark sky, with the zombified Spellcaster flying behind it.

**(*2 + *4 = *6)**

"…to Synchro Summon… _Revived King Ha Des!"_

Lightning flashed again, and another demonic Zombie appeared with a sinister chuckle. Clearly, it was indeed the Ruler of the Underworld, Dark Ruler Ha Des, only in an undead state. (2,450 ATK)

Alice's eyes glowed again, and the undead demon's eyes responded. (2,650 ATK)

Flurrie and Koops appeared to either side of Andy and Francesca.

"Ooh, this is bad…" said Koops. "This is _very _bad…"

"Bad?" said Flurrie. 'That's an understatement, honey.

"Vladimir has three of the nastiest Zombies in the game. Red-Eyes has an effect that can steal Stan's Monsters, Ha Des has an effect that lets _all _of Vladimir's Monsters nullify the effects of Monsters that they destroy, while Skull's effect renders them invulnerable to anything except battle.

"And to make this worse, that Spear of Submission is still good for one more turn, meaning that every Monster Stan has that CAN defeat those guys in battle is pretty much out of reach right now.

"This stopped being 'bad' about a turn ago, and crossed the line into 'nearly hopeless'."

Stan looked back at her.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement…" he said.

_Ah, who am I kidding? _he thought. _She summed it up rather well… If Vlad has a reputation for being the most dreaded of the Shadow Spawn, he's clearly earned it…_

He drew his card, and looked at it. As happy as he usually was to draw Gagaga Magician, he didn't see how the guy could help him much right now…

"Uh, Stan?" asked Goombella. "If I may make a suggestion…"

Stan looked at her. Then he nodded.

"I'm using my Deckmaster's effect, Vladimir," he said. "Basically, I can use her regular effect, once a turn if desire, a maximum of three times…

"Which means I reveal the top three cards of my deck, keep one, send one to the Graveyard, and the last back to my deck.

"The downside of this is, any round that I choose to do it, then _you _get to do the same on your next turn…

"So, let's see…"

Three large cards appeared in front of him, their faces visible to both him and Vladimir. They were Marauding Captain, Gagagabolt, and Nutrient Z.

_Hey… _he thought.

"I choose to keep Gagagabolt and send Captain to the Graveyard!" he shouted.

The three cards vanished as he discarded the Monster, and the Spell appeared with his others.

"Didn't we go over this before?" asked Vladimir. "My Skull's effect…"

"Yeah, I know…" said Stan, "your Skull's effect protects your Zombies from being destroyed by card effects, so Gagagabolt won't work on them, but I have something else in mind…

"See, Zombie World may keep me from Tribute Summoning a Monster that isn't a Zombie, but when your Monsters outnumber mine by two or more, I can summon Gagaga Druid without doing that."

As he said that, the mysterious, robed Spellcaster appeared out of the shadows, holding his wooden shillelagh. (2,200 ATK)

"Which means I can play Gagagabolt…" he continued, as the Druid lifted the staff. "But not to destroy your Monsters…

"I'm using it to destroy Zombie World itself!"

Lightning flashed, and then struck the ground around them. First the dead trees shattered, then the tombstones, and finally, the evil moon overhead.

"Thank goodness…" muttered Fran.

"You see," said Stan, "with that Field Spell gone, Gagaga Druid is a Spellcaster again…"

He threw Bound Wand into his Spell Zone, and the shillelagh vanished, the gem-topped wand appearing in its place.

"…which means that this Equip Spell works just fine now!"

(2,800 ATK)

"Attack Archfiend Zombie Skull with Divine Lightning!"

Gagaga Druid lifted the scepter, and lighting flashed again, crashing down from the heavens and smashing the undead Fiend into little pieces.

"One down…" muttered Stan.

**(S: 6,400) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,000)**

"Impressive…" said Vladimir. "But it's going to take more than a little lightshow to defeat them all.

"And by the way, you just activated _my _Deckmaster's effect. Because Archfiend Zombie Skull was a Dark, Special Summoned Monster that was at least Level 6, its death gives me one draw."

He drew the top card from his deck (which was one he had put there to summon Plaguespreader Zombie, naturally) and then looked hard at Stan.

"It's your move…" replied Stan.

Vlad drew again, but quickly put the card aside.

"I seem to remember you saying that I'm now allowed to use your Deckmaster's effect…" he said.

"Unfortunately…" said Stan.

Three cards appeared in front of the Shadow Spawn of Darkness. The first two were easy for the three teenagers to identify: Dark Hole and Urgent Tuning. The third…

"Uh…" said Andy, as he read the strange Spell Card's name. "Incantation of the Apparatus? Never heard of that one…"

"Uh, I'm pretty clueless too…" said Francesca.

Then, surprisingly, Vlad pointed to that card, and it vanished, the real card appearing with his other two. Then the other two Spells vanished, and he discarded Dark Hole.

"He chose that card over Dark Hole?" gasped Koops. "It must have some effect!"

"Indeed it does," replied Vlad, "but I'll have to save it for later. In the meantime..."

He played a card, and a more familiar Spell appeared in front of him.

"I use the dreaded magic known as Riryoku, which steals half the Attack Score of an opposing Monster, and then adds it to one of mine."

As he said this, Gagaga Druid clutched his chest as dark sinister mists rose from his shoulders, and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon glared at him hungrily… (Gagaga Druid: 1,400 ATK, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: 4,000 ATK)

"Destroy!" shouted Vlad, as the undead Dragon's breath weapon blasted at the Spellcaster. Stan howled as Druid was reduced to rotted flesh and pain ripped through him.

Then he coughed.

"I use the effect… of Bound Wand…" he said.

Druid appeared again, kneeling in front of him in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

"So it looks like I'm safe from Ha Des…"

'True," said Vlad, as Revived King Ha Des pointed at the defending Monster, "but _he _isn't.

"Attack with Stygian Curse."

A hex of sickening green flames shot from the undead demon lord's fingers, smashing Druid to pieces. Still, Stan breathed a small sigh of relief.

**(S: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 6,000)**

"I end my turn…" said Vlad, "and unfortunately, that means Spear of Submission is out of power, so it goes away."

The Spell Card vanished.

_Which means I've managed to stall long enough… _thought Stan. _So…_

He made his draw.

_Watch out!_

"I summon Gagaga Kaiser to the field!" he shouted, as the uniformed soldier stepped into place. (1,800 ATK)

"Then, with one Gagaga Monster on the field, I can also Special Summon Gagaga Clerk."

He played another card, and the female, pigtailed secretary appeared. (400 ATK)

"Next, by using Gagaga Kaiser's effect, I can banish a Monster from my Graveyard…"

He took Gagaga Druid's card, and pocketed it.

"…and then all Monsters on the field with the word 'Gagaga' in their names become the same Level as that Monster. That means Kaiser and Clerk are now both Level 6.

"Which means, I can build the Overlay Network…"

The spiraling portal appeared, and the two Warriors were drawn into it…

Then, Sword Breaker leapt out of the vortex, armed to the teeth as always, making an icy stare at the two Zombies. (2,700 ATK)

"HA!" shouted Koops. "You're in trouble now, Vlad."

Vlad's only response was a slight frown.

"I ditch one of Sword Breaker's Overlay Units," said Stan, "and name Zombies, meaning that he can automatically win any battle with such a Monster.

"So cut that abomination down to size, Sword Breaker! Attack Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon with Flashing Bladestorm!"

The Zombie let out a hoarse roar as the Warrior sped towards it and turned into the deadly whirlwind of blades. In the next instant the creature was torn into little shards of rotted flesh.

"Gross," said Francesca.

"That's all…" said Stan.

Vlad muttered something under his breath as he drew.

"Ugh…" he muttered, as he shook his hand. "Pass…"

Stan had an expression of disbelief as he drew. He found it hard to believe that this could have suddenly turned around so quickly.

"I summon Gagaga Magician!" he shouted, as the veiled Spellcaster appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Sword Breaker, crush Revived King Ha Des!"

The Flashing Bladestorm started again, bisecting the wicked Zombie Synchro and causing the two pieces to dissolve into shadowy fog.

"I get to use my Deckmaster effect…" said Vlad, who seemed to be getting a little angry.

He made one draw.

"And now that he's out of the way," said Stan, as Gagaga Magician made a leapt towards Vladimir, "attack him directly!"

This time, there was no mistaking it. As Gagaga Magician's magically-charged punch hit him the chest, there was clearly a reaction from Vladimir. He didn't fall over, but he almost did, stumbling a little.

He held his head as the Monster backed off.

"Looks like you finally hurt him," said Andy.

"He did not!" shouted the Shadow Spawn of Darkness. "I just… I just didn't expect it!"

**(S: 3,800) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,500)**

"Uh huh," said Stan. "It's your move…"

_On my next turn I can summon Gagaga Girl, _he thought, _and then use both her and Gagaga Magician to summon Mag-Magi Magician Girl. If all goes right, this should work…_

For a minute, it looked like Vladimir was about to really lose his temper…

But he did not. First, he drew. Then his sunglasses appeared in his free hand (just how, Stan didn't know) and he put them on.

"So, Stan…" he said. "I suppose that after I left the first time, Pennington told you about the history of Poshley Heights…"

"Uh…" said Stan. "Uhm… He might have… Mentioned it…"

"He's always wanted to know just _what _mom had been building there…" muttered Vlad. "I suppose I could have told him… It's not like anyone would have believed him if he told anyone about it… In fact, I doubt _he _would believe it… It's kind of bizarre…

"Want me to tell you?"

"We've come this far…" said Stan.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," said Vladimir. "She called it the Infernal Machine. At least that was the working title.

"Supposedly, the Infernal Machine was a large clockwork device made of wood and iron, comparable to some designs that would be drawn by Leonardo da Vinci centuries later. You know, like his early designs for the army tank, submarine, and airplane.

"But the Infernal Machine used interdimensional magic to create a portal the size of a fist, leading to the deepest layer of Hell itself."

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"Thought that might get your attention," he said. "Now, a portal that size was too small to allow access or egress for most creatures…"

"Halleluiah…" said Francesca.

"But…" continued Vlad, "it was big enough to provide a near-unlimited power source for certain wand-like devices mounted on the contraption.

"In theory, the Infernal Machine could be used to rain deadly hellfire on an army, making the Queen's forces unstoppable."

"For the love of…" gasped Andy. "It would have been an evil Ark of the Covenant!"

"Metaphorically speaking, yes," replied Vladimir. "But, as you know, that plan fell through. The battle at Fahr Outpost demolished the under-construction Infernal Machine along with General U'ulgan and much of the Company of Malice…

"But…"

"Dear God, there's a 'but' to this?" shouted Francesca.

"Yes…" said Vladimir. "Mom believed that rebuilding the Infernal Machine would be incredibly useful in her first attempt to escape… But the thing is, there were many reasons such a thing could not be built in the Palace itself, which was the reason the Fahr Outpost had been used to build the first one. Because she was bound to the place now, she had no way to start the project again on her own…"

"So that's where Smithy came in, I take it?" asked Andy.

"Exactly," replied Vlad. "She needed someone who was good with machines, and Smithy fit the bill. In fact, with a five-hundred-year advance in technology combined with that of his home dimension, his design improved upon it.

"But as you know, Smithy was brought down, and Gearville was brought to a halt. I'm not clear who did it, but apparently, the prototype for the new Infernal Machine, which was as far as he had gotten, was destroyed.

"Mom has yet to start over… For all I know, she might have plans to rebuild it again…

"But…"

He played a Spell Card, the strange one they had seen earlier.

"The legacy of that creation still lives on… I activate Incantation of the Apparatus!

"With three Dark Monsters in my Graveyard that are Level 6 that were summoned and then destroyed, I can return all three to my deck…"

Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, Revived King Ha Des, and Archfiend Zombie Skull flew from his discard slot, and he shuffled his deck. The ground started to rumble.

"Gaze on one of the deadliest of the Smithy Gang," he said, as a huge contraption started to rise out of the ground.

"_The Gunyolk!" _

If the Monster in front of them was supposed to represent the prototype of an "Infernal Machine", then it was well-named. The huge device was ten feet tall by ten feet wide by fifteen feet long, and made of what looked like chrome-plated steel. It combined the traits of a robot, an armored vehicle, and some sort of engine or generator that you might see in a dystopian science fiction movie. The thing had tank treads on the bottom (presumably how it moved) and at the top… Well, the top held what could best be described as a cauldron of some sort, full of glowing, shifting colors. Very _unpleasant _colors, like mauve, dark brown, and sickly green. The colors bubbled and churned in a way that suggested it was liquid, although just what the substance was, Stan didn't know (nor did he want to).

Then, two small panels on the front of the thing opened, revealing the worst feature… Two large, glowing, glaring eyes, not side by side, but one above the other. (2,500 ATK) –) (2,700 ATK)

The same terrible feeling was there, the evil aura that the three teenagers had felt when Smithy's other creations had been summoned, but it was far more intense this time, almost to the point of being overwhelming. And they were _not _the only ones who felt it. Judging by the look on the face of Alice in Despairland, _she _seemed a little afraid of this thing, and even Vladimir looked nervous.

"_That's _a _prototype?" _screamed Francesca. "How big did he intend the completed project to be?"

"No idea," replied Vlad.

"Stan, listen to me…" said Goombella. 'This does look like a problem, but if you just don't panic, it's not unsolvable."

"I know what your little friend is going to tell you, Stan," said Vladimir. "She assumes that I'm going to attack Gagaga Magician, meaning that you'll be able to destroy this thing on your next turn by using Sword Breaker's effect a second time.

"Unfortunately, she doesn't have the facts straight. I'm not concerned with your Spellcaster right now. Gunyolk is going to deal with Sword Breaker _this _turn."

"Huh?" said Stan. "But…"

"Yes, I know, their Attack Scores are equal," said Vlad, "a situation that would normally result in a draw. However, Gunyolk has a powerful – but complicated – effect. Still, I have nowhere to go, so I'll spell it out.

"See, this card isn't a NOMI, despite what you may have assumed. I could have summoned it the same way I summoned any other two-Tribute Monster. But if I did that, it would have had no effect, and the only advantage it would have had over Slot Machine would be 500 more points.

"However, summoning it with Incantation of the Apparatus unlocks its true power.

"You see, because I did so, this creature is impervious to the effects of Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters. And if it battles those Monsters, it wins automatically, reducing Battle Damage to zero but dealing 1,000 points of effect damage in the process."

Stan could only stare at the Machine in shock.

_If I2 were crazy enough to mass produce this card, _he thought, _it would dominate the Pro League…_

"Time to battle!" shouted Vladimir. "Obliterate Sword Breaker with Blazing Nightmare!"

The Gunyolk's two eyes burned with hellish light… Then two burning hot bolts shot from them, spiraling around each other and combining into one bolt. It was all Stan could do to keep from crying out in pain and falling down as his Warrior was eradicated…

**(S: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,500)**

He felt his chest… That beam of energy… While it had been hot at first, it had left him feeling cold… Like a dark, chilling cold was starting to creep through him…

The giant contraption's eyes stopped glowing, and steam rose from its joints. Then Vlad fit two cards into his Spell Zone, and they appeared face-down behind the thing.

"I'm done…" he said.

_And so am I, unless I can think of something, _thought Stan. _So much for Magi-Magi Magician Girl… She'd only get creamed!_

He drew.

_Ah, Vivian… _he thought. _I wish you could help, but you really can't…_

"I'll set this card," he said, "and then summon Gagaga Girl…"

The reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone, and the female Spellcaster appeared. (1,000 ATK) She shivered at the sight of the huge Machine.

Then, Gagaga Magician knelt in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

_Gunyolk may be impervious to the effects of Xyz Monsters, _he thought. _But… if I Xyz Summon using these two guys, I can still use Gagaga Girl's effect to reduce Gunyolk's Attack Score to zero._

_But… Gunyolk would still be able to defeat the Xyz Monster I summoned, and I'd be open to an attack from anything else Vladimir summoned… So I'll just use my set Gagagaguard to protect them until next turn when I can summon Vivian so _she _can attack that thing…_

"It's your move, Vlad…" he said, nervously.

"That card is Gagagashield, right?" asked Vlad, as he made a draw.

"Uh…" said Stan. "Maybe…"

"Well, even if it isn't…" replied his opponent, "I may not have to deal with those two…

"I play the Blasting Vein Spell Card…"

He threw the Spell into his Duel Disk, and one of his set cards lifted up and shattered.

"By destroying a set Trap Card, I can draw twice…"

He made two draws.

"Plus, that Trap is a special one called Zombie Bed, its effect now activates…"

The ground split open again, and a decorated stone coffin rose out of the earth.

"…letting me summon a Zombie from my Graveyard."

The lid slowly slid open, and Zombie Master clawed his way out. (1,800 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Next, I'll use Zombie Master's effect…"

He discarded a card – it was Ryu Kokki – and the living corpse cackled again. Goblin Zombie crawled out of the ground once more. (1,100 ATK) –) (1,300 ATK)

"Now, by sacrificing two Monsters," he said, as both Zombies turned into dark, shadowy forms, and dissipated, "I can use the Equip Spell, Cyber Energy Shock, and bond it to Gunyolk."

As the Equip Spell appeared, the Machine's two eyes glowed even more intensely.

"First thing's first…" he continued. "Goblin Zombie's effect activates…"

A new card appeared in his hand.

"So, uh…" said Stan. "What does Cyber Energy Shock do?"

"By Equipping Gunyolk with this Spell," replied Vlad, "its lifespan is limited to the next three turns, and it's the only Monster I can attack with… But that's all I need, because I can attack directly with it."

"Hold on, what…" said Stan.

Before he could say anything else, the wicked Machine's bolt shot at him, and pain surged through his body more intense than anything he had ever felt. He fell on his back with a crash.

**(S: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,500)**

Vladimir looked at him, while everyone else in the room looked with horror.

"If you can still hear me…" he said, "I'm playing one more card…"

A set card appeared in his Spell Zone, giving him two.

"…and that's all for my turn…"

_It's doubtful that he'll be able to get up after that, _he thought, as he looked at his last card, the Zombie Master he had gotten from Goblin Zombie's effect, _but if he can, I'm more than ready. _

_With Escape From the Dark Dimension set, I can bring Pain Painter back and summon Ha Des again… Maybe even Skull if I'm lucky… So this won't be a problem…_

**0000000000**

To be perfectly honest, Stan _didn't _hear him. He heard what might have been Andy and Francesca shouting for him… Their voices muddled and distorted, liked he was underwater. Truth be told, he didn't even know that he still had Life Points left. He didn't get a chance to check the score before the blast had hit him.

"Stan? Stan. Stan, are you hurt?"

_Huh? _thought Stan, when he heard the voice. _Uncle Mike?_

He stopped in mid-thought. No, it wasn't his uncle's voice… It was similar, yes, but sounded a little younger, with a slight accent…

"Stan…" said the voice. "Come on… I know you still have some of that never-say-die spirit left."

These words were accompanied by the feeling of his side being prodded with something.

Stan realized that the voice had something else in common with his uncle's voice…

…it was a voice he knew he could trust.

He lifted his head. A dark, shadowy shape was there, offering him a hand. Slowly, he reached for it…

**0000000000**

The next thing he knew, he was standing up, holding his forehead.

"Stan!" shouted Francesca.

_Whoa, that was bizarre… _thought Stan.

"Uh, I'm okay people…" he said. "Uh… I think I am…"

He looked at the score.

"Okay, I'd like to say I've been in tougher situations like this," he said.

"But since mom always told me that honesty is the best policy, I'm not gonna say it…

"Here goes!"

He drew a card.

_It's him! _he thought, when he saw the card.

This was the card he had won from Chaos Hunter, but it had more meaning now…

…more than he had ever realized…

"I use Gagaga Magician's effect to change his Level to 6," he said. "That, in turn, let's me use Gagaga Girl's effect, to also change _her _Level to 6."

"Forget already?" asked Vladimir. "You're Xyzs aren't going to cut it against Gunyolk…"

"I'm not making an Xyz Summon," replied Stan. "With two Spellcasters that are Level 6 or higher, I can sacrifice both of them…"

Gagaga Magician and Gaga Girl levitated off the floor and closed their eyes, as odd magical sigils and mystical, glowing orbs started to fly around them…

"…to throw open the gates to a higher realm and call forth a greater power…"

The two Monsters turned into pure light, which turned into a burning, spiraling, whirlwind of energy…

Then the maelstrom burst, as if something had blown it apart from the inside. And something had. A tall, majestic-looking wizard was standing there, his black robes and cape resembling those of the legendary Dark Magician, but fancier, grander, and with a far-greater aura of authority. His long staff was capped with three sickle-shaped blades surrounding a glowing-blue orb. (3,200 ATK)

"Is that the Sorcerer of Dark Magic?" screamed Vladimir.

"The one and the same," replied Stan.

Sorcerer of Dark Magic lifted his scepter to the heavens…

"Vanquish the Gunyolk with Celestial Blast!" shouted Stan.

"I activate the Dimensional Prison Trap Card!" yelled Vladimir, as one of his set cards lifted up.

"_Not _gonna happen," said Stan. "My Sorcerer has the ability to negate Traps…"

The Spellcaster pointed with his free hand, and the card was blown to little pieces.

Then he aimed at the abomination again, and a pulsating blast of pure light struck the thing right between the eyes, blowing a hole in it. Sparks of red energy shot from the thing, and then the liquid in the cauldron spurted and spilled from it…

Finally, the damage must have reached whatever it used for a fuel tank, because the hellish Machine exploded, sending a fiery cloud of smoke into the sky of the dark wasteland.

"So much for the Infernal Machine…" said Stan, with a tired sigh. "I guess it's true what they say… History repeats itself… More than once, sometimes…"

"My Deckmaster effect is still valid…" said Vlad.

He drew one card.

**(S: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 4,000)**

"I end my turn…" said Stan.

**0000000000**

In the crypt where he was hiding, Count Bleck shook his head.

"A shame…" he thought. "I had so much hoped to keep this up for just a little longer…

"Ah, well…"

He stood up.

**0000000000**

"This duel isn't over yet, Stan!" said Vlad.

He made a draw.

_Spirit Reaper… _he thought.

"I'll set this Monster," he said, as he set it on his Disk, causing it to appear reversed. "Then I'll play… A Feather of the Phoenix…"

He played the Spell Card, and then discarded his last card, Zombie Master. Then he took a card from his Graveyard pile, and put it on the top of his deck.

"We'll get to that later…" he said. "It's your move…"

_I can't use Escape From the Dark Dimension now… _he thought. _That Spellcaster would just counter it…_

_But Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed by attacks, and if Stan can't get by it this turn, I can use that Dark Hole I just recovered to wipe out every Monster on the field and _then _use it. Pain Painter will only have 600 Attack Points, but with Stan's Life Points hanging by a thread, it will be all I need…_

_It's all up to Fate now… Whether he'll smile on me… Or Stan…_

Stan tensed for a few seconds. He looked Vladimir in the eye. Then he looked at the set Monster.

_He knew…_

Everyone in the room knew. At least subconsciously, they knew exactly what Vladimir's set cards were and what the card he would draw next turn was.

One way or another… This was the last turn Stan was going to get…

He drew a card…

And then, the world seemed to fall apart.

A cloud of foul black smoke appeared in the center of the field, and every card, Stan Monster, Vladimir's Monster, the set Trap Cards on both sides of the field, and even both Deckmasters, disappeared.

"WHAT?" said Stan and Vladimir, both at once.

"Count Bleck?" shouted Andy.

Indeed, that was who it was.

"Sorry, my friends," he said, "I have to cut this short…"

"Bleck?" shouted Stan. "What are you doing? We were in the middle of a duel!"

"Fine, you win!" said Bleck. "Happy?"

"Now wait just a…" demanded Vladimir, as he pointed at the warlock.

Then Bleck waved his arm, and the Shadow Spawn of Darkness' sunglasses fell off, his eyes appearing glazed and dizzy. He collapsed, and Bleck caught him with his free arm.

"What did you do to him?" demanded Stan.

"Relax," said Bleck. "He's just taking a nap. He'll be awake in twenty minutes. That's all you three should be concerned about right now."

"What's going on here Bleck?" shouted Francesca.

"I want to thank you children," replied the sorcerer, not answering the question. "I could never have gotten what I wanted without your help…"

"WHAT?" shouted Andy.

"Keeping the Queen occupied while I snuck past her very nose and got this far into the Palace," said Bleck. "She's been far too occupied with you three to worry about me. Now I have what I require.

"And because you helped me… Our alliance will last for exactly fifteen more minutes.

"Should you pursue me after that… You do so at your own peril…

_"Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!"_

His laugh echoed through their heads as the unfortunately familiar feeling of being dragged through a portal overtook them again…

**0000000000**

The Shadow Queen had been angry before…

Right now, she could not remember the last time she had been _this _angry.

"That bastard!" she shouted, getting up. "I knew he was sneaking around!

"But I never thought he'd be this bold…

"Grodus!"

"_Yes my Queen?" _said a voice from the crystal ball.

"Change of plans!" shouted the Shadow Queen. "Get out of there…

"A bigger problem has come up, and I have to deal with it… personally…"

The necklace she was wearing glowed with a blood-red light that slowly covered her whole body. Then the glow subsided, and her dress was gone, replaced by black armor, much the same style as the type Vladimir wore.

"It's been awhile…" she said, as she shook her left leg a little, "but I don't think I'll have any trouble…"

Then she lifted her left arm, and a Duel Disk unfolded out of the gauntlet, a sinister-looking one made of black metal and a tray shaped like a sword, the deck holder shaped like a hand with six fingers that held the deck in place.

"You want something done right," she said, as she stormed out of the throne room, "you gotta do it yourself…"

**0000000000**

**ALICE IN DESPAIRLAND (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Effect/Lvl1/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. When this card is in your Graveyard, increase the ATK of all DARK Monsters you control by 200.

_Note: This card was the original form of Alice, the antagonist in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "What a Doll!". The scene where the card appeared was cut from the dub version, and the only thing truly known about the card from the scene in the original, aside from its appearance, was that it was an Effect Monster. The effect given here was designed by fanfic author MultiplePersonas._

**0000000000**

**ZOMBIE BED (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **A decorated, ominous-looking stone coffin.

**Card Description: **When this face-down card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard.

_Note: "Zombie Bed" was first used by Camula in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Doomsday Duel (Part 1)" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**BLASTING VEIN (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A Duel Monsters card in the center of a fire.

**Card Description: **Destroy 1 set Spell or Trap Card you control. Draw 2 cards.

_Note: "Blasting Vein" was first used by O'Brien in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Hanging With Axel (Part 2)" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**CYBER ENERGY SHOCK (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **Jinzo blasting a bolt of energy towards the foreground.

**Card Description: **This card can only be Equipped to a DARK Machine-Type Monster. Tribute 2 Monsters you control (except Tokens) to Equip this card to a Monster. The Equipped Monster is the only Monster you may declare an attack with, and may attack directly. If this card leaves the field, banish it and the Monster it was Equipped to. At the end of your third End Phase after Equipping this card to a Monster, banish this card and the Equipped Monster.

_Note: "Cyber Energy Shock" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Ascension"._

**0000000000**

**INCANTATION OF THE APPARATUS (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and G.B. Hunter standing before the Gunyolk, which is partially concealed in shadows.

**Card Description: **Select 3 Level 6 or higher DARK Monsters in your Graveyard that were previously summoned properly and then destroyed (either by battle or by your opponent's card effect) Return the selected cards to your Deck. Special Summon 1 "Gunyolk" from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**GUNYOLK (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Effect/Lvl10/2,500ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect: **If this card is Special Summoned via the effect of "Incantation of the Apparatus", it gains the following effects: * This card is not affected by the effects of Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters. * When this card battles a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster, destroy that Monster without Damage Calculation and inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent.

**0000000000**

"**Goombella the Scholar":** Spellcaster/Earth/Lvl4/500/2,000: "Tattletale": Once per turn, during your Standby Phase, you can reveal the top 3 cards on your deck. Add 1 of the revealed cards to your hand, send 1 to your Graveyard, and shuffle 1 into your deck. If you use this effect, your opponent may use the effect during his next Standby Phase. Each time you use this effect, place 1 "Tattle Counter" on this card. When this card has 3 "Tattle Counters", you may not use this effect.

**0000000000**

"**Tongue Twister":** Fiend/Dark/Lvl6/400/300: "Silver Tongue": When a Level 6 or higher DARK Monster you control that was Special Summoned is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you may draw 1 card.

**0000000000**

_**Uh, well… Uh… That was… Unexpected… Really I…**_

_**Seriously, I don't know what to say…**_

_**Bleck: Then I'll say it.**_

_**She thought I was dead… And maybe I was… Perhaps, as she assumed, I was dead, and suffering in the flaming bowels of Hell. **_

_**Hell is said to be the ultimate prison for the damned, but can any prison truly be called escape-proof? I think not...**_

_**Like the phoenix I have risen again… I'm back…**_

_**It's a whole new game now. **_

_**Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!**_

_**Oh, excuse me again. **_

"_**Pestilence" is coming soon. **_


	57. Pestilence

_**What's the fastest way to get people to want something? Simple. Put it in plain sight, and tell everyone they aren't allowed to have it. I can almost guarantee that it will work. **_

_**I'm serious. There was once a novel by Terry Pratchett (I forget which one) where a character says that "If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry" before someone pulled it.**_ _**It's why Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Life, why Pandora opened the box, and, well, I could give you countless other examples. **_

_**I can even give you a real example. Prussian king Frederick the Great really liked potatoes. I mean, he really, REALLY loved potatoes. And potatoes were pretty healthy back then, seeing as this was a time before people felt the need to put sour cream, bacon bits, and butter on them. But his plan to turn them into a staple crop for his kingdom wasn't working, because the peasants seemed reluctant to try anything new. Then he got a good idea. He ordered his soldiers to guard his potato fields, hoping that the presence of armed guards would make the peasants think the vegetables were important and steal them. **_

_**It sounded crazy enough to work, and it did. They didn't call him "Great" for nothing. **_

_**Now… Count Bleck warned us to stay away… But now that I think about it, I can't help but wonder…**_

_**Was that actually an invitation?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-SEVEN**

**0000000000**

**Pestilence**

**0000000000**

**00000**

In Rogueport, Merlow was standing by the gallows, while General White was listening into a cell phone.

Then he sighed and hung up.

"No answer?" asked Merlow.

"I didn't even get the secretary," replied White. "No-one's left the parliament building, so they must be _in _there, but they aren't answering."

"They probably barricaded themselves in their offices," muttered Merlow.

He shook his head.

"Tell them to kill the power to that place. We'll see how long the fat cowards last when the food in the commissary starts to spoil."

"Right…" said White, as he started to dial again.

Merlow looked towards the Palace of Shadow. Then he cursed under his breath.

He knew that all this wouldn't matter unless Stan, Andy, and Francesca were successful. As for how much progress they had made… He had no idea. He knew that they weren't dead, but that was _all _he knew. The curse that Bleck had put on him after he had lost that duel kept him from entering the place or even keeping tabs on them.

And he knew more than anyone that just knowing they were alive wasn't much reassurance. For all he knew, they could have been at the mercy of the Queen right now… And he had NO idea what Bleck truly had planned for them. For someone who had hedged all of his bets his whole life on trying to stay one step ahead of her, the uncertainty was maddening…

**0000000000**

Fortunately for Merlow, the worst-case-scenario had not yet occurred.

The good news was, the three duelists in question weren't stuck in that awful room with the hand again. The bad news was, they were in another long corridor that didn't seem to go anywhere.

"I can't believe the bastard used us…" growled Andy. "What were we thinking trusting that guy?"

"Look, it was my fault, okay?" shouted Stan. "I'm the one who said 'give him a chance', even though he was a guy wearing a creepy cape who cackled like some villain on a Saturday morning cartoon.

"Good lord, he had 'bad guy' written all over his face, and we fell for it…"

"GUYS!" shouted Fran. "Let's not start pinning blame…

"Don't forget what Gloomtail would have done to us if Bleck hadn't helped us. There's something seriously wrong with this picture, and I think it's best we find out what…"

"So, then…" said Andy, "do we try to find Bleck, or keep trying to head towards the center of the Palace?"

Fran looked around.

"We may not be able to even _reach _the center of the Palace while Bleck is holding Vladimir hostage," she said. "Look around… This seems to be another of the Queen's trick hallways, and we have no idea where to find an exit this time…"

"Yeah, maybe the Queen has sort of put this place in 'high alert' and wants us to stay put," said Stan. "So how…"

Then Francesca's deck glowed. Ms. Mowz leapt in front of them with a small hop.

Then she started sniffing the air.

"Ms. Mowz," said Fran. "You can pick up Bleck's scent?"

"Not his," replied the Squeek, "but I can sniff out precious metals and gems, remember? If I can track that diamond on his cane…"

She sniffed harder.

"Got it!" she said. "Follow me! I think there might be a secret door up ahead…

"And it might lead us right to him…"

**0000000000**

Bleck was back in his makeshift lair again, nervously leaning against the wall and holding a pocket watch that he was checking every five minutes, on average. It was ten o'clock right now.

Very few people knew this, but the Shadow Queen's title was very fitting. Darkness made her strong, and even thought the light of the sun, moon, and stars couldn't reach the inside of her Palace, her power was greatest when their light didn't impede it. Nights of the New Moon made her nearly unbeatable. Subsequently, her power waned as the sun rose in the sky, and anyone who would fight her would be wise to do so at high noon.

That was just what the Three Heroes had done. Their final assault had been cleverly timed almost to the second when the sun's light over Arcadia was the strongest.

Behind him, his prisoner was bound to a chair by thick ropes. Bleck turned as he heard the Shadow Spawn of Darkness groan, the magical sleep wearing off.

And it wore off rather quickly. Vladimir's expression was clearly one of rage.

"Hope the ropes aren't too tight, Vladimir," said Bleck.

"No, they're just how I like them," replied Vladimir, with an obvious tone of sarcasm. "You do realize, fellah, that once my mother finds us, she'll have you disemboweled…"

Bleck looked at him closely.

"I thought you didn't like your mother," replied Bleck.

"I don't like being kidnapped either!" shouted Vladimir.

He started struggling against the ropes, grunting again as he did so.

"Don't bother…" sighed Bleck. "You know those shackles that your mother made that she enchanted with you in mind specifically? Those ropes have the exact same spell cast on them."

Vladimir's expression quickly changed to one of shock.

"How the Hell did you learn how to…" he started.

"I said I would explain everything, and I will, soon," replied Bleck. "All is falling into place exactly as I planned it…

"And as for your mother finding us…"

He tapped the youth in the chest with the blunt of his cane.

"…I'm _counting _on it…"

As he finished saying that, a small, imp-like creature flew into the room and landed on one of the small coffins. It was the Duel Spirit, Winged Minion.

"We've got problems, chief," it said.

"The Queen is looking for us, right?" asked Bleck. "That's not a problem… Like I told the young man here, that's exactly what we want."

"Yeah, well, so are those three kids…" said the Minion.

"That's not a problem either," replied Bleck. "I could use some witnesses when the Queen finally arrives."

"Well, uh…" replied the small Fiend. "Those three kids are doing a better job than she is… They're in the ossuary."

Bleck rubbed his chin.

"I see…" he said, slowly. "As in, they're closer than we expected they'd be at this point…"

He reached into his waistcoat pocket and took out three cards.

"Okay, _that's _a problem…"

He looked at the three cards closely.

"Merlow was clearly a good teacher… I can't let them just charge into here… Spending my energy fighting them would be bad, and having her interrupt a fight between us would be even worse…"

"What are you doing with those?" asked Vladimir. "Don't tell me _you _can summon Duel Spirits!"

"Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!" laughed Bleck. "Are you kidding? Who do you think taught your mother how to do it?"

He threw the cards in front of him.

"To me, my warriors…"

He pointed with his staff, and lighting flashed…

Smoke started to rise from the center of the room, and three dark shapes appeared in the smoke.

"Go," he said. "Restrain them."

The dark shapes vanished as Vladimir chuckled.

"Restrain them?" he asked. "Seriously, Bleck, that's the first time I've ever heard a dark wizard tell his goons to do anything to the good guys other than 'kill them'. Maybe you're just not cut out for this."

"Think I'm not being evil enough?" chuckled Bleck. "Maybe I want to take them alive and then torture them…

"Maybe sting them with scorpions? Shock them with electricity? Force them to watch game shows?"

Then he laughed again.

"But seriously…" he continued, "I know all this is rather odd, but…

"I've always been a rather odd guy…"

**0000000000**

In case you didn't know what an ossuary is, it's a special type of crypt. It didn't hold whole corpses, but only bones, or in some cases, like this one, only skulls. It was usually used as an alternative to a regular cemetery for very old monasteries and other places that would need a large burial ground, but did not have room for one.

The Queen did respect the dead – one of her few good qualities – and the ossuary was a place where the skulls of her human servants and soldiers that had died loyal to her but who were not important enough to be given a place in the crypt were kept.

Still, the three duelists walking through this creepy, torch lit room where literally hundreds of skulls were stacked on wooden shelves that reached to the ceiling had no way of knowing just who they had belonged to…

"Just keep walking, people…" said Andy, who was leading them. "Don't look at them… The exit is right ahead…"

What happened next came as a complete surprise. Two portals – not one, two – opened, one to their left and the other to their right.

Before they could do anything, both Stan and Francesca were grabbed, Stan by an ugly claw from the right one, and Francesca by a mass of white bandages from the left one. Andy tried to reach for Fran, but he wasn't fast enough. Before he could even make one step, both of them were yanked through the portals, which both vanished.

He was alone…

Then he realized he wasn't…

Something was standing in the exit ahead. He could only see its eyes… And he could tell from the eyes that the rest of the creature likely wasn't pretty. They were cold and lifeless…

"I'm really getting sick of this…" he said. "Show yourself!"

The creature stepped forward…

"Okay, I saw you," said Andy, trembling, "you can go back to where you were now…"

Andy could only assume this creature was a Duel Spirit. He didn't recognize it, and it frightened him more than _anything _he had ever seen as a duelist (which was saying a lot). It was a tall, gaunt, _thing _that was only vaguely humanoid, completely covered with a crusty exoskeleton which suggested both stone and human scar tissue. Its spindly arms ended in _very _large claws. (0 ATK)

"What the devil are you?" gasped Andy.

"I am the thing that lurks in your basement…" said the creature. "I am the beast hiding in the shadows…

"'I am the pus that drips from the open wound, I am the rot that peels flesh from muscle, I am the waste expelled from a carcass in death, I –"

"Okay seriously?" said Andy, interrupting.

He held his stomach, keeping himself from vomiting through little more than willpower.

"I know your trying to be scary, but this is starting to go from being creepy to downright disgusting."

The creature blinked at this before giving a strange moist chuckle.

"Pity," it said. "Ah well, what was it Stephen King once said? 'If I cannot terrify I'll go for the grossout, I'm not proud'. Besides, there's still plenty of time to instill _real_ fear in you."

"For purposes of identification, you may call me Scab-Scar Knight. Call me Scab, everyone does…"

"Gross…" said Andy.

"Well, I certainly couldn't ask you to call me 'Scar'!" it said. "That one was taken!"

"Look, what did you do to Stan and Francesca?" demanded Andy.

"Nothing at all," replied the thing. "I didn't do anything to them. I'm only interested in you."

"Look, I'm tired of these tricks," said Andy. "I'm getting through here even if I have to go through you."

"You'll find that to be a very unpleasant experience…" said Scab.

As it said those words, a rather creepy feeling overtook Andy. Sort of like the sensation that would cause someone to say that he "felt someone step on his grave" but a little more intense…

Then Andy had a horrid vision, sort of a waking nightmare… That hideous exoskeleton that covered Scab-Scar Knight was starting to cover him. The foul stuff was spreading across his body quickly, and the parts it covered were going numb as it happened…

Right before the stuff reached his mouth, he screamed…

And then it stopped.

He looked at himself, and breathed a sigh of relief.

_Okay… _thought Andy_. __His entrance may need work… But he's deadly serious…_

Scab-Scar Knight lifted its left arm, and an ugly growth started to sprout from it, like some fast-growing tumor. Then it started to form a familiar shape…

Andy couldn't believe it… It was a Duel Disk made out of bone, sinew, and that ugly shell covering the creature, a device formed from its own body.

Clearly, if Andy had not seen so many hideous things on his journey already, this might have caused him to flee in horror. He still wanted to run, but he didn't.

He took his shades out of his pocket, and quickly put them on. Unfortunately, looking at the thing through shaded glass didn't help much.

"I'm not scared of you…" he said, even though it was a blatant lie.

He lifted his Duel Disk, and it activated.

"Seeing as we're still in the Palace of Shadow," said the creature, "we'll play by the Queen's rules…"

He doesn't work for the Queen? thought Andy.

"As in, the Deckmaster…" said Scab, as Andy took his deck from the holder.

Can't risk trying something new this time, thought Andy, as he picked Lord of Dragons. This is one guy I'm not taking chances with. Have to go with someone I can rely on…

The draconic Spellcaster appeared behind him.

"I'll be my own Deckmaster, naturally," said Scab. "And seeing as I lack even one Attack Point, I have the first move…"

**(Andy: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Scab-Scar Knight: 8,000)**

_Yeah, yeah, zero Attack Points… __thought Andy, as it made its first draw. __Same as Relinquished, Chaos Necromancer, and a whole lot of other nasty creatures. This guy doesn't fool me one bit…_

The creature put three cards in his Disk, and three set cards appeared, two behind the first.

Then it silently looked at Andy.

"I guess it's my move…" muttered Andy, as he drew.

Not bad for a start… he thought, as he looked over the six cards.

"First, I'll summon Ancient Dragon," he said, as the brilliant golden Dragon appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"Next I'll use my Deckmaster effect, and pay 500 Life Points to summon Vanguard of the Dragon too."

He played the card, and the tall, reptilian, humanoid Dragon with a spear and shield appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Let's see what you're hiding… Ancient Dragon… Attack with Scorching Ray!"

A beam of pure light shot from the Dragon's jaws, hitting the now-revealed Mystic Tomato and blowing it to pulp.

"Crap," said Andy.

"I use Mystic Tomato's effect to summon…" said the creature, "a copy of myself! Scab-Scar Knight!"

What happened then was hard to describe. As Andy watched, his opponent's body started to stretch, seemingly divining into two pieces, until a clone of itself stepped in front of the duelist. (0 ATK)

"I'm such a handsome devil, aren't I?" it asked.

_A matter of opinion, I guess… _thought Andy.

"You summoned your Deckmaster?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

"Mmm-mmm," said the creature. "Wrong… The rules say only the specific copy of the card you use counts.

"Now, I know what you're thinking… You're hesitant to attack my twin because it has zero Attack Points, and you think doing so will be bad…

"Well, I won't lie to you… You're right…"

Then Vanguard of the Dragon lifted its spear.

"Unfortunately, due to one of its effects, your Vanguard doesn't have a choice!"

"Wait!" shouted Andy.

He couldn't stop it. The Vanguard threw the spear, and it hit the duplicate Scab-Scar Knight in the chest.

The creature was still standing, but the blow had caused a wound, apparently… The scar tissue seemed to be flaking off its chest…

Then Andy realized, to his horror, that the foul stuff was drifting towards Vanguard of the Dragon. Then it latched to his face and torso like ugly tumors.

"What's happening?" he shouted.

"You'll see in a minute," replied Scab. "As you've no doubt realized by now, any Monster you have is required to attack my Scab-Scar Knight if it can, and it can't be destroyed by battle.

"Of course, because it has zero Attack Points, I lose 1,700 Life Points…"

_**(A: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 6,300)**_

"But to make up for this handicap, I'm able to seize control of one Monster that battled it at the end of the Battle Phase."

The doppelganger's eyes glowed, and Vanguard was yanked forcefully over to the demon's side of the field.

"HEY!" shouted Andy.

Then Vanguard's eyes glowed with the same evil light…

"So…" said Scab. "Anything else?"

"No…" muttered Andy.

"My move…" said Scab. "I draw…"

It drew a card.

"Then I attack your Ancient Dragon with Vanguard of the Dragon!"

The Vanguard threw its spear, and Ancient Dragon shattered.

"GAH!" shouted Andy, as he clutched his chest.

_**(A: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 6,300)**_

_I… I only lost 300 Life Points… _he thought. _It shouldn't have hurt THAT bad…_

He looked at Scab-Scar Knight.

_Figures… _he thought. _This thing isn't fooling around… I'm in another Shadow Duel…_

"Now, I'll activate both my Trap Cards…" said Scab-Scar Knight, as his two reversed cards lifted up.

_Light of Intervention and Final Attack Orders? _thought Andy. _Good lord… With that combo, I won't be able to defend at all, and anything I summon will attack that thing and fall under its spell…_

"I'll set another card…" said the Knight, as a new set card appeared, "and my turn is over…"

Andy drew.

_Heh… _he thought. _Looks like I just lucked out…_

"I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!" he shouted, as the two-headed Dragon appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"Then I use Dragon's Gunfire!"

He played the Spell Card, and the Dragon roared from both its mouths.

"That Monster of yours has no more Defense Points than it has Attack Points," he said, "that means I can use this to wipe it out!"

A blast of flame blew from Behemoth's mouth, covering the duplicate…

Then the spoke started to clear…

"WHAT?" shouted Andy.

To his shock, the Monster had survived.

"It was a nice try, Andy, and in most cases, it would have worked," said the real Scab-Scar Knight. "However, my Deckmaster effect renders my twin and any Monster it uses its effect on impervious to any targeting effect…"

Andy looked at him.

"Fine…" he said. "Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack Scab-Scar Knight!"

The Dragon's two heads blasted cones of frost, hitting the demonic Warrior in the chest.

"I may not be able to destroy it," he said, as the ugly scabs started to latch to Behemoth, "but I can still deal out damage by attacking it."

"Think again," said his opponent.

"Eh?" said Andy.

Then he saw that a third Continuous Trap had been activated.

"Spirit Barrier?" he gasped. "That's…"

He stopped.

_Actually, that's downright clever, _he thought. _If this guy wasn't some hideous abomination, I would complement him on it…_

Then the Monster's eyes glowed again, and yanked Twin-Headed Behemoth over to the creature's side of the field.

"I… I end my turn…" said Andy again.

The demon smiled (well, sort of; it wasn't a very pleasant smile) as it drew.

"Attack him directly, my pawns!" it ordered.

The attacks from the Dragons were brutal… far more brutal than they ever had been when Andy had used them. Twin-Headed Behemoth's breath weapon hit him in the chest like a hammer, and then Vanguard lunged, sporting an insane grin as he stabbed Andy in the gut. Andy toppled backwards, but Lord of Dragons managed to catch him.

Andy coughed…

"Thanks…" he groaned.

_**(A: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 6,300)**_

"I'll set one more card," said Scab.

_Just how many Traps does this guy have? _thought Andy, as the set card appeared next to the three activated ones.

"It's your move," said the creature.

Andy nervously drew a card. He shivered a bit as he looked at the Trap Card.

_Fat lot of good that's gonna do me… _he thought. _How can I…_

Then he noticed one of his other cards.

_No way! _he thought.

"I summon Cave Dragon!" he shouted.

He threw the card on his Disk, and the sleepy Dragon appeared with a yawn. (2,000 ATK)

Scab chuckled.

"Very clever…" it said. "My Monster can't force that Dragon to attack, because its own effect prevents it from attacking… Think it will work?"

"We'll see, won't we?" asked Andy. "I'll set this card, and then you're up…"

He fit the card into his Disk, and it appeared behind his Dragon.

The creature drew, then put the card aside, and then his set card lifted up.

"I use the Betrayal Trap Card," it said.

"Wait…" said Andy. "I remember that card…"

"I think Stan's old friend Chaos Hunter had it," replied Scab. "In case you forgot what it does, it deals 800 points of damage for each Monster I control that was originally yours."

Two balls of fire shot out of the card, exploding on impact around Andy.

"Next, I'll use the Riryoku Spell Card," it said. "It steals half of your Monster's Attack Points and adds it one of mine.

"So Cave Dragon loses 1,000 Attack Points, while Vanguard of the Dragon gains 1,000."

(Cave Dragon: 1,000 ATK, Vanguard of the Dragon: 2,700 ATK)

"So let me be blunt… You're through!"

Vanguard lifted its spear, and jumped towards Cave Dragon, holding it high…

"I use Half-Unbreak!" shouted Andy, as his Trap Card lifted up. "Now Cave Dragon is rendered invincible, and I only take half-damage when it battles!"

A barrier of soap bubbles blocked Vanguard's lunge, and the spear bounced off.

"Then I'll just attack it again!" replied Scab-Scar Knight.

Twin-Headed Behemoth breathed its breath of cold, but the bubble barrier blocked it again.

_**(A: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 6,300)**_

"You're tenacious, kid, I'll give you that…" it said, "but that's all I'll give you…

"I end my turn…"

Cave Dragon's Attack Score rose back to 2,000, while Vanguard's fell back to 1,700.

Andy made a draw. It was another Trap Card, but… A plan was starting to form…

He played a card, and Koops appeared next to Cave Dragon. (1,800 ATK)

"So, the pustule pops," said the demon.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're disgusting, fellah?" asked Andy.

"Yes, several people," replied Scab.

"Andy, this guy is creeping me out!" said Koops with a quiver in his voice.

"Calm down!" exclaimed Andy. "We can't outfight this thing... But I have an idea, and if it works, we might be able to outsmart him. You with me?"

Koops looked at him, then he nervously nodded.

"Attack with Shell Slammer!" he shouted, as Koops retracted his head and arms into his shell.

"Haven't learned yet?" chuckled Scab.

"Yeah, I know," said Andy, as Koops rocketed towards the duplicate, "he has to attack that guy…"

Koops slammed into the Monster's chest, and again, barely made a dent.

"But… Koops has the ability to attack _all _your Monsters, so now that he _has _attacked it, he's free to attack the other two."

Koops slid towards the wall, bounced off one of the shelves (causing the skulls to quiver, but not fall, oddly) and then sped towards the two Dragons, plowing into them, and smashing them into little pieces.

Koops slid back to Andy's side of the field and came to halt. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done… The ugly scabs were already spreading on his face and arms.

"Calm down…" said Andy, in an assuring tone.

He cleared his throat.

"Seeing as Koops isn't a Dragon," he continued, "Cave Dragon still can't attack… So…"

"You know what that means…" growled his opponent.

Koops tried to resist the pull, but he was yanked over to the demon's side of the field.

Andy threw a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared in a flash.

"I'll set that, and my turn is over…" he said. "And _that _means Twin-Headed Behemoth's effect activates. See, I destroyed it, it went to _my _Graveyard, so…"

The two-headed Dragon reappeared, this time on Andy's side of the field, the ugly scars having vanished. (1,000 ATK)

"_Big _mistake, Andy," said the Duel Spirit. "Your Cave Dragon isn't alone anymore, so on your next turn…"

"Wrong…" interrupted Andy. "Because I just used Koops' effect, my whole Battle Phase is skipped on my next turn. But nice try…"

Scab growled again, a little louder this time.

_And this turtle isn't strong enough to defeat it… _it thought. _If I attack Behemoth, I'll be right back to where I started…_

It grit its teeth as it drew a card.

Then it let out a loud cackle.

"This card will not just kill two birds with one stone," it said, "but _three! _I'll sacrifice your Reptile…"

Koops dissolved into particles of light.

"…to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

With a loud howl, the dark, armored, ten-foot-tall Fiend with a bat-like head appeared. (2,400 ATK)

"His effect lets me vaporize one card on the field, so I choose Cave Dragon!"

Andy took a step backwards as the Dragon dissolved into formless vapor…

Then Caius held up its palms, and a dark, crackling ball of energy appeared between them.

"Attack with Dark Hell Blast!"

The evil Monarch hurled the bolt as Andy's Trap Card lifted up.

"I use Draining Shield!" he shouted.

The force field sprang up, and the bolt bounced off.

Andy took some deep breaths…

_**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 6,300)**_

"Bah…" said the Duel Spirit.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say…" said Andy.

"So… Let's see what we have…"

He made a draw.

"You know, fellah…" he said. "I gotta thank you for sacrificing Koops…"

"Eh?" said Scab-Scar Knight.

Twin-Headed Behemoth vanished.

"Now I can do _this _with a clear conscious!" shouted Andy, as Bobbery appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Wipe out those things, Bobbery! Bob-ombast!"

The explosion shook the room, and Scab was knocked down as both its twin and Caius were blown into small piles of black residue. Andy sighed as he looked at the creature.

"Finally…" he sighed. "I mean seriously, one of you was bad enough. While you're picking yourself up…"

He took the last card in his hand, set it, and it appeared reversed in front of him.

Then he noticed something. The Duel Spirit was softly chuckling.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Quite resourceful…" said Scab. "Of course, I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise…"

It stood up.

"I mean, you'd either have to be _very _resourceful or very foolhardy to be in a place like this… An unhallowed, cursed citadel of evil dedicated to the Dark Prince Graz'zt…"

"Look, I'm really getting sick of these obscure references, fellah," said Andy. "Just who is this 'Graz'zt' guy that the Queen told us about?"

Scab-Scar Knight chuckled again.

"Ever heard the old phrase 'there are some things man was not meant to know'?" it asked. "Well, Graz'zt is one of those things."

"Try me," said Andy. "I've already learned a lot of stuff that I probably should have, a little more can't hurt."

The Knight smirked.

"Well, your funeral…" it said. "Graz'zt is a demon who's been around for a _very _long time… A major player in the Abyss, a place where such creatures live…"

"You mean Hell?" asked Andy.

"The Abyss is A hell, but not THE Hell," replied Scab. "The true Hell is the place where devils live. The Abyss is the home of demons."

You're going to make me ask, right?" said Andy. "What's the difference?"

"Plenty," replied the creature. "Do you think all evil is the same?"

Then it held up a long, metal file (Andy had no idea where it had gotten it from, seeing as it had no pockets or even trousers that might hold pockets) and started sharpening its claws with it.

"Devils are corrupters and tempters of mortals who want to rule the world," it continued. "Demons, on the other hand, are beings of violence and madness who want to destroy the world.

"Devils are subtle. Demons are anything but. Devils like to use political influence and manipulate laws to get what they want, while demons barely know the meanings of the terms.

"The things devils do inspire villains like Mr. Potter from _It's a Wonderful Life _and Gordon Gekko from _Wall Street. _Demons inspire guys like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees."

"All right, all right…" said Andy. "I think I get the point… Corrupt lawyers and businessmen versus homicidal maniacs…"

"The thing is, Graz'zt has always been an odd case…" continued Scab. "He seems to walk a middle ground between the two philosophies… For a demon, he's very lucid, not showing the rage that his kind is notorious for often… Some even say that he actually _was _a devil once…"

It chuckled.

"Of course, a lot of people claim that when he _does _show his true nature_, _he's smart enough to kill every witness so that no-one can tell anyone!

"Still, Graz'zt prides himself as being one of the few sane leaders of a race of madmen, which is one edge he has over his rivals. His charisma draws many lesser rulers of the Abyss to him…

"But… madness has advantages…"

It threw the file over its shoulder, and then looked at its claw. Then it drew a card.

"…I of all people should know! I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

Magical sigils appeared on its side of the field as an infamous Spellcaster appeared, a red-robed man with a pointed helmet, holding a long sword and a shield. (1,600 ATK)

"I'm sure you know how this guy works," said Scab, as Breaker's shield glowed. "By summoning him, he gets one Spell Counter, and as a result, 300 Attack Points…"

(1,900 ATK)

"But I can get rid of it to 'break' that Trap Card of yours, so to speak…"

Breaker pointed its sword, and his Attack Score fell back to 1,600 as an energy beam shot towards the reversed card…

"You just activated it!" shouted Andy, as the Trap lifted up. "Immortal Dragon!"

The Trap shattered as Vanguard leapt out of the ground. He looked at Scab-Scar Knight with a snarl on his face… (1,700 ATK)

"And it looks like he isn't all too happy with you…"

"I don't all too care," replied Scab. "Just move…"

Andy made one draw. The card was Polymerization.

_Meh… _he thought.

"It's my Standby Phase," he said, "so a friend of mine comes back…"

Particles of light appeared around him, coalescing until Bobbery reformed. (2,200 ATK)

"All right Vanguard, time for payback…"

The Dragon nodded, and then hurled its spear. It hit Breaker in the chest, and the Magic Swordsman vanished.

"You have no Monsters now," said Andy, as Bobbery started to hop towards the Duel Spirit. "So let's see Spirit Barrier help you dodge _this!"_

As the explosion hit Scab-Scar Knight, it shouted something that Andy didn't understand. (He assumed it was a curse word in some odd language.) It fell on one knee.

_**(A: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 4,100)**_

The creature hissed at Andy in a way that didn't sound as human as it had been speaking before.

"I know this type…" muttered Bobbery. "The typical sadist… The type that loves inflicting pain, but really hates being on the receiving end of it…

"The Queen was different… She could dish it out _and _take it, and taking it made her even stronger…"

"Yeah, she kind of pointed that out…" said Andy, thinking back to the chat they had with the Queen after Stan's duel with the Phantom.

"It's my move!" hissed the Duel Spirit, as he forcefully whipped the top card off his deck.

Then he let out a loud cackle.

"Okay, either he's completely lost it, or he just got a good draw…" muttered Andy.

"Sadly, I'd bet on the second option, lad," replied Bobbery.

"I just drew the Spell Card, The Warrior Returning Alive!" shouted Scab, as the Spell appeared in front of it, "which I can use to recover my doppelganger…"

_That thing is a Warrior? _thought Andy. _Who the Hell designed this card?_

Scab-Scar Knight played the card again, and its duplicate appeared in front of it. (0 ATK)

"Go on…" it said, with a wicked smile.

"This is nuts…" said Andy. "I'm right back to where I started…"

"True," replied Bobbery. "This strategy is very sound… But…

"There is an old saying that we were fond of a thousand years ago… 'A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.' Maybe…"

Andy looked at him, then he looked at his opponent's side of the field.

Bobbery did have a point… This strategy had four key elements, the Monster itself and three Continuous Traps…

…and he thought he saw what the "weakest link" was.

He made a draw.

"All right!" he shouted.

He took the Polymerization card, and then threw it into his Disk, causing it to appear reversed on the field.

"First I'll set that, then I'll use the Sweet Feast card, which means I can make five draws…"

The enchanted Spell Card appeared with a brilliant glow of light, and he drew five times.

"All right, gruesome…" he said. "Time to make this fight a little more even…

"I activate Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and Koops appeared in a soft aura of light. (1,800 ATK)

Then he and Bobbery turned to him and nodded.

"Since Bobbery and Koops would just fall victim to your Knight's effect if they attacked it, I'll sacrifice both…"

The two Companions dissolved into grains of light. Then Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared, growling at Scab-Scar Knight as steam rose from its jaws. (2,400 ATK)

"Next I'll use my Deckmaster effect again," continued Andy, as Lord of Dragons started to glow, "and pay 500 Life Points again to summon Alexandrite Dragon."

The glowing, golden Dragon appeared next to Vanguard. (2,000 ATK)

"Eh, summon a whole army, for all I care," said Scab.

"Fine, buster, I will!" replied Andy. "I'll Overlay Alexandrite Dragon and Vanguard of the Dragon…"

The two Dragons turned to dark orbs as the Overlay Network opened… Then Queen Dragun emerged. (2,200 ATK)

Andy looked hard at his opponent, then the Polymerization card rose up and hummed with magic energy.

"Then, I'll fuse together Goddess With the Third Eye and Divine Dragon Ragnarok…"

The two Monsters appeared, and then combined into a swirl of energy.

Then, King Dragun leapt onto the field in a radius of divine power. (2,400 ATK)

"Wait just a minute…" said Scab.

"That's right…" said Andy. "King Dragun's effect renders both itself and the other two Dragons impervious to all targeting effects.

"Now, that doesn't protect them from part of Scab-Scar Knight's effect, the part that forces them to attack it…"

As he said that, three powerful blasts of white-hot dragonfire shot towards Scab-Scar Knight. It still survived, but this time, it clearly did _not _like it as much…

"But it does protect them from the other effect, the one that lets it brainwash them."

_**(A: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 4,100)**_

"Heh, heh…" chuckled his opponent. "I still took no damage! And my Deckmaster effect prevents Scab-Scar Knight from being destroyed by card effects! Congratulations, you idiot, now we're in a complete stalemate!"

"Maybe we are… for now…" said Andy, as he crossed his arms.

"What do you…" replied the creature.

Then it suddenly realized what Andy meant. It was a stalemate _now, _but it would only be so as long as it had one essential part of its strategy.

The Spirit Barrier Trap Card.

_If he manages to get rid of that, _thought the Duel Spirit, _the onslaught that followed would wipe me out…_

He looked at his two remaining cards.

_Curses, I was so focused on setting up this strategy, I never took the time to set up a precaution against that…_

"You said madness had advantages," chuckled Andy. "It tends to have quite a few disadvantages too."

"Shut up!" shouted the demon.

"It's my move…"

It growled as it drew a card.

"I'll first summon Aswan Apparition…"

As it played the card, a ghostly phantom with two large claws and a haunting face appeared. (500 ATK)

_This Monster may not be very strong, _it thought, _and its effect won't help me now…_

It took its last two cards and fit them into its Disk, causing them to appear in the last two free spaces of its Spell Zone.

_But that may yet benefit me…_

"Feh," it said, waving its hand.

Andy drew. And then he looked at the thing with a big smile.

"I have to thank you, fellah," he said, "ever since I first started dueling I've been waiting for a set-up like this…

"I activate Heavy Storm!"

He played the card, and the hurricane of magical wind started to blow over the whole field…

"You aren't the only one who can chain a card, Andy!" shouted Scab-Scar Knight.

One of his two set cards lifted up.

"First, I have Card of Sacrifice! Because I have two Monsters, and their Attack Scores combined equals less than the Attack Score of your weakest Monster, I get to draw twice…"

It quickly made two draws, and then its other set card lifted up.

"And I'll chain Emergency Provisions to _that, _and send _all _my Traps to the Graveyard before your Spell can destroy them."

The four Traps – Final Attack Orders, Light of Intervention, Spirit Barrier, and Card of Sacrifice – all dissolved into light as golden energy surrounded the creature.

**(A: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 8,100)**

Andy lifted an eyebrow.

"Well… O-kay…" he said.

The eyes of his three Dragons started to glow.

"And it seems this isn't a stalemate anymore…"

The three blazing streams of burning fire blasted towards Scab-Scar Knight again, and it was _very _different this time. It still wasn't enough to destroy the Monster, but its master… The scream that came from it as it felt the wrath of the three Dragons rip into it echoed through the Palace halls.

**0000000000**

In Bleck's hiding place, both Bleck and Vladimir heard the scream, and Bleck chuckled.

"Seems Andy just got a good hit against Scab," he said. "I'd know that panicked cry anywhere…"

"I guess I have to believe you when say you taught mom how to summon these guys," muttered Vladimir. "The ones you summon seem just as incompetent as the ones she has."

Bleck looked at him.

"Don't forget, Vladimir," he said, "I manipulated Andy, Stan, and Francesca into being my unwitting pawns in order to get what I wanted. And truth be told, I rather _like _them.

"It's much easier to do that with people you _don't _like, wouldn't you say?

"Think about it…"

Vlad looked at him.

He didn't know whether this guy was a lunatic or the most brilliant mastermind he had ever met…

**0000000000**

The look in Scab's eyes right now was a cross between, pain, rage, and complete madness…

**(A: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 1,100)**

"Ready to throw in the towel yet, spooky?" asked Andy.

"Never!" cursed Scab-Scar Knight.

"Fine…" said Andy. "It's your barbecue… I end my turn…"

"You may have turned this around," said the demon, as it drew. "Well, I'm about to do the same thing, as soon as I give my Monster a slight… upgrade.

"You see, this Monster I drew with Card of Sacrifice is so lethal, I can only summon it via sacrifice if one sacrifice is a Scab-Scar Knight.

"Thus, I'll sacrifice it along with my Aswan Apparition…"

The two Monsters turned into a large glob of darkness…

Then, the ground split open, and ugly jagged spires of black stone ripped through.

"I'll summon an abomination of such dark power that it scars the very land!" he shouted, as the spires broke into little pieces of rock. "I bring forth the Demon Scar!"

**0000000000**

In another part of the Palace, Chico let out a scream. Then he fell to his knees, clutched his head, and shouted something in the Navajo language.

The actual meaning of the word was often dependent on who was translating it. Suffice to say, it wasn't pleasant.

_What in God's name was THAT? _he thought. _It was as if every spirit on Arcadia suddenly screamed in pain!_

_Something's definitely wrong…_

**0000000000**

It was still hard to call the thing that Scab had summoned a knight, but it more of a knight than Scab itself. It had armor that looked like actual armor…

But the resemblance to a knight ended there.

The thing was _hulking, _about eight feet tall and six feet wide, the pitch-black armor clearly of an unholy, possibly alien design, the horned helmet that covered the whole head seemingly made in the shape of a demon's face, the gauntlets shaped like razor-tipped claws. The breastplate had a deep, jagged slash torn diagonally across it, and it didn't look like a rip in armor… It looked much more like a wound made in actual flesh.

The thing didn't have any weapon (other than the claws) but the aura of evil and pure corruption that Andy felt from it made it clear that it didn't need one… (2,500 ATK)

"People often say that appearances deceive," said Scab. "Well, that's _not _the case with Demon Scar… It's exactly what it appears to be…

"A nightmarish beast from the darkest pits of the Abyss…"

"I believe you…" replied Andy.

"Think I'll use his effect…" said Scab.

He took a card from his hand, and slipped it into his discard slot.

"By doing that," he said, as Demon Scar's eyes glowed with chilling green light, "I can Special Summon a Monster, and I think you'll recognize it…"

To Andy's shock, Bobbery appeared on Scab's side of the field, apparently in a stupor. (1,000 DEF)

"HEY!" shouted Andy.

"Calm down…" replied his enemy. "As you can see, he's defending, and I only get to keep him until the end of my turn…

"However, until then… If Demon Scar destroys one of your Monsters, you take no Battle Damage… But you do take damage equal to your friend's Attack Score!

"Kill Queen Dragun with Soul Rend!"

Andy never saw it coming, and clearly, Queen Dragun didn't either. All they saw were two flashes…

Then Queen Dragun dropped her lyre, and clutched her abdomen, where those horrible claws had left eight deep wounds…

Then Andy let out a scream as she shattered, as he was struck by the feeling of knives stabbing into his abdomen.

**(A: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 1,100)**

"I guess 'Soul Rend' may be a little inaccurate…" chuckled Scab. "Its claws are rather good at cutting flesh too…"

"You're crazy…" gasped Andy.

"Why thank you…" replied the Duel Spirit.

He played the last card in his hand, and Monster Reborn appeared.

"To end my turn, I'll use this to summon Newdoria from my Graveyard…"

The thin, gangly Fiend appeared, cowering in Defense Mode. (800 DEF)

"And that's all…"

Bobbery shattered.

Andy slowly made a draw. Then he looked at the card in shock.

"Holy…" he said.

Then he cleared his throat.

"All right, fine!" he shouted. "You want to play rough?

"I'm game as you are… I play Supernova!"

"Wha?" asked Scab. "Super… nova…"

"Want me to spell it?" asked Andy. "I have two Monsters with identical Types, Attributes, and Levels…

"So I'll sacrifice both, and then pay all my Life Points but 100…"

King Dragun and Red Eyes both vanished, and the dark crypt suddenly started to light up…

Then the light got brighter, and brighter…

"Why did it suddenly get so hot in here?" asked Scab.

"Let's just say I'm glad I'm the one wearing sunglasses…" said Andy with a grin. "This Spell may not pack the punch of a _real _Supernova, but it will atomize both your Monsters and hit you for damage equal to their total Attack Points."

"No fair!" screamed Scab. "You can't…"

He never finished the sentence. In the next instant, the room erupted in raw, radiant, solar energy, and Andy collapsed to his knees. All he could hear from his enemy through the blinding light was a howl that was as loud as thunder, but which could best be compared to the sound of nails on a chalkboard…

_**(A: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (SSK: 0)**_

Andy slowly looked up as the light and heat faded.

Scab-Scar Knight was gone…

But…

Someone else was standing where his opponent had been standing.

Of course, Andy had never seen the phantom warrior in dark armor before, the strange "ghost" who the Queen was always talking to. Still, he had the same ominous feeling of dread upon seeing him that anyone did.

The specter said nothing, but motioned with his hand in a beckoning gesture. Then he turned and slowly walked towards the other door.

"Who are…" said Andy.

Bobbery and Koops appeared next to him.

"Lyrius…" muttered Bobbery, a sense of dread in his voice.

"Lyrius?" shouted Koops. "He's dead!"

"I thought so to, Koops," replied Bobbery, shaking his head. "But trust me… I'll forget my own name before I forget that man's face…"

The dark warrior stopped and turned. Then he motioned again.

Andy hesitated. This guy didn't look any friendlier than Bleck initially did…

_I'd have to be crazy to trust a guy like this again… _he thought.

He looked behind him.

The only other option was going back the way he came, and he had no idea where Stan and Francesca was.

He sighed as he started to follow the apparation.

_The guy said being crazy has advantages… _he thought, rolling his eyes. _I guess one of them is being able to do crazy things without trying to convince yourself that you aren't crazy…_

**0000000000**

Scab-Scar Knight's card appeared again in Bleck's hand, and the wizard laughed softly.

"Used the Demon Scar card, didn't you?" he said, looking at it.

He put it in the waistcoat pocket where he had taken it from.

"Well, Scab, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so…"

"What is this Demon Scar thing?" asked Vladimir. "I thought Scab-Scar Knight's alternate form was… Uh…'

"The regular Scar Knight, right?" asked Bleck. "Well, here's the thing…

"Scar Knight is the Monster's original form… Exposure to dark powers turns him into a wicked creature called Scab-Scar Knight.

"But all is not lost at that point… There's still hope, because if he rejects evil, he can recover, and become Scar Knight again…

"On the other hand… If he _embraces _evil, he goes from bad to worse, turning into a soulless thing without compassion where he barely remembers any trace of what he once was…"

He looked at Vladimir.

"Everybody has a story, Vladimir… Some have stories you can learn from…"

Vladimir was about to say something…

But then, he forgot what it was. He sighed.

He was more than certain that either his mother or her three enemies were going to get here soon…

But… He really didn't know what was going to happen to him then…

**0000000000**

**SCAB-SCAR KNIGHT (Monster Card)**

**Warrior/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **You can only control 1 "Scab-Scar Knight". If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy it. This card cannot be destroyed by battle. Your opponent's Monsters must attack this card, if able. At the end of your opponent's Battle Phase, take control of 1 opposing Monster that battled this card.

_Note: "Scab-Scar Knight" was first used by Satou in "Win Mr. Stein's Duel (Part 1)". The version used here is the version used in the video games, where it was more balanced. Creative credit goes to the writers of the episode. _

**0000000000**

**DEMON SCAR (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl8/2,500ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card can only be Normal Summoned by Tributing a "Scab-Scar Knight" and 1 other Monster you control (you cannot set this card). Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to Special Summon 1 Monster from your opponent's Graveyard; the Special Summoned Monster cannot attack, use its effect, or be Tributed, and is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn. If this card would inflict Battle Damage, you may instead reduce Battle Damage to zero and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of a Monster Special Summoned via the effect of this card.

**0000000000**

**Scab-Scar Knight: Warrior/Dark/Lvl4/0/0: **"Scab Armor": If you control a "Scab-Scar Knight", it and any Monster you control that was targeted by its effect is cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. This effect is not applied to the Deckmaster if it is summoned to the field.

**0000000000**

_**It's seems our reluctant heroes have reached a point where the line between friend and foe and the different degrees of each is hard to determine. And given how bad Scab-Scar Knight was… What could be happening to Stan and Francesca?**_

_**Francesca: What do we know about angels? Honestly, not much. I mean, you'd probably have to die before you could study one closely, after all. **_

_**The media usually depicts them as beautiful women with wings and halos. Mentions of them in actual religious tracts, like The Bible, are much different. They usually don't mention wings, halos are never mentioned (they have them in religious art, but so do Saints) and most of them are male. **_

_**Most assume that angels are divine beings who are messengers and heralds of God, and as such, are the embodiments of light, purity, and goodness…**_

_**So how do you explain "fallen angels"? They don't make sense when you think about it… How can beings that are personifications of Good be capable of Evil? Yet, for some reason, this plot device is incredibly common, used by authors of such renown as Milton… Even the Book of Job implies that the Devil was once one of the angelic hosts.**_

_**I'm trying hard to figure that out right now… Because I'm up against one of the worst…**_

"_**Spell of Pain**__**" is coming soon.**_


	58. Spell of Pain

_**Some stories are based on true stories. Some stories are **_**very loosely **_**based on true stories, mostly because a lot of artistic license it taken. **_**The Sound of Music **_**is an excellent example. The basic premise of the story was based on a historic event, but much of the plot was changed. To give one example, the real couple was married in 1926, not 1938 as they were in the movie, and they had two children before leaving Austria twelve years later. An even bigger change was the part in the movie where the Von Trapps escaped to Switzerland at the end by hiking over the mountains from Salzburg. Not only did the real family not escape that way, you simply CAN'T get to Switzerland from Austria that way (as you'd discover if you studied the geography of that region.) But hey, it was more dramatic than just leaving on a train to Italy (which is what they really did).**_

_**Now, most Duel Monsters cards aren't based on true stories at all (well, there are a few unconfirmed stories about ancient Egypt, but nothing solid) but there is an exception with three cards: Marie the Fallen One, The Forgiving Maiden, and St. Joan. These were clearly based on St. Joan of Arc.**_

_**The first card, Marie the Fallen One, represents Joan's disgraced state, convicted of witchcraft and burned at the stake. The Forgiving Maiden represents her posthumous acquittal centuries later. (Of course this wasn't truly "forgiveness", seeing as the Vatican was actually admitting that she was falsely accused. Again, artistic license.) Naturally, the St. Joan card (a Fusion of the two Monsters) represents her canonization and ascension to Sainthood, which came even later. **_

_**My opponent right now… Well… She has **_**nothing **_**to do with her.**_

_**She's someone else entirely…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-EIGHT**

**0000000000**

**Spell of Pain**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Now we must go back about an hour, to right after the part where Andy was separated from his two allies.

"Ooh…" said Francesca, as she slowly came to.

Her head was pounding. She was about to lift her hand…

Then she realized she couldn't. It was stuck.

Her eyes opened quickly. The headache vanished as she realized she was tied up.

No, not tied up, tied _down. _She was in a chair, tied down with strange, bandage-like straps.

She nervously looked around the dim room. Thoughts of horror movies came back to her where the hero woke up tied to a chair… It usually meant that some mad scientist or interrogator was about to appear next…

Then she realized that this may well be the case. There were tables to the side, and many odd instruments were on them, most of them sharp and unpleasant-looking devices, and more than a few of them with blood stains on them.

She started to struggle against the bonds.

"This some sort of torture chamber?" she said nervously.

Then Flurrie and Ms. Mowz appeared next to her, and they looked just as worried.

"Don't panic, honey," said Flurrie. "It's worse… I recognize this stuff… These are the sort of tools that surgeons tended to use back in our time… Back before there were laws to regulate the profession, or even organizations like the AMA to make such laws…

"Of course, back then, there were times when the term 'surgeon' and 'torturer' could apply to same person, depending on who he worked for…"

"Hold still, Francesca…" said Ms. Mowz. "One advantage to being a rodent…"

Then she started to chew on the straps holding her.

"The old trick the guy used in _The Pit and the Pendulum, _huh?" asked Fran. "Uh…"

She nervously looked around.

"Unfortunately, that guy used a whole _swarm _of rats…"

She looked around.

"Flurrie, there's something in my left pocket, and if you're even able to hold it…"

Apparently, she could, because she quickly reached into the jeans pocket, and dug through it. Then she took out what Fran had clearly meant: a Swiss army knife.

"My dad got me that for Christmas about four years ago…" muttered Fran, as Flurrie opened the largest blade. "The only time I ever found a use for the dumb thing was when I went on vacation to some place in New Mexico and there was a store that sold Coca-Cola in those old fashioned bottles that you needed a bottle opener for…"

Flurrie started to saw at another strap as Ms. Mowz's teeth broke through the first one. Then the Squeek started on another. As they did so, an eerie cold started to creep through the room.

"Hurry, people…" said Fran, as she got her other arm free. "Someone's coming…"

She strained against the remaining bonds… And finally they broke. Just in time, too. Another mass of bandages flew towards her, clearly attempting to grab her again, and it looked like they were about to succeed…

But as she jumped clear, Lady of Unicorns sprang in front of her, cleaving them in half with her blade.

Fran looked up as they retracted, the three Duel Spirits watching.

Out of the shadows, a dark figure emerged. It was a young woman who was _completely _covered with the bandages, only her eyes and mouth uncovered. The only other articles of clothing were a belt (with a buckle shaped like a bat) and two anklets with nasty blades on the sides. She had large, leathery wings, the spines looking like metal blades.

Then there was her hair. Long, black hair that also seemed to resemble metal swords. (1,400 ATK)

"Nurse Reficule the Fallen One…" whispered Francesca.

She had heard about this infamous card. Duelists were very fond of making up backstories to go with her. Very few of them ever had happy endings…

The Fallen One looked at Francesca in stony silence for a long time, barely even moving. Flurrie, Ms. Mowz, and Lady of Unicorns slowly disappeared into the shadows.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Francesca.

"Oh, it's a habit…" said Reficule, her voice sounding very stoic. "You know, I'm a nurse… I can't help but look at people… See what shape they're in…

"You're in pretty good shape, but… You could be better…"

"Hey, wait a minute…" said Francesca.

"Seriously," said Reficule. "We really don't have to fight… I could give you a makeover if you want…"

"A makeover?" asked Francesca, nervously. "As in my hair? Nails?"

"I could start with hair and nails…" replied Reficule. "Then maybe a nose job, breast implants, tummy tuck…"

"WHAT?" shouted Francesca.

"You don't think I could do it?" asked Reficule. "You're okay now, but I can make you centerfold material."

She held up her hands, much like one did while trying to get perspective on an item.

"You see, Francesca, I'm an artist… And when I see a person, I see a blank slate, a clean canvass… One that can be improved upon greatly… I've done it lots of times…"

She started to walk towards her.

"Did those times have anything to do with the fact that you're a _fallen _angel?" gasped Francesca. "Stay away from me…"

Reficule sighed.

"I guess my problem was," she said, "I never knew when to stop. Why settle for a cleft chin, or an ample bosom, when you can change so much more? With my talents you could have three eyes, no eyes, a beak, a snout, a proboscis… You'd be _amazed_ how malleable flesh and bone can really be...

"I mean, there was one movie I remember where two characters were able to do it to themselves… Think it was named _Orion_… No, not Orion, a star in the constellation Orion… What was it…"

"Uh, _Beetlejuice?" _asked Fran, who was nervously looking to the side. Truthfully, she was trying to find a route to run for her life, but she didn't see any.

"Right, that's the one," replied the Darklord.

She sighed again, and a Duel Disk materialized on her left arm.

Francesca blinked… And when she opened her eyes, she saw that the room had changed in the split second she had closed them. The chair had vanished, and while the general décor of the room hadn't changed, it had grown, taking a large, arena-like shape.

"If that's how I have to do it," said Reficule, "then I suppose I must…"

_What did she mean by that… _thought Francesca.

She had wondered if any of Reficule's patients had not given her consent at all… If someone like this wanted to restrain an unwilling patient, given that fact that Duel Spirits fought like this…

_No, no, just stop thinking about it! _she thought. _Calm down…_

She looked over her cards.

_Reficule probably plays a Simochi Deck or something like that… _she thought. _Decks like that don't tend to attack very often…_

_So… Maybe I'd better use someone strong…_

She picked out Beast Striker's card.

_Okay, that's pretty strong…_

She held it up, and the tough Beast with its maul materialized behind her. (1,850 ATK)

"Duel…" said Reficule.

**(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Reficule: 8,000)**

"I'll take the first move…" said Reficule, as she made a draw.

"I'll defend with a Monster, and then activate Spell Absorption…"

She played two cards, and a reversed Monster appeared, followed by a Continuous Spell.

_Uh oh… _thought Francesca. _With that card, she'll gain 500 Life Points each time a Spell Card is played…_

_Better be careful…_

"It's your move…" said the Darklord.

"Okay…" said Fran, as she drew a card.

_Hey, that's a good one… _she thought, as she looked at the card, a Monster she hadn't used since her duel with Jackson.

"I summon Flame Tiger!" she shouted.

She played the card, and the fiery great cat with long tusks appeared and made a great roar. (1,800 ATK)

"Attack! Destroy her Monster!"

Flame Tiger pounced, and the reversed Monster revealed itself… An odd, spherical thing resembling an iron ball covered with sharp spines with a grinning face on the front. Flame Tiger's claws quickly broke it into little shards.

"You activated Needle Ball's Flip Effect," said Reficule. "By paying 2,000 Life Points, it inflicts 1,000 points of damage to my opponent."

"HUH?" said Francesca. "That's the stupidest card I've ever heard of! It costs you more Life Points than it does me!"

"Usually that's the case…" said Reficule. "But… My Deckmaster effect changes all that…

"You see, once per turn, if I have to pay Life Points to activate a Monster's effect, I only have to pay half the cost… But… Someone else pays the rest…"

She smiled slightly.

"Guess who?"

"No… Way…" said Francesca.

Then she shrieked as three of those metal spines shot at her, stabbing into her exposed midriff. She groaned and held her torso for a minute before they vanished.

**(F: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,000)**

It was obvious to her now, just as it was to Andy, that this was very real. A Shadow Duel was involved…

**0000000000**

The reason Bleck hadn't been paying much attention to Andy's duel was because he had been very intent on watching _this _one, which he was doing through a magical pool of light that was hovering in the air, forming a sort of screen.

"Don't you just love a good catfight, Vlad?" he asked.

"People always say they're fun to watch…" muttered Vladimir. "But the folks who are actually involved… Opinions tend to be mixed…

"Uh… can Reficule really do what she claims?"

"Eh, more or less…" replied Bleck. "Her attempts at cosmetic surgery… Well, they don't always turn out the way her patients intend."

"They 'don't always'?" asked Vlad.

"Let me put it this way…" said Bleck. "A woman with the reputation of Cinderella might well become more like Medea after Reficule is done with her.

"I remember one very old story concerning Reficule… It involved dwarf who was born the runt of the litter, so to speak… He wanted to be strong, so he could be a great warrior, and be respected by his clan, so he asked Reficule to help him.

"Reficule figured that she could make him far more muscular if he didn't have a head. So she did just that. She was somehow able to move his brain and his sensory organs into his chest.

"He got what he wanted, that's for sure. He became the strongest dwarf in his clan, and one of their greatest warriors, and he got _lots _of respect…

"But… It was kind of hard for him to get dates for Saturday nights…"

"Hold on!" shouted Vladimir. "I heard that old story… That was first mentioned in a record kept by the Ironheart Clan… The narrative is estimated to have been written around the same time as _Beowulf!_

"Just how long has Reficule been doing this?"

"Well, as you know, fallen angels were once real angels who were kicked out of Heaven," said Bleck. "Let's just say that for her, it happened so long ago that she's pretty much forgotten the exact details of what she did."

_This is demented… _thought Vladimir.

"I take is she works on a strict _caveat __emptor_ policy?" he muttered.

Bleck nodded.

"Yeah, that's usually the case with unlicensed surgeons…" he said with a chuckle. "Reficule is unique because she's never been caught…"

Then he laughed.

"Come to think of it, she's never been chased!"

Vlad shook his head. He had never _wanted _his mother to show up and punish him, but he was getting close to that point now…

**0000000000**

"I'll set these!" shouted Fran, as two reversed cards appeared behind Flame Tiger. "Just move, Ratched."

"Know what I hate?" asked Reficule.

She drew a card.

"I _really _hate people who compare me to her. I mean seriously, do you have any idea how often I hear it?

"The movie was overrated anyway… "

She played a card.

A new Monster arose in a shadowy aura, a coldly beautiful female who seemed to be a dark, sinister version of Mystical Elf, with brunette hair instead of blonde and a black robe instead of a green one. (2,000 ATK)

"Dark Elf?" asked Fran. "Come on, don't you know that you have to pay 1,000 Life Points in order to…"

Then she stopped.

"Oh yeah…" she said.

"Destroy her Flame Tiger with Dark Pulse…" said Reficule, as both hers and Francesca's Life Points were cut by 500 points.

Dark Elf held out her palms, and a wave of pulsating, black energy rippled towards the Beast, consuming it in a cold, shadowy embrace.

**(F: 5,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,500)**

_Okay, clearly this isn't a Simochi Deck… _thought Fran. _Her whole deck is probably built to take advantage of her Deckmaster effect, loaded with Monsters with effects that require Life Point payments…_

_And that's _really _bad, because a Monster effect that requires a Life Point payment is usually a _nasty _effect…_

_Man, I'm glad Cyber Stein is illegal… She could make me pay 2,500 Life Points and THEN summon something as powerful as Master of Oz!_

Then a horrid thought came to her.

_What if she does have it? These creatures bend the rules enough as it is, are any of them capable of outright cheating?_

Reficule looked at her and nodded. Francesca was about to reach for her deck.

"Check that…" she said. "If I don't draw this turn, I can instead summon Flame Tiger from my Graveyard…"

The Beast appeared in a burning flame again. (1,800 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon Key Mouse," she said, fitting the card on her Disk and causing the small mouse to hop out in front of her. (100 ATK)

"Then, I'll Tune my Key Mouse together with my Flame Tiger…"

The two Monsters started to fly towards the ceiling, then faded…

**(*1 + *4 = *5)**

Thunder Unicorn appeared with a short neigh, looking at Reficule with a look that seemed to suggest annoyed. (2,200 ATK)

"Typical," said the Fallen One.

"Unicorns are symbols of purity and beauty, lady," said Francesca. "It's kind of natural that they wouldn't like someone who's so fond of messing around with that.

"I use her effect to lower Dark Elf's Attack Score by 500 points."

Dark Elf grunted as electricity shocked her, and her Attack Score fell to 1,500.

"Then I'll attack with Thunder Spear!"

Thunder Unicorn made a charge, causing Dark Elf to grunt louder as she was hit in the gut and fell backwards. She toppled over, and then vanished into the shadows again.

Still, Reficule barely did anything.

**(F: 5,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,800)**

"Don't talk much, do you?" asked Fran. "Well, fine… It's your move…"

Reficule drew, and then played the card immediately.

"I summon Injection Fairy Lily," she said.

As she played the card, a much friendlier-looking nurse appeared, a perky, bubbly-looking girl in a cute uniform and a cap, with pink hair and large feathered wings. The only thing that might make someone nervous was the huge syringe she was holding – it was almost as big as her.

Of course, most duelists would have a lot more reasons to be nervous… (400 ATK)

"Hello!" she chirped, as she waved at Fran with a sweet smile.

Fran groaned a little. She had _really _hoped that Reficule didn't have this Monster, but truthfully, this didn't come as a surprise at all…

"By paying 2,000 Life Points when Lily attacks, her Attack Score rises by 3,000," said Reficule, "and that's not so bad for me seeing as I can make you pick up half the cost…"

"Say 'ah'!" laughed Lily, as she held the syringe above her head.

Lily's Score rose to 3,400 as she hurled the weapon, and Francesca first felt a twinge of pain as 1,000 Life Points were siphoned from both her and her opponent… But it was nothing compared to the shock she felt as Thunder Unicorn was actually hit by the huge needle. She felt like she was literally impaled. She fell over, landing on her back.

**(F: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,800)**

Lily giggled again as the syringe appeared in her hands again in a strange influx of magical energy, her Attack Score falling back to 400.

As Francesca looked up, she briefly saw a wicked smile on her opponent's face. But only briefly. If she had been watching an animated cartoon, it would have been a sort of "freeze-frame" thing. Still, that brief smile was one that made her blood run cold…

"Your move…" said the Darklord.

Francesca pulled herself to her feet as she drew a card. It was Option Hunter.

_A lot of good that does me… _she thought.

She looked at her two set cards.

_And they really can't help either… _

Her hand right now consisted of Option Hunter, Moja, and Sunlight Unicorn…

_If I summon Sunlight Unicorn and use her effect the only Equip Spell I have that could really make her strong enough to outfight Lily if her effect is used would be Megamorph…_

_My chances are kind of slim…_

Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and saw Beast Striker. He nodded slightly.

"Hey…" she said. "Yeah…"

She cleared her throat.

"I'm using MY Deckmaster's effect!" she shouted. "It's called Bait and Switch.

"Here's the bait… I toss one card…"

She held up Moja's card, and then discarded it.

"And now… The switch!"

Beast Striker lifted its mallet, and then slammed it to the ground, shaking the whole room. Lily shrieked and fell on her rump. Then she held her head in a daze. (1,500 ATK)

"This effect forces all your Monsters to switch Modes," said Fran. "And Lily's effect isn't all-to useful if she's defending.

"So, I'll bring Sunlight Unicorn to the field…"

She played the card, and a beam of light preceded the radiant unicorn's arrival, lighting up the dim chamber. (1,800 ATK)

"Okay… Let's see what her effect does…"

She flipped the top card on her deck.

Then she smirked. It wasn't Megamorph… This was even better…

She flipped the card around, and then played it.

"I Equip Cursed Bill to Injection Fairy Lily!" she shouted, as sickly, green light surrounded Lily and the nurse groaned.

"Sunlight Unicorn, send her to the ER!" shouted Francesca.

The Beast lowered her horn and charged, spearing the Spellcaster and blasting her into little pieces.

"Cursed Bill's effect inflicts damage equal to Lily's Defense Score," said Francesca, as the same sickly green aura surrounded Reficule.

"Fortunately," replied the Fallen One, "my Spell Absorption card gave me 500 when you played it."

"Yeah, well…" said Francesca.

She fit the Option Hunter card in her Disk, giving her a third set card.

"It's your move…"

**(F: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,800)**

Reficule drew, and then that horrible smirk appeared briefly on her face again.

"I activate the Reasoning Spell Card," she said, as the card appeared in front of her, causing Spell Absorption to glow.

_Nuts… _thought Francesca.

"You name a number," said Reficule, "and I pick up cards from my deck until I reach a Monster… If it's the same Level as the one you name, I lose it. Otherwise, I summon it."

_Yeah, I know how it works… _thought Fran, _and I can't risk dealing with another copy of Lily, so…_

"I'll name 3," she said.

Reficule flipped the top card from her deck.

"Sadly, this is Level 2," she said. "I'll Special Summon it in Defense Mode…

"…Gale Dogra."

The creature that appeared was a strange-looking Insect; a weird-looking mite without legs, and wasp-like wings. (600 DEF)

"Uh… Okay, this one I've never heard of…" said Francesca.

"It isn't used very often…" said Reficule. "Its effect requires a payment of 3,000 Life Points to activate…"

"Oh, shit!" shouted Francesca, as the sharp pain struck her again.

**(F: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,800)**

"I really hate people who use foul language too," said Reficule. "Now then, Gale Dogra's effect lets me send any Monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard…"

She held up a card, a frightening looking Level 10 Synchro Monster.

"I choose Ally of Justice Decisive Armor."

"Hold on a minute…" said Francesca, as Reficule discarded the card. "Don't tell me you can do that and then…"

"…summon it?" asked Reficule. "Of course I can't. We'll get into why I did that in a minute. For now…"

She played another Spell Card.

"I use Contingency Fee. This requires you to draw until your hand consists of six cards."

"Huh?" said Francesca, in shock.

"In exchange for that, I gain 1,000 Life Points per card," replied Reficule. "So start drawing."

Francesca sighed, and started making draws. She had a feeling of incredible dread that Reficule was leading her into something lethal.

Still, given the six cards she had now, things were looking more promising…

"I'll set one card, and then summon Phantom of Chaos…" said Reficule.

She played two cards, and a set card appeared, then another Monster that Fran had never heard of. It looked like a strange, featureless, ominous sphere of pure darkness. Like a void silently hovering in midair. (0 ATK)

"This creature's effect lets me banish another Monster from my Graveyard. Phantom of Chaos then assumes its form, its Scores, and its effect. Thus, I can banish Decisive Armor…"

She took the card from her discard slot, and the dark sphere began to grow and shift. Slowly, it changed into the shape of a huge, high-tech cannon with two bladed arms. (3,300 ATK)

_Thing seems awfully offensive for armor…_ thought Francesca.

_Okay, don't panic… I'll still have 100 Life Points left if it attacks Sunlight Unicorn… Then I can use Option Hunter…_

"As I said…" continued Reficule, "Phantom of Chaos gains all of Decisive Armor's effects, and it has three… I choose to use the third.

"By discarding every card in my hand… In other words, this one…"

She discarded her last card.

"…I get to see your hand, and if any cards are Light Monsters, they're destroyed, and you take damage equal to they're combined Attack Scores."

Francesca froze.

"Well?" said Reficule. "It would help if you showed them to me…"

Fran bowed her head as she turned the cards around. Two of them fit the bill – Lady of Unicorns and Uni-Horned Familiar.

"Eh, better than nothing…" said Reficule.

The cannon fired, and Fran screamed again as the two cards shattered.

**(F: 200) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 9,300)**

_Sorry, Andy, I guess this is it… _she thought, as the thing prepared to fire again.

Then it fired, blowing Sunlight Unicorn to vapor…

But strangely, Francesca didn't feel a thing.

"I'm still here?" she said.

She looked at her Life Point counter. It still read 200.

"I forgot to mention…" said Reficule, with the wicked smirk on her face again. "No matter what Monster it imitates, Phantom of Chaos doesn't inflict Battle Damage."

Francesca gave her a foul look.

"Bitch…" she said.

"Sticks and stones," replied Reficule.

Francesca's Option Hunter Trap Card lifted up.

"By using this Trap Card, my Life Points increase by Sunlight Unicorn's Attack Points."

**(F: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 9,300)**

"Then you're only losing by 7,300 Points rather than 9,100," said Reficule.

She shook her head. Then she moved some of the bandages on her left wrist aside. To Fran's shock, she was wearing a watch on it.

"Look, Francesca, my original offer still stands…" she said, "and I'd really like to finish this by noon, so if you'd just…"

"Noon?" said Fran, looking at her in surprise. "What happens at noon?"

"Uhm, uh…" said Reficule.

She looked a little flustered, dropping her stoic attitude for the first time.

"Uh, maybe you should just forget I said that…" she said. "My turn is over, so that means Phantom of Chaos loses its effect and its Scores go back to zero…"

The weird Fiend quickly collapsed back into a dark, spherical shape. (0 ATK)

"…it's your turn…"

Fran made a draw, and then another of her set cards lifted up.

"All right you psycho, I'm using Call of the Haunted to summon Moja from my Graveyard…"

The small Beast hopped onto the field in front of her. Reficule lifted an eyebrow. (100 ATK)

"Next, I'll use Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

Lightning flashed again, and Thunder Unicorn reappeared. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon Chain Dog too…" she said, as she played a card, and the chain-wrapped hound appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"I'm not done!" she shouted. "I'll discard Elephun to Special Summon Egotistical Ape!"

She threw the card into her Graveyard slot, and the small monkey appeared, its fiendish shadow looming above it. (1,200 ATK)

"That means its Level is reduced two places, from 5 to 3… Now then…

"God, I can't believe I'm actually attacking with this guy… Moja, destroy Phantom of Chaos!"

Moja did look a little confused – clearly it never intended to attack either – but it propelled itself at the weird thing as best as it could, striking it with the crown of its head. The Phantom simply faded into shadow.

"Now for that bug," said Fran. "Egotistical Ape, stomp it!"

The Tuner's shadow reached with a huge fist, and came down on Gale Dogra, crushing it flat.

"Attack directly, Chain Dog!" shouted Fran.

Chain Dog gave Reficule a nervous look. Still, it leapt at the Fallen One, and sank its fangs into her calf.

Then it retracted with a look of disgust on its face. Clearly, she had tasted terrible. Reficule smirked again.

_Must happen a lot, huh? _thought Fran.

"Thunder Unicorn, you next…" she said.

The steed charged, driving her horn into the Darklord's bosom. Reficule almost reacted this time…

"Is that all?" she said, sarcastically.

"No…" said Francesca.

Her last face-down card lifted up.

"I activate Urgent Tuning!" she shouted, as Egotistical Ape, Moja, and Chain Dog flew towards the ceiling.

"I'll Tune together my Level 3 Ape, Level 4 Dog, and Level 1 Moja…"

**(*3 + *1 + *4 = *8)**

Lightning flashed again, and Lighting Tricorn appeared in the center of the arena. (2,800 ATK)

She didn't waste time. The Beast's eyes glowed with rage, and then the lightning flashed, and Reficule _did _react, screaming as the impact knocked her over.

**(F: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,200)**

The Fallen One grunted. The bandages on her torso were a little singed and slowly coming unraveled, showing a little too much (making her already bizarre look even more so now)…

Slowly, she got up.

"I use Shock Draw…" she said, as her Trap Card lifted up.

She reached for her deck, and then paused for a second before grabbing hold of the top five cards and picking them off the top all at once. Then she spread them out to look at them.

"I think it's my move…"

She made a sixth draw, and then set a card quickly, causing a reversed Monster to appear.

"Done…" she said.

Fran drew. This time it was Hypnocorn.

_If this guy can beat her Monster… _she thought, _then my two Synchros can finish her off… It's a risk, but I have to take it…_

She fit the card on her Disk, and the ram-horned Beast appeared. (1,400 ATK)

Then it trotted towards the set Monster, horns-first…

Then Francesca gasped as a familiar Monster appeared on the card, the small, cute, gumdrop-like creature. (500 DEF)

Marshmallon smirked at her, and she held her stomach as a feeling of nausea overcame her…

**(F: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,200)**

"Your… move…" she groaned.

Reficule drew a card… And for the first time all duel, she showed some genuine emotion. And it wasn't very pleasant. It was a sinister chuckle.

To Francesca's unbelieving eyes, she took four steps forward. (1,400 ATK)

"Hold on…" said Francesca. "You can't possibly…"

"I am indeed, Francesca," replied Reficule. "I'm taking a more personal role in this now… Of course, contrary to what many think, I have always been the straightforward type…

"Of course, I'm no fool…

"First, I'll Equip Marshmallon with Ring of Magnetism, which makes it your only available target… It does reduce both its Scores to zero, of course, but seeing as it can't be destroyed, that's not a problem."

She fit the card into her Disk, and four small metal nodes surrounded the little Fairy, with crackling electricity connecting them. (0 DEF)

"Then to be extra safe, I'll Equip Mist Body to myself…"

She played another card, and a pale mist surrounded.

"And finally… This…"

She played another card, and a set card appeared behind her.

"So I end my turn… Strike me down … If you can…"

Poor Francesca was almost too afraid to move… She knew exactly what that card was, and she knew that Reficule would trigger it as soon as she drew…

Her opponent almost had her dead to rights…

"Why are you hesitating?"

The voice hadn't come from Reficule. Honestly, Francesca didn't know where the dour-sounding male voice came from, or who it belonged to. She had never heard it before, and it sounded kind of distant. Still, for some reason, she didn't find anything odd with it.

"Her Trap Card…" she said. "It's…"

"Gift Card…" replied the voice. "It couldn't possibly be anything else.

"When triggered, the opponent gains 3,000 Life Points. But… Now that she's actually on the field, her actual effect applies, and it becomes Effect Damage. And that's 2,000 more points that you have left."

"It doesn't matter what card I draw," muttered Francesca. "She'll never give me a chance to use it…"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" asked Reficule. "Maybe you need a doctor who's more skilled along the lines of psychology."

Francesca ignored her as the voice replied.

"There is one card you have that could dodge it," he said. "One that could be played the instant it was drawn…"

"Wait, you mean…" replied Francesca. "Oh, come on, I have twenty-three cards left in my deck… One chance out of twenty-three…"

"Actually, you skipped a Draw Phase, remember?" said the voice. "Your deck has twenty-four cards left.

"Still… One chance out of twenty-four is better than _no _chance out of twenty-four."

"What do you mean?" asked Francesca.

"Are you going to quit when it's still possible for you to win?" asked the voice. "A few minutes ago you were about to take the chance that Sunlight Unicorn's effect could gain Megamorph, the only way you thought she could defeat Lily. I should point out, the chance of that happening at the time was even slimmer.

"You were also willing to summon Hypnocorn a minute ago, which was also clearly risky, giving its low Score and you current Life Points.

"You're no quitter, Francesca. The woman who started your family line was the same. She once said that she would fight an opponent until her sword broke if she had to, and _even then _would fight with her fists after that."

"How… How do you know that?" asked Fran.

"She told me herself," replied the voice.

Francesca looked up in shock. Then she looked around.

She waited for him to say something else, but whoever and wherever he was, he was gone, and apparently, he was done talking.

She reached for her deck and drew the top card.

_I'll be damned… _she thought.

"I activate the Gift Card Trap Card!" shouted Reficule.

"Really?" replied Fran.

With a swift backhand stroke, she threw the card she had just drawn into her Disk.

"I activate the Quickplay Spell Card, Forbidden Chalice!"

"Eh?" said the Darklord.

"I can use this to nullify the effect of any Monster on the field," said Francesca, with a smile. "Think I'll choose… _Yours!"_

Reficule clutched her heart in shock as her Attack Score went up to 1,800.

"That means you can't convert the Life Point gain effect of that card to damage… So thanks for the boost."

**(F: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

"No fair…" sneered Reficule.

"Yeah, yeah, they always say that when they're losing," replied Fran. "By the way, your setup with the Equip Spells was kind of clever… But… I don't need to attack you at all.

"Remember my Deckmaster's little Bait and Switch trick?"

She discarded the last card in her hand, and Beast Striker slammed his mallet into the ground again. Reficule grunted as she fell on her behind. (600 DEF) But Marshmallon bounced forward. (0 ATK)

"With that guy in Attack Mode with zero Attack Points, I have all the firepower I need to finish you off!

"Lightning Tricorn, attack with Giga Volt Charge!"

Tricorn's horns crackled, and it lunged at the small creampuff... There was a blast of electric energy…

**(F: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,700)**

"What?" said Francesca.

Then she noticed a weird Fiend standing behind Reficule and her Monsters. It had a demonic skull for a torso with another demonic skull for a head, and huge, clawed hands that also seemed to serve as its legs.

"Who's that guy?" asked Fran.

"Necro Defender," replied Reficule.

She pushed herself to her feet.

"It was the card I discarded to use Decisive Armor's effect… And I banished it on my last turn as an added precaution… By doing that, I was able to choose one of my Monsters, and until the end of this turn, that Monster becomes invincible and I take no Battle Damage from battles involving it."

"But… You…" said Francesca. "Why did you target Marshmallon with that and not…"

Then she stopped.

_Because she's smart, that's why… _she thought. _She realized my chances of dodging Gift Card's effect were unlikely enough… The only way I could do so, and then manage to destroy _both _those Equip Spells was if I had Heavy Storm, which I likely would have used already if I'd had…_

_She's nuts, but she isn't stupid…_

"It's my move, Francesca…" said Reficule.

She drew a card. Then she smiled, only briefly this time. The card was Brown Note, a special version of Blast Held By a Tribute, but for use against Synchro Monsters rather than Tribute Summoned ones.

She set the card, then turned Marshmallon's card, returning it to Defense Mode. (0 DEF)

"I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress!" she shouted.

A huge, bulky Machine landed next to her with an impact that shook the room. It was a nasty-looking thing with wheels on the bottom, huge, spiked gears on each side, a spiked covering on the front… Basically, pointed spikes all over it. (800 ATK)

"Oh no…" muttered Francesca. "That thing can attack directly if she pays 800 Life Points…"

"You got it…" said Reficule. "Usually, using this thing costs the user as much as it costs her opponent… But… My Deckmaster effect certainly puts a twist on it…"

The spikes on the front of the contraption fired with small blasts of fire and steam. Francesca screamed a little as they hit her, and she held her stomach again.

**(F: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,300)**

She groaned as Flurrie and Ms. Mowz appeared next to her, both of them looking incredibly worried.

"My turn comes to an end…" said Reficule. "Want to try that Bait and Switch thing again?"

Francesca drew… And then she made a weak smile…

"Truthfully, no…" she said.

She played it.

"I activate Showstopper!"

As she said this, the room went even darker, and then spotlights fell on every her, Beast Striker, and every Monster in the room, her three Monsters, Reficule, Marshmallon, and Gear Golem.

"What's going on?" shouted the Fallen One. "Is this some sort of game?"

"Of course it is," said Fran, "it's Duel Monsters.

"But I'm deadly serious, because like the name of this card suggests, this is where the show reaches an explosive climax… And that's usually where the hero takes the villain out in one mighty blow.

"For each Monster I sacrifice…"

Hypnocorn, Thunder Unicorn, and then Lightning Tricorn vanished as their spotlights went out.

"I can destroy one of yours, and deal 1,000 points of damage for each…"

"Wait…" said Reficule.

Then it stuck. Explosions started to erupt on the Darklord's side of the field. First, Marshmallon was incinerated, with a sound of glass shattering and its spotlight extinguishing. Then Gear Golem shattered.

The spotlight covering Reficule shattered with another sound of glass breaking, and the flames started to spread… She let out a bloodcurdling scream… Francesca looked away, right as they started to consume her…

Then everything was quiet… Francesca looked. She was gone.

Francesca looked at the spot for a few seconds. Slowly, a grim reality of what might have just happened started to sink in…

"You did it honey…" said Flurrie, as she put her hand on Fran's shoulder. "It wasn't enough to reduce her points to zero, but… With her Deckmaster destroyed, she loses…"

"But…" said Fran. "She _was _her Deckmaster… What happened to her?

"Did she survive, or…"

"Why do you care?" said a voice.

Francesca jumped. It was the same voice as before, but not as distant this time. It was right behind her.

She spun around. It was _him._

Of course, she hadn't seen the spectral black knight yet… Still, he spooked her out as much as he did Andy…

And he was much closer to her than he had been to him. The cold, dark look on his face as he stared at her… It chilled her blood…

**0000000000**

**CONTINGENCY FEE (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **A ninja drawing a knife from a sheath with what appears to be a junkyard in the background.

**Card Description: **Your opponent draws cards until his hand consists of 6 cards. Increase your Life Points by 1,000 for each card drawn by this effect.

_Note: "Contingency Fee" was first used by Inukai in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "No Pain, No Game". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**BROWN NOTE (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Reptilianne Gorgon in the foreground (seen from behind) standing up to Dark Highlander who is slowly turning to stone, his scythe in mid-swing. Surrounding them is a structure that resembles Savage Coliseum.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack with a Synchro Monster. Destroy all Attack Position Monsters your opponent controls and inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent.

"**Beast Striker":** Beast/Earth/Lvl4/1,850/400: "Bait and Switch": Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to switch the Battle Positions of all face-up Monsters your opponent controls.

**0000000000**

**Nurse Reficule the Fallen One:** Fairy/Dark/Lvl4/1,400/600: "Parasite": Once per turn, when you would pay Life Points for a Monster effect, you pay half of the cost. Reduce your opponent's Life Points by the amount you paid. This effect cannot be activated if your opponent's Life Points would be reduced to zero or lower by this effect.

**0000000000**

_**Man, when Bleck said this was a whole new game, he wasn't kidding. I'm afraid to ask what's next…**_

_**Bleck: What's next you say… Well, let's just say the guy that I told to handle Stan is someone who's wanted to meet him for **_**quite **_**a while…**_

_**You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure, but then, I'm pretty sure Stan doesn't either…**_

"_**Seal of Wickedness" is coming soon.**_

_**Notice that the names of these chapters are getting kinda grim? **__**Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, I crack myself up so much…**_


	59. Seal of Wickedness

_**I have to admit, before this mess started, I was skeptical about weird things that some people believed in.**_

_**I did not believe in UFOs or the Loch Ness Monster. I didn't buy urban legends of supernatural predators like Bloody Mary or the Slenderman, and I certainly didn't believe in vampires, werewolves… Or wizards…**_

_**But that's all changed…**_

_**I've been forced to accept that magic is real. I've met several wizards, one who wants to kill me, one who's trying to help me, one who I really don't know whether he wants to kill me or help me…**_

_**The opponent I'm facing… He's implying that I may BE one… Or that I may at least be on the path to becoming one. **_

_**This is insane… But then, everything on Arcadia is…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL FIFTY-NINE**

**0000000000**

**Seal of Wickedness**

**0000000000**

**00000**

Reficule's card appeared in Bleck's hand, just as Scab-Scar Knight's card had. He looked at his pocket watch again.

Then he sighed.

_One hour, twenty-two minutes… _he thought.

He put the card in the pocket he had taken it from.

…_eleven seconds…_

**0000000000**

Stan's eyes snapped open as he woke up…

Suddenly, he wished he was unconscious again. He didn't think it was possible to find a place in the Palace of Shadow worse than that room with the hand, but clearly, he was wrong.

He was in a flooded chamber, but it wasn't flooded with water. It was flooded with sickening green ooze that slowly bubbled and churned. A stench filled the chamber, and Stan could only assume that this "ooze" was the cause of it. The walls of the chamber were old and covered with some sort of odd mildew.

Even worse, he was on a square island of concrete that was almost – but not quite – in the center of the flooded room. It seemed sturdy, but…

Around him were rusty chains that looked like manacles, attached to the ceiling by mechanical winches, and were varied distances from the foul liquid. There were balconies on two of the far walls that had levers on an old-fashioned control panel. There was also a floor of sorts on the far end at ground level with what seemed to be a doorway leading out. Not that he had any chance of reaching it.

It was almost clear to Stan what the purpose of this room was… Almost. (He wasn't sure whether this was a place where prisoners were tortured or executed, but he was sure it was one or the other.)

He looked at the concrete island he was standing on. It was about fifteen by fifteen feet and seemed secure, although he wondered if there wasn't some way to make it sink into the stuff…

Of course, he was trapped on it. Looking at that slime, you'd have to a lunatic to think that stuff wasn't dangerous to touch. Maybe one of the chains was within jumping distance, and it was _possible _for him to make a leap for him to grab it…

"Honestly…" he muttered. "That would be pressing my luck a little too much…"

"True," said a voice.

As Stan started to look around to see where the voice was coming from, he heard a creaking noise, and noticed that a winch was turning, and a chain was starting to move.

He froze for a minute… Then he realized that the island he was standing on wasn't moving…

He curiously looked around, and saw that neither were any of the chains.

Then he noticed what _was _moving. A second concrete island was surfacing in front of him. The way it was positioned, the area in-between them was the center of the chamber.

Then a dark shadow started to appear on the second platform. Quickly, the residue on the platform evaporated, and the shadow turned into a dark, shadowy fire…

When the creature appeared, the dark flames didn't go away, they simply surrounded the creature like some dark shroud, and the creature itself was a nightmarish, demonic being. In fact, most average folk would think of a creature like this when they thought of demons. It had the most common features, goat-like legs, a muscular torso, bat-like wings, claws, and curved horns over a horrid face with blood red eyes.

(2,500 ATK)

The creature looked at Stan for a few seconds, and then put its claws out in front, cracking its knuckles.

"Hello, Mr. Mason…" he said. "So glad we finally got to meet…"

"Who are…" said Stan.

"Prophecy Destroyer…" replied the creature. "You can call me Kain."

_That's his name? _thought Stan. _He said it as if he's actually proud of it…_

He was about to say something else, but the creature went on.

"So, Mr. Mason, I must say, this is actually somewhat of an honor… I've wanted to meet you for a long time… Ever since the Queen first knew about you and who you were…"

"Uh…" said Stan. "Given the place we're in, I take it the reason you were anxious to meet me wasn't to swap dueling tips."

Kain smiled slightly.

"Yes, you're probably wondering what the devil this room is," he said. "Heh, no pun intended. If you thought it was a place where the Queen used to execute criminals, well, it used to be. But only for certain criminals who had committed a certain crime. One that only wizards are capable of committing.

"Criminals who commit this crime are… _Very _bad people."

"How bad?" asked Stan. "Bad as people like David Berkowitz?"

"Try again," said Kain. "Not even close."

"Uh…" said Stan. "John Wayne Gacy?"

Kain shook his head.

"Charles Manson?"

"Charles Manson?" asked Kain. "Know how many people his group was convicted of killing? Seven. Gacy was worse.

"When I mean 'bad people', the folks who commit this crime are often compared to Ivan the Terrible, Pol Pot, Vlad the Impaler… Those kinds of guys.

"And the worst part is, victims of this crime don't always die."

Stan gulped.

"Honestly, I frightened you without even describing it," replied Kain. "Well, I trust I don't have to. Anyway, the reason this room was built was because when such people are caught, a hanging or beheading won't suffice. You need something that will make certain they're truly dead and will never threaten anyone ever again. Like I said, only wizards are able to do this, and death sometimes isn't always certain with them.

"I don't know if she ever considered this punishment for your family's patriarch… We may never know…

"Still, about two-hundred years ago, the world at large started to see less and less of that crime. You know how outlaws in the old west used to rob trains? They don't do that anymore because advances in railway technology make it both impractical and nearly impossible. The crime in question died out for a similar reason.

"But the Queen had another use for this room…"

"Oh, I get it…" said Stan. "The old 'arena with a lethal hazard' trick. You have two people fight and the one who gets knocked off the platform is the loser – and dead."

"Seriously, Mr. Mason, I'm not as bad as you may think…" said Kain. "You and I are more alike than you may realize…"

A Duel Disk appeared on his arm. Then he took the deck, and started to shuffle it.

"After all, the reason I've had my eye on you is because I see so much of myself in you… We're both duelists… We both love to compete… We're both skilled at using the arcane forces…"

"WHAT?" shouted Stan. "Skilled at using…"

"Wizardry, of course…" said Kain.

Stan looked at him with an expression that suggested he was out of his mind.

"Oh, I see…" said Kain. "You looked at me and saw the wings and the horns, and the hooves, and your first thought was obviously, 'this guy is a Fiend'. Yes, I get that a lot.

"I'm actually as much a Spellcaster as many of the Monsters in your deck."

"Well, yeah, but I'M not a wizard!" shouted Stan.

"Sure you are," replied Kain.

He threw his deck into the Disk.

"You just don't know it yet. You're a descendant of a great wizard. This sort of thing is in the blood."

"Who do you think I am, Harry Potter?" exclaimed Stan. "Come on… Maybe I do have some great sorcerer in my family, but I'm not…"

"If you aren't, then I'm in far more trouble right now than you are," replied Kain. "Know why the Queen never used this place to execute common criminals? Don't think it was because she wasn't cruel enough.

"That goop looks dangerous, but truthfully, it can't hurt someone without magical ability or potential.

"It's a special substance created using alchemy that the Queen invented herself. It would take hours to explain the formula, but the stuff is harmless to humans. _However, _to anyone with magical skill, well, I think most film buffs would call it 'Hollywood acid'. You know, a chemical that can reduce a victim to bones in seconds, which would, in fact, be a few hundred times stronger than even hydrochloric acid."

Stan looked at the stuff. He remembered Tyson's little lecture about convection… If that was true, then clearly, there were some places here where the laws of science did apply, but not always…

"And before you get any ideas," continued Kain, "no, it won't work on her. She was smart enough to invent something that made her impervious to it, but she isn't keen on sharing.

"If you're truly just a human with no such skills, it would hurt you no more than water could."

Stan stopped. He looked down at the stuff. Kain chuckled.

"You're too scared to try it, are you?" he asked. "You're wondering if I might be right…"

"No…" replied Stan. "I_ really_ don't think that last claim of yours was honest…"

Actually, that wasn't _entirely _true. He didn't _completely _believe him, yes…

But… If it _was _true that this stuff couldn't hurt humans… Maybe he still _would_ have been too frightened to try it…

After all, until recently, he hadn't even known about that part of his family tree at all…

"You can't deny one thing, Mr. Mason," said Kain. "Those Spellcasters in your deck… You didn't choose them for no reason…They have a purpose… The legacy is so thick in you that you use cards that reflect the dark arts…"

The demon activated his Duel Disk.

"I'm no slouch at the forbidden arts myself, and if you want to prove yourself truly worthy of your birthright, duel me!"

"Man, how can I say no?" asked Stan.

He activated his Duel Disk, and quickly took a card from it.

_Fortunately, this guy's Attack Score is 2,500, so it should be easy for me to go lower, _he thought. _I'll use someone who's reliable this time…_

He held up a card, and Gagaga Kaiser appeared behind him. (1,800 ATK) Then he gripped the brim of his hat, and turned it backwards.

Kain smiled, his grin showing very unpleasant pointed teeth… Stan looked at the pool of acid again…

And he wondered if, whether it could hurt him or not, it was the most dangerous thing here. He was starting to doubt it…

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Kain: 8,000)**

"Here we go…" he said, as he drew first.

_Guy wants Spellcasters? _he thought. _Fine… _

He set a card, and the Monster appeared reversed.

"There," he said.

"Huh…" said Kain, making a draw. "I was hoping you'd be more offensive… Well, maybe I can encourage you…

"I play the Spell Card, Spellbook Library of the Crescent!"

He played the card, and a Spell appeared in front of him in an eerie, ominous light.

"I can use this card when I have no Spellbooks in my Graveyard… Because I do not…"

"Huh?" said Stan. "Spellbooks? What…"

The Duel Spirit let out a long sigh.

"Okay…" he said. "I guess the correct term would be 'Spell Cards with that word in their names', but I was trying to be dramatic.

"Anyway… I now take three other such Spell Cards from my deck…"

He held up three cards, back-sides forward.

"Like so… And you choose one, randomly. I get to keep that one.

"So think hard… And before you ask, no, they are not three copies of the same card. It didn't let me do that. But… There's nothing that said one of them couldn't be another Library of the Crescent… The card doesn't say I can't do that…"

Stan held up his hand slowly.

"BUT…" said Kain again. "It _does _say I can't play more than one per turn…"

Stan paused. He lifted his hand…

"BUT…" said Kain again. "I should also point out that one of them happens to be a card that I could use to take _any_ other Spellbook I wanted from my deck, including the other two, should you choose it…"

"Will you shut up?" shouted Stan. "You're trying to mess with my mind, and it won't work. Card on the left."

"As you wish," said Kain. "So I'll send the other two back to my deck…"

The other two cards disappeared.

"Well…" he said. "You know, Mr. Mason, I think this card you chose is going to benefit both of us… I mean, I know you don't like this room much… So…"

He held up a card.

"Take us to… The Grand Spellbook Tower!"

As the Field Spell activated, the whole room, and indeed, the whole palace, seemed to crumble away into dust. Stan seemed to be standing on a flat plain of sorts, with large buildings in the distance…

But that was _nothing _compared to the _huge _building that rose behind his opponent. Buildings like this were a common theme in fantasy. Tolkien himself loved them – the dark, evil towers in his books included Barad-dûr, Minas Morgul, Orthanc, and Cirith Ungol. (Ironically, all of those except the first were built by good guys, but bad guys took them over.)

This… This put them to shame (well, it put the depictions he had seen of them to shame). This soaring tower was a spire of a metallic, silver substance that stabbed into the sky, with a glowing portal of eldritch power at the peak, the whole enormous structure pulsating with magical power. Just looking at the monstrous tower, Stan tried very hard to decide whether or not the pool of acid was actually scarier…

Then he made up his mind. He would _definitely_ rather take his chances with the acid.

"Intimidating, isn't it," asked Kain.

_Not gonna deny it, fellah, _thought Stan.

"By the way," said the Duel Spirit, "before you think of tearing this Tower down, I should warn you, if you do that, I'm able to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my deck with a Level less than or equal to the number of Spellbooks in my Graveyard. Granted, I'd be limited to a pretty weak one at the moment, but that will change.

"In the meantime, I'll summon Charioteer of Prophecy…"

As he played the card, a beam of pure light shot out of the upper floors of the Tower, and Stan heard a galloping sound. A mounted figure, a handsome human swordsman wearing green with a long, flowing cape, rode out from the base of the tower on a white horse. He held a long, glowing sword. (1,800 ATK)

Stan raised his eye as he rode to a stop, and Kain played a Spell Card.

"Now then…" he said, "I use Golden Spellbook…"

A large tome with a golden cover closed with a clasp set with an emerald floated over his head.

"I can only use this when I only have one Monster and it happens to be a Spellcaster… I get to make two draws…"

He drew twice.

"But in return for that…"

Charioteer of Prophecy vanished… And then to Stan's shock, appeared on his side of the field.

'Say WHAT?" shouted Stan. "What do I do with him?"

"A 'thank you' would have been nice," replied Kain. "To answer your question, anything you want. But you only get to use him until the end of your turn. After that, he goes back to my deck.

"It's your move…"

Again, Stan looked at him in shock… Then he drew…

_He gave me this Monster, _he thought, _and he has nothing on his field except… Well, the Field…_

It didn't take a genius to realize this was probably a trick, but it was hard to say _what. _Something like this usually meant Gorz, but the Field Spell prevented him from using that one.

_Okay… _he thought.

He played a card, and Familiar Knight's card materialized in front of him. The Warrior leapt out, brandishing his blade with a loud battlecry. (1,200 ATK)

"Your Knight made a dramatic entrance, Mr. Mason," said Kain, "but I'm afraid he can do little else."

"What do you…" said Stan.

Then he was startled as a weird, glowing symbol appeared on the floor underneath them. It took him a minute to recognize it.

_The Spellbinding Circle? _he thought. _What the…_

"This is my Deckmaster ability, Mr. Mason, "a very powerful effect called Ward of Forbiddance, which covers the entire area in a magical cloak of energy that forbids any Monsters except Spellcasters from attacking unless they are Level 5 or higher.

"Seeing as he's a Level 3 Warrior, Familiar Knight doesn't fit the bill.

"But… If a Monster is unable to attack due to this ward, it does gain one benefit, however. It cannot be destroyed by any means other than battle."

Stan stopped for a minute.

"Yeah, well…" he said.

He pointed to Charioteer.

"Familiar Knight may not fit the bill, but this guy does…"

The Spellcaster urged his steed, and swung his sword at the creature, who lifted up his hand, blocking it with his wrist.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,200)**

"Well, that certainly worked…" said Kain.

"Certainly worked?" muttered Stan. "What…"

Then he thought of something.

"You mean that thing about trying to 'encourage' me? Do you actually _want _me to beat you?"

"No," replied Kain. "I just want you to try."

"You're nuts," said Stan. "It's your go."

"Then, as I said," said Kain, "Charioteer now returns to my deck…"

The mounted Spellcaster vanished.

"Meaning I can shuffle…"

He took the deck, and shuffled quickly, with the finesse of a blackjack dealer.

"…then draw."

He put it back, and drew.

"All will be decided by the cards… I set a card and summon Stoic of Prophecy…"

There was an aura of calm, blue light, and an odd Spellcaster appeared. He wore a royal blue tunic with epaulettes on the shoulders and two diagonal sashes across the waist with odd sigils written on them, a belt with a large, silver buckle, brown pants, and large, silver boots. He had a handsome face with auburn hair. He held two strange weapons; long spears with oversized, fancy heads. (300 ATK)

"…and then I'm done."

_Guy seems awfully reluctant to attack himself… _thought Stan, as he made another draw.

He played another card and with a series of whirs and beeps, a cute-looking robot rolled onto the field. It had cannons for arms, and tank treads in place of legs. (400 ATK)

"Having bad luck, are we?" asked Kain.

"I use Card Trooper's effect," he said, "and sent the top three cards from my deck to the Graveyard to increase its Attack Score by 1,500…"

He discarded the three cards, and it beeped again. (1,900 ATK)

"Don't see what good that will do you," said Kain. "It still can't get past my ward."

Stan ignored him.

_Maybe I could use these two guys to bring out Melomelody… _he thought. _I'm pretty sure this Ward of his can't stop a Monster from attacking if it has NO Level… _

_But… On the other hand, she's not all-too strong…_

"Your move…" he said, as the Machine's Attack Score went back to 400.

"Heh…" said Kain, as he drew.

"He who hesitates is lost, Mr. Mason! First, because it's my Standby Phase, and I have at least one Spellcaster on the field or in my Graveyard, I can use my Field Spell's effect.

"To wit, I take one Spellbook from my Grave, and place it at the bottom of my deck…"

Spellbook Library of the Crescent slowly slid out of his discard slot, and then faded away in a golden light as the underside of his deck glowed with the same light.

"Then I can draw once," he said, as he made a draw.

"Now that I've done that, I'll summon Justice of Prophecy…"

Another beam of light fell from the Tower, and a young woman appeared next to the Stoic, not stoic at all, but far more energetic, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her green robes and matching hat had an odd design with three black spheres. In her right hand she held a silver dagger with a high-tech design, and in her left was a golden mace with a Scales built into it. (1,600 ATK)

"Then, Spellbook of Power!"

He played the card, and a tome with an orange cover and clasps and hinges shaped like blades appeared above the Stoic's head. It opened, and he closed his eyes as he bathed in magical power.

"The eldritch power in this libram increases a Spellcaster's Attack Score by 1,000…"

(1,300 ATK)

"So," he continued, as the Stoic pointed his spears forward, "he can attack!"

The Stoic pointed his spears, but then paused. The Trap Card lifted up.

"Magician's Circle?" asked Stan.

"I see you've heard of it," replied Kain. "By attacking with this Spellcaster, both players may summon one from their decks with 2,000 or less Attack Points.

"Thus, I summon Hermit of Prophecy."

The beam of light was cast from the Tower again, and a Spellcaster appeared that looked more like a wizard than the other two… In fact, he probably looked more like one than most Spellcasters in the game, bringing to mind traditional ones like Gandalph. He was an old man with a flowing, white beard, wearing a long grey robe and a pointed wizard's hat. He held a long staff with an elaborate, decorated head shaped like an odd coat of arms. (That was the best way to describe it, but it did have the same symbol of the front that was on Justice's robe and hat, only with blue spheres.) (1,200 ATK)

"I use that effect to summon Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Stan.

His deck glowed, and then the buxom, brunette, female mage leapt out in front of him, then knelt and held her staff in her lap. (1,800 DEF)

"Now you're getting somewhere," continued Kain, as Stoic aimed again. "Now, where was I again? Oh yes… Attack with Tempestcone!"

The attack wasn't very subtle. Two blasts of lightning and wind shot from the spears, combining into one cone-shaped blast. Crystal Seer appeared on Stan's set card and was blown into little bits.

"_This _guy is supposed to be stoic?" asked Stan, in surprise.

"His original Attack Score is only 300, remember?" said Kain, with a smirk. "And that reminds me… When a Spellcaster destroys a Monster by battle when under Spellbook of Power's influence, I get to take another Spellbook from my deck…"

A new card appeared in his hand with a soft, golden aura.

"Uh, right…" said Stan. "Spellbooks…"

He really had _no _idea how these things worked, but then, he didn't know how _any _of this guy's cards worked, to tell the truth.

"Crystal Seer's effect activates…"

He took the two cards off the top of his deck, which were Gagaga Druid and Frontier Wiseman. He quickly put Druid back, and kept Wiseman.

"Smite his Familiar Knight, Justice!" continued Kain, as the sorcerer's mace glowed. "Staggering Strike!"

Justice's mace glowed with golden fire, and she slammed it to the ground, shaking the whole arena, and creating a fissure that tore through the ground towards Familiar Knight, causing him to shatter like black glass.

"Ugh…" said Stan. "Familiar Knight's effect activates… I summon Freed the Brave Wanderer!"

The whole place went quiet for a minute…

Then a lone figure silently strode onto the field, a knight in flawless, decorated armor, a long cape trailing behind him, with long, blonde hair. The pure aura around him was one that suggested authority more than anything else.

This was indeed, none other than Freed the Matchless General himself, simply depicted at a time years before he would gain that title. Still, there was no doubt it was him. (1,700 ATK)

"I too can use the effect of your Knight…" said Kain, with a smirk. "I choose to summon Strength of Prophecy."

The beam that shot from the Tower this time was fiery and burning, and turned into roses upon hitting the ground, which turned into odd magical symbol. A beautiful woman with short, red hair emerged, wearing a scarlet and black battle dress with the same chest insignia as Justice (but with red orbs). She held a battle axe with a blade shaped like a lion's head. (1,500 ATK)

"Attack that robot with Adamantine Echo!" commanded the demon.

Strength swung her axe forward, creating a wave of sound best described as an amplified lion's roar. It was all Stan could do to keep from covering his ears as Card Trooper sparked and shattered.

"You activated that guy's effect too…" he said, as he made one draw.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,200)**

"So be it…" replied Kain. "I move to the End Phase of my turn, which means Spellbook of Power's effect on my Stoic now wears off," said Kain, as the Spellcaster's Score fell back to 300. "However, this also means I can now activate Justice's effect. Because I activated a Spellbook this turn, I can get rid of her, and not only take another Spellbook from my deck, but a Dark or Light Spellcaster that is Level 5 or higher.

"Thus, farewell…"

Justice vanished in a flash of light, and two cards materialized along with his others.

"And before you say anything, I should tell you… With the Monsters in my deck, being high-Level isn't _always _better…"

"No kidding," replied Stan. "I mean honestly…"

He drew a card.

"People always made fun of Yugi's Kuriboh… Even Kaiba always mocked the little guy…

"Then it was able to block Obelisk's attack somehow… _Obelisk the Tormentor, _can you believe it? The fuzzball didn't know his own strength, apparently…"

He played a card, and Frontier Wiseman appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Better," said Kain. "Of course, as much a living legend he may be, Freed still can't get past my ward."

"Want a bet?" asked Stan. "I use my Deckmaster effect…"

Gagaga Kaiser lifted his staff, and golden light surrounded Freed.

"By using this effect, I can banish a Warrior or Spellcaster in my Graveyard, and then a Monster of the same Type on the Field becomes the same Level.

"So I can banish The Fiend Megacyber, which I sent there with Card Trooper's effect, and make Freed Level 6, meaning he can get past that Ward."

"Wait a minute!" shouted Kain. "You can't honestly tell me you planned all that…"

"Okay, fine, I won't…" said Stan.

Magician's Valkyria stood up. (1,600 ATK)

"Maybe I just lucked out. I mean, that's how this whole game is supposed to work, isn't it?

"So then… Freed, attack that Stoic with Brave Sword Attack!"

Stoic seemed to live up to his name now, barely moving as Freed's mighty blade first sundered the two spears. The pieces fell to the ground with a clatter and Freed struck again. The Stoic seemingly melted into a formless puddle of water.

"Weird…" said Stan.

"At least I get to use his effect," said Kain. "When he goes to the Graveyard, I get to take any Level 3 Monster from my deck with the word 'Prophecy' in it."

He grinned, and held up a card.

"Just how many searchers do these guys have?" exclaimed Stan.

"In simple terms, a LOT," replied Kain.

Stan rolled his eyes. Then Valkyria aimed her staff and fired a blast at Strength, and the redhead vanished with a loud "POOF" and a cloud of burning smoke.

Then Frontier Wiseman's Sacred Lightning blasted at Hermit, and the bearded wizard collapsed into golden dust.

**(S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

Stan set a card in his Disk, and it appeared in his Spell Zone.

"I guess that's it…" he said.

Kain drew, and the Tower started to glow with arcane magic again.

"The effect of my Field Spell activates…" he said.

Golden Spell book slowly slid out of his discard slot and vanished, and he drew.

Then he played a card, and a new Spellcaster appeared on the field – well, Stan assumed he was one, because this guy looked a lot more modern. It was a male wearing blue spandex pants and a sleeveless shirt, a high-tech visor, and green hair tied in a ponytail. He held a composite bow with a string and arrow made of glowing magical energy. There were streamers hanging from his shoulders much like the sashes worn by the Stoic. (700 ATK)

"Now, I play Magical Dimension!" he shouted, as he played a Spell Card.

"Eh, it figures…" muttered Stan.

"I'll sacrifice Amores of Prophecy," said Kain, as the strange Spellcaster vanished, "to summon Reaper of Prophecy!"

The whole sky darkened, and a chill blew through the whole large area surrounding the Tower.

Then, _she _was standing there. The creature was indeed feminine, a young woman dressed in a dark cloak and hood, a skull design on her torso right above her waist, and holding a large scythe. She looked at Stan and his Monsters with a silent, emotionless expression. (2,000 ATK)

Stan looked at her for a minute, and was about to say something. Then he shook his head.

_I'm not even gonna ask…_ he thought.

"Due to the second effect of Magical Dimension," said the Duel Spirit, "I can destroy one of your Monsters…"

He pointed at Valkyria, and she shattered.

"Which means my Reaper is free to attack your…"

Reaper lifted her scythe and turned towards Frontier Wiseman. Then Kain paused, and so did she.

"Yes?" said Stan.

Kain chuckled.

"Where's my mind?" chuckled the creature. "If you have at least two Light Monsters in your Graveyard, and you're halfway there because I just used that card's effect on Valkyria, you can use Freed's effect, and banish them to destroy a Monster that's stronger than he is.

"Almost made a big mistake there... Reaper, attack his Warrior."

The odd Spellcaster made a cut downward with her weapon, sending a sharp blade of shadow through the air, literally cutting him in half right before he shattered.

**(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 4,300)**

_Okay, this isn't a problem yet, _thought Stan.

Kain waved his hand, and Stan considered for a minute.

Then he made a draw. He had one Monster left on the field which was Level 3.

He looked at Gagaga Girl for a minute…

_Muzurhythm could defeat Reaper… _he thought. _But…_

He slowly started to reach for her card.

Then a sudden thought came to him. He looked at his deck. A nagging feeling about what his opponent had said to him was stuck in his head.

He changed his mind, and chose another Monster, setting it on the field to defend. Then he turned Wiseman's card, and he defended too. (800 DEF)

"Okay, take your best shot," he said.

"Oh, I will…" said Kain, as he drew.

"Think I'll activate the effect of my Field Spell again…"

Spellbook of Power fell out of his Graveyard and vanished, and he drew again.

"At least that was the last one you had in there," said Stan.

"That will change in a minute," replied Kain. "These average, everyday Monsters are downright _boring. _Time to bring out some good stuff.

"First of all, I'll use Star Blast."

He held up the Spell Card.

"You know how this works, I'm sure. For each increment of 500 Life Points I pay, I can lower the Level of one of my Monsters by 500. For a deck like mine, this does make many of my Monsters easier to summon…

"But… I'm going to use it the one that's already on the field… Reaper of Prophecy… Lowering her Level from 6 to 5…"

_Oh, lordy, I know where this is going, _thought Stan.

"Next," said Kain, "remember that Spellbook I mentioned that lets me search for any that I want? I just drew it now… Spellbook of Secrets!"

He played the card, and glowing, purple tome with a spider web design on the cover appeared above him. Then a new card appeared in his hand.

"Next, I'll summon Temperance of Prophecy," he continued.

As he played the card, colored smoke and the smell of incense filled the air, and a woman dressed in a flowing, bulky, brown robe with wide sleeves and a hood covering much of her face appeared. She had two scarves on her belt, again much like the sashes the Stoic wore, and she held two golden cups that were connected by a cord. (1,000 ATK)

"Because I used a Spellbook earlier this turn," he continued, "I can sacrifice Temperance and Special Summon a Light or Dark Spellcaster from my deck that's Level 5 or higher."

Temperance vanished in a shower of motes.

"Be grateful that Dark Magician of Chaos is an illegal card," he said. "I summon High Priestess of Prophecy!"

The portal at the apex of the tower started to spin more violently, and the sky darkened. Then someone seeming _leapt _from an upper floor, making a perfect landing on the ground in front of Stan…

It was a beautiful woman with pink hair and a flawless face, a near perfect figure, wearing a pure white halter and a long skirt, along with a wizard's hat, with more of those odd scarfs covered with sigils. She held a rod tipped with a huge emerald. (2,500 ATK)

"Yeah, I think that qualifies as a good one!" shouted Stan.

"No she isn't," chuckled Kain. "She's just someone I'm going to use to bring out the _real _good one. See, the downside of Temperance's effect is, I'm not allowed to summon any other high-Level Monsters this turn…

"But… This downside does have one obvious loophole…"

"You can still Xyz Summon, I take it?" asked Stan.

"Exactly…" said Kain. "I'm not only going to summon one Xyz Monster, but two.

"I first play Monster Reborn to summon Hermit back from my Graveyard…"

He played the card, and the old greybeard reappeared on the field. (1,200 ATK)

"Next, the Equip Spell, Spellbook of Life," he said, as he played another card.

The book that appeared this time was leather bound, and had an ankh on the cover.

"This is a little complicated, so I'll explain carefully. First I banish a Spellcaster from my Graveyard AND reveal a Spellbook in my hand."

He turned one of his two remaining cards forward – it was a card called Spellbook of Chance, which Stan didn't recognize – and then Amores of Prophecy appeared behind him and dissolved into a ripple of light.

"This lets me Special Summon another Spellcaster from my Graveyard and boost it with Spellbook of Life…"

The shower of fiery petals appeared again, and then Strength appeared. (1,500 ATK)

"And Strength's Level is now increased by Amores' Level, making Strength Level 7.

"In addition to this, Hermit's effect is now activated. Any time a Spellbook is played. He gains 300 Attack Points and his Level increases by 2."

The Hermit's eyes glowed with powerful Light. (1,500 ATK)

"Thus…" said Kain, as the Tower's portal started to crackle with cosmic power, "I build the Mystical Overlay Network…"

Oddly-colored lightning flashed from the portal as Hermit and Reaper turned into orbs of pulsating magic…

Another sorceress rose out of the vortex, and she was lovely too, but with a more verdant them, her form-fitting robes and cowl forest-green and decorated with garlands of golden flowers. She held a staff that was intertwined with ivy, topped with a golden wreath. (2,000 ATK)

"Meet Empress of Prophecy," he said. "And I'm not done…"

Then High Priestess and Strength turned into orbs of energy too.

"Let me guess, the Emperor is coming now?" asked Stan.

"No," said Kain. "He might show up later, but for now…

"I Xyz Summon the mighty Hierophant of Prophecy!"

The sky turned pitch black, and a Spellcaster appeared that stood head-and-shoulders over all the others. His deep purple robes suggested both his actual title and royalty at the same time, and he wore a shimmering, golden crown on his head shaped like a starburst. He held a long staff with a top that had an inverted triangle shape, and a green orb in the complex design. He had odd-looking sigils (maybe tattoos, maybe face paint, maybe something else entirely) on his cheeks. (2,800 ATK)

"Okay, that's a pretty good one…" said Stan.

"You'd better believe it," replied Kain. "Now, before he struts his stuff, Empress has an effect that activates now. She gains 300 Attack Points for _each _Overlay Unit in _every _Xyz Monster I have. Thus, because she and Hierophant both have two, she gains 1,200 points."

(3,200 ATK)

"_However, _I am willing to lower that somewhat. By detaching one Unit from Hierophant, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card for each Spellbook in my Graveyard.

"I have two there right now, but it seems one would be enough in this case…"

The Hierophant held up his staff, and an orb of light flew out of his chest, and he absorbed it through the staff. Then a bolt of charged electricity shot towards Stan's set Trap Card…

However, it lifted up, right before it shattered.

"Thank you…" said Stan with a grin. "That was a special Trap called Reimbursement. I can use it when there's at least one Xyz Monster on the field, and you use try to use an effect that would destroy one of my cards, even the Trap Card itself."

"You don't have any…" said Kain.

"I said A Xyz Monster, not necessarily mine," interrupted Stan. "You have _two_ of them. Now, normally, Reimbursement's effect lets me make one draw, but there is an added bonus…

"Since the effect in question was the effect of an Xyz Monster, I get _two _draws."

He drew twice.

"So again, thanks."

Kain made an ugly grimace.

"You're welcome…" he muttered, sarcastically. "Let's see how smug you are once I use Empress' effect…"

Like if had with Hierophant, an orb of energy flew out of Empress' chest, and was absorbed through the Empress' staff. (2,600 ATK)

"By getting rid of one of her Overlay Units, I reveal the top five cards on my deck, and for each one that's a Spellbook, I get to destroy one of your cards.

"So… Let's see…"

Five cards appeared in front of him. Only one was immediately recognizable to Stan, Foolish Burial. There were two Monsters, one of which was apparently a second copy of High Priestess's card, and one he didn't recognize called Fool of Prophecy… And two Spell Cards, Spellbook Star Hall and Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere.

"Nice…" said the Duel Spirit.

Both Frontier Wiseman and Stan's set Monster shattered.

"Next, Empress' effect also lets me put those five cards back in any order I desire…" he continued, as the five cards vanished.

"Now to deal with you!"

Hierophant pointed his scepter at Stan.

"Attack directly with Dark Baptism!"

Lightning flashed again, as the tip of the scepter glowed.

"Not this time, scary!" shouted Stan. "Gagaga Gardna, you're up!"

He played the card, and the Warrior rushed in front of his, holding up his shield. (2,000 DEF)

"Not only can he defend me, but I'll ditch one card to return the favor and protect _him!"_

He discarded his copy of Bound Wand and Gardna grunted as the powerful bolt of magic glanced off his shield.

"Then I'll just attack him again!" shouted Kain with a scowl.

Empress aimed _her _staff.

"I can do that more than once, creepy!" said Stan, as he discarded his copy of Gagaga Clerk.

Again, the powerful hex bounced off.

_This isn't as fun as I thought it would be, _thought Kain.

He looked at his last two cards, Spellbook of Chance, and the one he had gotten from Stoic's effect, Spellbook of Wisdom. He growled a little, and the set both. Then he looked at Stan.

**(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,800)**

Stan looked at the two powerful Xyzs… Then at his deck…

**0000000000**

Vlad was watching Bleck, who now seemed rather nervous. The guy seemed to be looking at that watch rather often.

Still, as much as he hated to admit it, this guy was quite a sorcerer. The enchantment on these ropes holding him… It was the same one his mother had used on those shackles, all right. It would be absurd to suggest that _he, _of all people, couldn't recognize it.

And he _really _hated to admit that he couldn't help but be a little curious right now…

"Bleck…" he said. "That card you gave me…"

Bleck turned to him.

"You said it was magical, but…" continued Vlad. "There's more to it, I assume…"

Bleck shook his head.

"You noticed, huh?" he said. "It's an odd card, yes…

"See, that card was custom-made by Pegasus himself… You know, the guy who created Duel Monsters? He was a painter who personally designed a lot of cards, including the Egyptian God Cards.

"This one… It was strange… Not only did he never try to mass-produce it, it wasn't a card he designed for his personal use like the cards in the Toon Deck he had. This card was… Different…"

"How so?" asked Vlad.

"No-one knows," replied Bleck. "But… Eventually, he lost it… Some say that it was stolen, and it started turning up on underground dueling circuits… But no-one ever owned it for long.

"See, the card seemed to give incredible luck to whoever used it, letting them win duels more easily… But each user was struck by bouts of depression and sadness. Many turned to alcohol or worse. It was as if the card was cursed.

"Each and every time, the owner ended losing the card. Some simply got so depressed – or so destitute as a result of being depressed – that they gave up dueling and either sold it or gave it away. A few wagered the card and lost it. Despite the luck, they were so depressed, they got sloppy. So the card passed from hand to hand over the years.

"I figured that you, with your rapport with Dark Monsters could resist it… You know… Shadow Spawn of Darkness…"

Vladimir didn't answer. He certainly hadn't felt depressed when he had used it…

But the thing is, he could sense what the card's spirit was feeling…

If _anyone _was depressed, _she _was… And he had no idea why.

**0000000000**

Stan made a draw.

_Pot of Avarice! _he thought. _This could be the break I need…_

He quickly played it, and took Freed, Crystal Seer, Mataza, Valkyria, and Wiseman from his Graveyard, and reshuffled his deck. He drew twice.

"You know, fellah…" he said. "Maybe there is something about what you said about wizardy being in my blood…

He played a card, and Trident Warrior appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)

"You fight fire with fire, so you fight magic with magic! I'll use Trident Warrior's effect to summon Gagaga Girl!"

As always, there was a shower of petals as the young Spellcaster made her dramatic entrance. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I'll play Monster Reborn!" he shouted.

He played the card, and in a surge of energy, a Monster appeared… A dark, female Monster that Kain found very familiar. (2,000 ATK)

"Eh?" he said. "Why did you summon Reaper of Prophecy to your side of the field? You do know that none of her effects work without Spellbooks, right?"

"Here's why," replied Stan.

He played a card, and Resonance Device appeared in front of him.

"See, since Reaper is a Dark Spellcaster, just like Gagaga Girl is, I can use this to make Gagaga Girl the same Level as Reaper, 6. Thus letting me Overlay both…"

The portal opened again, and both Spellcasters turned into wisps of dark magic as they flew through.

Then, with a triumphant leap, Magi-Magi Magician Girl flew out. (2,400 ATK) A nervous twitch appeared on Kain's face.

"I think I'll Overlay Trident Warrior and Gagaga Gardna too," continued Stan.

As the two Monsters vanished, music started to fill the air… A certain ballad by a French composer that was made popular by a _very _well-known cartoon character.

Stan chuckled a little as Maestroke the Symphony Djinn appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Paul Dukas' _The Sorcerer's Apprentice, _huh?" he asked. "You always know the right ones to pick, Maestroke.

"Now, just in case this doesn't work… I'm using the effect of my Overlay Eater, which you destroyed last turn, to swipe your Hierophant's other Overlay Unit and give it to Maestroke. No way am I letting him use _that_ effect again."

The small lizard appeared in the middle of the field, and its long, sticky tongue darted out at Hierophant. He made a look of disgust which turned into a look of surprise when it snagged Strength's card and yanked it away from her. Empress looked at him with a worried expression. (2,300 ATK)

"Yeah, she should be scared," said Stan. "That also means Maestroke will still have two Units left after I use his effect and flip her into set position…"

The Djinn pointed his sword, and Empress held her chest briefly before she vanished, and a set card appeared where she had been.

"Next I'll use Magi-Magi Magician Girl's effect," he said, as he threw Gagaga Girl's card into his Graveyard slot. "However, to do so, I also have to banish one card in my hand.

"Fortunately, I still have this one."

He pocketed his last card (it was The Warrior Returning Alive), and the Spellcaster aimed her scepter at Hierophant.

"That means I can take control of one of your Monsters. So get over here!"

A golden lariat of magical energy lashed from Magi-Magi Magician Girl's scepter, snagging the Hierophant. She gave a yank, pulling him over to Stan's side of the field.

"Now that I've done that…" said Stan. "Maestroke, attack with Death Symphony!"

The lethal staff of notes shot towards the set card, and Kain shielded his face with his wrist as an explosion incinerated Empress.

"Attack directly, Hierophant!" ordered Stan, as the brainwashed Xyz pointed his staff.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, Mr. Mason," said Kain, "but…"

One of his two set cards lifted up, revealing the Quickplay Spell he had set last turn, Spellbook of Chance.

"You draw once, and in return, I get to flip the top card on my deck. If it isn't a Spellcaster, I lose 1,000 Life Points.

"But if it is, I get to summon her right now."

"Yeah, you said 'her' because you know exactly what that card is," muttered Stan, as he drew a card. "You made sure she was there when used Empress' effect."

High Priestess of Prophecy appeared in front of his foe, a dour look on her face. (2,500 ATK)

"A good wizard is always prepared," said Kain.

"Well, she can only protect you so much…" said Stan.

Hierophant's spell blasted towards High Priestess… But while she grunted a little as it hit her in the chest, she didn't shatter.

"But more than you think," replied Kain. "Spellbook of Chance also makes her impervious in battle this turn. However, in exchange for that, she has to leave at the _end _of the turn."

Stan looked at the card he had drawn.

"…which would be now, I guess…" he said.

**(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,500)**

High Priestess shattered, and Hierophant quickly floated back to Kain's side of the field.

"Which means Hierophant is back where he belongs," he said, as he made a draw, "Once again, all will be determined by the cards. Of course, seeing as I already knew what this one would be too, it was a foregone conclusion.

"First off, I'm using the effect of my Tower one more time…"

Spellbook of Secrets fell out of his Disk and vanished, then he drew once.

'Then I'll play… Foolish Burial!"

He quickly played the Spell Card he had drawn, and threw a card into his Disk's discard slot.

"The reason I sent that particular Monster to the Graveyard is because I can Special Summon it _from _there if there are at least three Spellbooks in there with it. I simply have to banish all three.

"Thus, I banish Spellbook of Life, Spellbook of Secrets, and Spellbook of Chance to summon my _favorite _Monster…"

The three books appeared over his head, and then a pentagram appeared on the floor in front of him, which started to burn with hellish fires…

Then a very familiar Monster started to rise out of the symbol…

Stan couldn't believe it… It was a duplicate of Kain himself, the only difference being a nasty-looking sword in its right hand. (2,500 ATK)

"No… way…" said Stan. "Why on earth did you summon _your _card?"

"Why not?" asked Kain, as his twin's sword burned with flames. "I'll summon Fool of Prophecy too."

A beam of light fell from the Tower again, and a young man wearing a green courier's outfit covered by a gaudy, yellow jacket with a matching cap with a feather in it. He held a long staff similar to the ones used by the other Prophecy Spellcasters.

"Attack his Djinn with Soulfire Steal Slash!" shouted Kain, as his twin flew at Maestroke.

"I use my Monster's effect!" shouted Stan. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can protect him from being destroyed!"

"On the contrary," said Kain, "because you used that effect during the Battle Phase, I can activate…"

His last set card lifted up.

"…Overlay Banish! Which negates the effect entirely!"

Stan watched in horror as the sword fell, literally _bisecting _Maestroke, causing him to fall to the ground in two pieces before he dissolved.

"Now it's time for some Hierophant to get some reimbursement of his own," chuckled Kain, as the sorcerer pointed his staff at Magi-Magi Magician Girl.

Stan was knocked a step backwards with the wind was knocked out of him as the explosion blew his Monster to shards.

_Stay focused… _he thought. _Don't panic…_

Then the Fool pointed his staff at him.

"Attack directly with Starlight Stream!" ordered Kain.

A glimmering cascade of glittering stars shot from the Fool's wand, and this time, Stan was _really _hurt, falling to his knees from the impact.

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,500)**

"Your move…" said the demon, with a grin.

Stan groaned, and stood up, making a draw as he did. He set it and his other two cards, and all appeared set, two behind the other.

He shook his head, then waved it a little.

"My turn again?" chuckled the creature, as he drew.

_Eh, Dark Hole? _he thought. _Can't use that one… I'd lose my best Monster… Oh well…_

Then his set card lifted up.

"First thing's first," he said. "By using Spellbook of Wisdom, I can render Hierophant impervious to either Spells or Traps this turn, and I'm choosing Traps.

The glowing green Spellbook appeared overhead a second time.

"Which means I can end this now…"

The Fool aimed at the set Monster, and the shimmering stream of stars fell towards it. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and then shattered.

Stan quickly made five draws.

"Seems I may still have a chance," said Stan.

Kain shrugged. He Dark Hole, then made five draws.

"Not unless one of them is another Gardna," replied Kain. "You didn't forget about my other two Monsters did you?"

The second Prophecy Destroyer lifted its sword and spread its wings, taking to the air and then flying towards Stan with a mighty swoop.

"No, I didn't…" replied Stan.

His Trap Card lifted up, the Call of the Haunted card glowed. Magi-Magi Magician Girl appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"Forgive me…" he muttered.

She looked at him, and made a small smile… Then Destroyer's sword fell, blowing her to shards again.

"Pathetic…" said Kain.

Hierophant pointed at Stan, and this time he had nothing to defend himself with. He shouted out in pain as the bolt hit home.

**(S: 600) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,500)**

"This isn't over pal…" he grumbled.

"Well my turn isn't over either," replied Kain, "and these five cards you gave me access too are going to let me do something I've just been dying to try.

"Let's see you turn this around once I pull it off. I use my Spellbook of Eternity."

Another Spellbook appeared in the air above him, this one purple with rounded hinges.

"By using this card, I can recover a Spellbook which I previously banished. I choose Spellbook of Life."

The other card appeared in his hand, and he played it, causing the book with the ankh on it to appear again.

"You remember this, right? By banishing one Spellcaster in my Graveyard and revealing another Spellbook, I can Special Summon a Spellcaster, and then increase her Level by the Level of the banished one."

Hermit appeared behind him, and then vanished, and he turned another Spell Card forward. Temperance appeared in front of him, a dour look on her face. (1,000 ATK)

"All right…" he said. "I use the Dark Designator Spell Card!"

"Say what?" said Stan, as the card appeared.

"This card…" said Kain.

"I know what it does…" muttered Stan.

"Then the Monster I name is Sorcerer of Dark Magic," said Kain.

Stan let out a groan as he leafed through his deck until he found the card. The card that this guy was going to play next could not be more obvious…

"Then I play… Exchange!" shouted Kain, as he played another.

"That's what I figured," sighed Stan.

"So come over…" said Kain. "Uhm, uh…"

He looked around.

"On second thought, maybe _I'd _better come over _there…"_

It took a minute for Stan to realize what he was talking out. Then he remembered where he was. The Field Spell may have been hiding it, but the pool of acid was still surrounding them… Trying to walk over to where his opponent was wouldn't be a good idea.

Still, Kain had an obvious solution to the problem, seeing as he had wings. He simply spread them, and slowly drifted over to Stan's side of the field.

Stan sighed again, and turned his hand forward. The Duel Spirit took a minute to look over the cards, and then took Sorcerer of Dark Magic.

"Thank you," he said, sarcastically. "Now, be my guest…"

Stan looked at the two remaining cards his opponent had: Spellbook of the Master and Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere. He really didn't think either of them would be very useful to him.

He quickly took the first one. Kain smirked, and flew back to his side.

"Now then…" he said. "I sacrifice my twin and Temperance…"

The two Spellcasters turned into a dark portal of magic… Stan watched with dread as _his _most powerful Monster emerged from it. (3,200 ATK)

"That's it for me, Mr. Mason," he said. "How powerful are your Monsters when they have to go up against one of their own? Time for you to see…"

_I don't know if they can! _thought Stan. _I have no idea if I even HAVE someone who can beat him right now…_

He carefully read the card text for Spellbook of the Master. As he had expected, it was pretty much worthless to him.

He drew.

_Goombella's card… _he thought. _But her Attack Score is only 500, and Traps can't stop Sorcerer's attacks… If her effect doesn't get me a solution, I've had it…_

Then he stopped for a minute.

_On the other hand... I don't see how she could possibly make this even worse..._

He quickly threw the card on his Disk, and the small, ponytailed Goomba appeared. (500 ATK) Then he picked up the top three cards on his deck…

A sudden surge of inspiration hit him. He discarded one, sent one back to his deck, and put the other aside.

Then his final set card lifted up.

"I activate Gagagarevenge!" he shouted.

The card glowed, and the Gagaga Magician sprang onto the field. (1,500 ATK)

"What are you…" said Kain.

"You'll see in a minute…" said Stan. "I activate the Spell Card, Gagaga X Gagaga.

"This is a strange Spell Card that I can activate when I have a Monster with the word 'Gagaga' in its name. When I play it, the card turns into a Monster, duplicating all the vital stats of that Gagaga Monster."

The Spell Card glowed, and a Spellcaster that looked like a photo negative of Gagaga Magician, with a white robe and black skin, strode out of the card. (1,500 ATK)

"That means I now have three Level 4 Spellcasters," he said, as the Overlay Network appeared again, "meaning I can Overlay my Deckmaster and the other two Spellcasters to create a new one…"

The three Monsters flew into the vortex, and slowly, a new sorcerer emerged… Alchemic Magician appeared, looking at Kain with a girlish giggle. (1,500 ATK)

"Is this some sort of joke?" asked Kain.

"Not at all," replied Stan. "First of all, Alchemic Magician gains 200 Attack Points for each Spell Card in my Graveyard, and unlike your Monsters, who only benefit from Spellbooks, they can be ANY Spell Cards.

"I have four there right now…"

(2,300 ATK)

"But that's about to change… First, thanks to Gagagarevenge, she has 300 more Attack Points."

(2,600 ATK)

"Then I'll use… Double Spell!

"See, when you saw I had this card and Heavy Storm, you assumed I would use it and discard your Spellbook, and then play Storm... But you _wanted _your Tower to be destroyed. I remembered that other effect it had that you mentioned.

"So, I'm going to discard Heavy Storm, and then use your copy of Monster Reborn!"

The holy symbol appeared again, and Magi-Magi Magician Girl appeared again, giving a dirty look to Kain. (2,400 ATK)

"Now I have two more Spell Cards in my Graveyard…" he said, as Alchemic Magician smirked.

(3,200 ATK)

"Okay, okay…" said Kain, nervously. "Nothing I can't handle…"

"Magi-Magi Magician Girl, destroy Fool of Prophecy with Dark Burning Blast!"

The Sorceress aimed her staff and fired four bolts of blazing flames at the Fool. As he burst, Kain actually clutched his chest in pain.

"HEY!" he shouted. "That _hurt, _you little brat! I'm gonna…"

Then Stan held up one more Spell Card.

"Oh… shit…" said the demon.

Stan played the Quickplay Spell Card he had gotten from Goombella's effect, and Enemy Controller's video game controller appeared. Magi-Magi Magician Girl vanished into grains of light.

Sorcerer of Dark Magic turned to Kain, and gave him a look of sheer contempt. Then he vanished, appearing on Stan's side of the field.

"I think that Shakespeare would refer to this as being hoisted on your own petard," said Stan. "Don't you just love that Bard?

"By the way, Enemy Controller is a Spell Card too…"

Alchemic Magician smirked even wider. (3,500 ATK)

"So… Finish off Hierophant of Prophecy with Arcane Burnout!"

Alchemic Magician threw her hands into the air, forming a spiraling pinwheel of arcane symbols. She threw it at the Hierophant, slicing him in half and causing his remains to dissolve.

"Good riddance!" said Stan. "Sorcerer, finish him off with Celestial Blast!"

Sorcerer of Dark Magic fired his eldritch energy at Prophecy Destroyer, and the Grand Spellbook Tower started to crumble as his scream echoed through the whole Palace of Shadow…

**(S: 600) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 0)**

The Field Spell vanished completely, and they were back in the acid-filled arena. Kain was on his knees… And he was laughing.

Then he laughed even harder.

"What's so funny?" asked Stan.

Prophecy Destroyer looked up with a wicked grin as he started to vanish.

"Seems you proved my point, Mr. Mason!" he laughed. "We're more alike than you could ever imagine!"

Then he completely vanished, his laughter echoing over the arena before slowly fading.

Stan looked at the place where his foe had been. He shook his head.

He had done what he'd had to do, and the guy was probably just trying to mess with his head, just like he had been the whole time…

But… Maybe he did have something…

Then he realized something. Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Where was the card?

Then he realized that this was the least of his troubles. He was still stuck on this island in the middle of this lake of acid, with no way out…

As thought that, herd heard another loud creaking noise. Several winches started to move, and more of the concrete islands started to surface, the first one connecting the one between his and the one Kain was on.

Then more of them, forming a bridge of sorts to the exit on the other side of the room.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over them.

Then, to his surprise, he saw Sorcerer of Dark Magic's card, just lying there on a pedestal built into the wall. He curiously picked it up.

Then he quickly turned his head.

Lyrius. Again. The dark knight was standing in the doorway, looking at him.

Then he vanished into the shadows.

"Wait!" shouted Stan, as he ran after him.

But as he did, a sudden surge of exhaustion struck him, and he blacked out.

**0000000000**

Stan woke up with a start. He quickly leapt to his feet and formed a fighting stance…

Then he saw Andy and Francesca, doing the same thing.

They quickly stopped.

"You're never going to believe…" they all said at once.

Then they stopped again.

"You first…" they all said at once.

Then they stopped again, and sat down.

They were in a large, dim room with a stone door in front of them being the only feature.

"Did Mordred bring you guys here?" asked Fran.

"If you mean the spooky guy in black armor, yeah," replied Andy. "Koops and Bobbery said his name was Lyrius… I think they know him…"

Then all seven of the Companions appeared in front of them.

"_Know _him?" asked Bobbery. "That's sadly an understatement lad…"

"I take it this was a bad guy?" asked Fran.

They all nodded, somewhat sadly.

"He was the Queen's second in command, long back when she was first building her empire," said Goombella. "He wasn't seen often by the average citizens, and he didn't bother them much. Still, what few stories were heard about him, mostly about his role in her campaigns of conquest, gave him a reputation of infamy."

"The thing about Lyrius, hon…" said Flurrie. "He seemed decent, almost civil and polite sometimes…

"But that all changed the instant a fight started… Once an enemy drew a sword and challenged him, he became a cruel, ruthless warrior, lacking mercy of any kind, and a nightmarish opponent.

"And God help anyone who raised a hand against the Queen when he was around. We had no idea how she gained such loyalty from him, but it appeared absolute."

"I knew him from far back…" said Bobbery. "Far, far back, before my dear Scarlette's passing… Lyrius had the idea of sailing into sea dragon territory to hunt the beast for its hide. What could I say? He needed a boat, and I provided it…

"The way that man stood up to the beast… I'm ashamed to say I admired him then."

"I'll say!" said Koops, with a tremble in his voice. "I'm afraid of dragons!"

"Who isn't?" asked Goombella.

Vivian nodded.

"I… remember that…" she said, a very sad tone to her voice.

"Vivian?" asked Stan.

"I didn't have all too many friends when I was working for the Queen, Stan…" said Vivian. "Lyrius… He and I were kind of close… He was even sort of a mentor at times…

"Who knows, maybe if things had turned out differently and I had managed to do that ritual I would have been working under him directly.

"See, when I told you about how someone warned me of the death sentence on my head after I disobeyed the Queen… Lyrius…

"He didn't _really _'warn me', about it. He said he didn't know about the warrant at all. But he kind of suggested that I would be safer if I found the Three Heroes.

"It took me a long time to figure out that his intentions weren't as charitable as I had thought…"

"He thought that if the Queen had killed you, your sisters wouldn't like it, right?" asked Andy.

"There was more to it," said Yoshi, as he shook his head. "If the Queen had executed one of her own henchmen, it would have been frowned upon by her other servants. They would have seen it as cruel…

"But… None of them would have held it against her for killing one who sided with her enemies and openly opposed her. Lyrius did it to change the situation, so that Vivian would have no-one but herself to blame."

"So why was he helping us?" asked Stan.

"No idea," replied Ms. Mowz. "With Lyrius, his plans aren't always easy to figure out… In fact, it's news to us that's he's still around. Last we'd heard, he was dead."

"Maybe he was just the type of guy who was so stubborn, he _refused _to die," said Francesca. "Or the type so tough that Hell itself couldn't hold him."

"Such things have happened…" said Goombella, ominously.

Then the stone door in front of them slowly started to open with a loud rumble.

They looked at it for a minute.

"You guys think we can handle Bleck?" asked Francesca.

Andy stopped, and held his chest for a minute.

"Now that you mention it…" he said. "Yeah!"

Andy wasn't kidding. They couldn't have been out for longer than fifteen minutes, but for some reason, it was as if they had slept a full night.

They didn't know what Lyrius had done, but they figured they'd worry about it later. They walked through the door.

**0000000000**

Bleck looked at Prophecy Destroyer's card, and then returned it to his pocket.

_Well, they couldn't defeat those three, _he thought, _but at least they bought me some time…_

_And not only are they close… But SHE is…_

_At long last… I should be able to put my true plan into action…_

**0000000000**

**OVERLAY BANISH (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **An Xyz Monster Card (which one cannot be determined) lying on a flat surface in a void of stars with blue, yellow, and red streams of energy flying from the center. A galaxy is in the background.

**Card Description: **Activate during either players' Battle Phase, when an Xyz Monster's Xyz Material is detached to activate an effect. Negate that effect.

_Note: "Overlay Banish" was first used by Number 96 (using Yuma's deck) in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Roots of the Problem". __Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GAGAGA X GAGAGA (Spell Card)**

**Continuous Spell**

**Image: **Gagaga Magician standing next to a color-swap version of himself resembling how he'd look in a photograph negative, with bolts of energy between them.

**Card Description: **Upon activation, select 1 "Gagaga" Effect Monster you control that has a Level. This card is treated as a Normal Monster that is Special Summoned to your Monster Zone, and has the Type, Attribute, Level, ATK, and DEF of the selected Monster. (This card is still considered a Spell Card). If the selected Monster leaves the field, destroy this card.

_Note: "Gagaga X Gagaga" was first used by Yuma in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 076 __Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GOLDEN SPELLBOOK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **Goblin of Greed lifting a spellbook with a golden cover from a chest, unaware that an angry Strength of Prophecy is behind him.

**Card Description: **Activate when the only Monster you control is 1 Spellcaster-Type Monster. Switch control of that Monster to your opponent, and draw 2 cards. Your turn then becomes the End Phase. On your opponent's next End Phase, return that Monster to your deck.

**0000000000**

**SPELLBOOK OF CHANCE (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **Fool of Prophecy standing in a dark, ominous forest, holding a glowing spellbook with a white cover. The front cover of the book has an odd symbol on it that looks like a strange mask, the left side of it a golden Mask of Comedy and the right half a black Mask of Tragedy.

**Card Description: **Activate this card during your opponent's Battle Phase when you control no Monsters and your opponent declares an attack. Look at the top card on your deck. If that card is not a Spellcaster-Type Monster that can be Special Summoned without any additional requirements, banish it and take 1,000 points of damage. If it is, Special Summon it in Attack Position. Any of your card effects that would normally be activated upon Special Summoning a Monster Special Summoned by this effect are negated. During the End Phase, destroy the Monster Special Summoned by this effect.

**0000000000**

**REIMBURSEMENT (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **Queen Dragun angrily lifting Goblin of Green off the floor with by the collar with one hand. A broken Pot of Greed and Jar of Greed are lying on the floor beside them.

**Card Description: **Activate when at least 1 Xyz Monster is face-up on the field and an effect is activated by your opponent that would destroy at least 1 card you control. Draw 1 card. If the effect activated is an Xyz Monster's effect, draw 2 cards instead.

**0000000000**

**Prophecy Destroyer: **Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl6/2,500/1,200: "Ward of Forbiddance": Level 4 or lower Monsters that are not Spellcasters cannot attack. If a Monster cannot attack due to this effect, it cannot be destroyed by Spell Card, Trap Cards, or Monster effects.

**0000000000**

_**What is Count Bleck's true plan?**_

_**What is his true connection to the Shadow Queen?**_

_**What will it mean for our heroes?**_

_**Am I asking too many questions?**_

_**Bleck: Yes you are, shut up!**_

_**As for the other three questions, you and everyone else will find out next chapter, and that's all you'll get from me right now.**_

_**Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!**_


	60. Veil of Darkness

_**Okay, let's run over this again…**_

_**First a thousand-year-old evil sorceress tricks us into competing in her tournament, because she wants to kill us, because it's the only way to break a curse that some folks in our family line put on her. As it turns out, this is for the best, because we're the only ones who can truly kill her. (It would have been nice of someone to have at least told us about it first, but what you gonna do?)**_

_**We survive long enough to earn entrance to her Palace, but the guy who's been helping us can't come with us, saying someone else will take over. Someone does, a guy who doesn't seem trustworthy. Then he does seem trustworthy… Helping us win against Diana in what would have been a no-win situation, and then giving us something that gives us a fighting chance against Gloomtail (a freaking **_**dragon **_**for crying out loud). **_

_**We barely survive, and then when I confront Vladimir again, he butts in, grabs Vladimir, thanks us, and we have to fight three nightmares in order to get to him…**_

_**I really hope someone knows what the deal is… Because I sure don't…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**DUEL SIXTY**

**0000000000**

**Veil of Darkness**

**0000000000**

**00000**

It was 11:30 AM.

The three teenagers walked into the crypt, and as they expected, Bleck was watching them from the opposite side, Vladimir next to him.

The wizard smirked at them, and then looked at his pocket watch again.

"Well, this will be cutting it a little close, I guess," he said, "but I suppose we have some time…

"I hope my men weren't too rough…"

"Bleck!" shouted Andy.

He tried to make a rush for the wizard, but before he could take two steps, he bumped into an invisible wall.

"You three don't really think I'd let you in here and not take steps to protect myself, do you?" asked Bleck.

"Great…" muttered Francesca, as she felt her hands on the force-field.

It looked like the only options now were to listen to him or go back the way they came. And they wanted answers.

"What's the deal, Bleck?" asked Stan. "That portal you sent Diana through… Did it really go to Rogueport or to some hellish place full of demons?"

"Oh, please, Mr. Mason," said Bleck. "How would I have benefitted from killing her? Not at all, that's how. I'm not the type to hurt people for no reason. That's what Iris does."

"You and the Queen are on a first-name basis?" asked Stan. "So you're working for her?"

"Not anymore," replied Bleck. "What I said before about being a 'disgruntled former employee' was… technically true."

"Why should we believe a word you say?" asked Francesca. "You've already proven to be a liar…"

"So?" replied Bleck. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It isn't?" asked Stan.

"Not always," replied Bleck. "Everyone lies these days to at least some degree. Every politician, every celebrity, even every newsman… We're long past the time of folks like Abraham Lincoln where being honest paid off.

"The difference is whether you lie for the right reasons or the wrong reasons."

"What the Hell are you talking about?" asked Andy.

"When someone gets a really awful haircut, do you tell her it's bad, or do you tell her it's okay to make her feel better?" asked Bleck.

"Of course, there are examples that are far more important and far-reaching. Let me give you an example of lying for the wrong reason and what results it may have…

"When someone told Marie Antoinette that the peasants were starving and had no bread, what did she say in response?"

They all looked at him.

"Uh…" said Andy. "I think it was… 'Let them eat cake'?"

He somehow knew that Bleck was going to say 'no', and that hunch was confirmed when the wizard shook his head.

"She not only said nothing of the sort," he replied, "she would have been horrified if such an accusation was made against her. She cared deeply for the plight of the lower class, devoted much of her time to charity work, and spent more of her income and personal wealth to feed them than rest of the French royal family _combined._

"You see, almost _everything_ that is believed about her in modern times is the result of blatant lies told by revolutionaries who wanted to make her look bad. They even circulated slanderous pamphlets accusing her of debaucheries committed with her servants and every member of nobility they could think of.

"In fact, after her husband's death, her jailers forced her to listen to her young son being tortured in the cell next to hers every night until _she _was executed. I ask you children… Who was the _real _monster in this case?"

He looked at them for a minute, and then went on.

"Let me tell you about another personality from the French Revolution. This man was a former prisoner of the Bastille, who after being released due to the Revolution, was made president of his 'section' of Paris, basically making him part of the city council. But he was so horrified by the cruelty of the insurrectionists, he resigned his position, after making a passionate speech denouncing them.

"Do you know who this compassionate man was? It was the _Marquis de Sade! _That's right, the cruel misogynist from whom the word 'sadistic' is derived from. May the heavens above smite me dead here and cast me into the lowest pits of Hell if that's not the truth. As cruel as he was, the things that those people did sickened even him.

"My point is, the orchestrators behind the French Revolution were worse than the government they overthrew, but lies make modern portrayals of the conflict very different.

"See for yourself… Some 'genius' at I2 thought _this _up. It was based on the event, along with a few other cards."

He tossed a card to Francesca and looked at it. The "Liberty at Last" Trap Card.

The image on the card did indeed seem to suggest that the Revolution was a good thing…

"So you're saying that this was a bad reason for lying which altered people's perception of history," sighed Andy. "Fine, I can buy that… But that's stuff we can look up in a textbook. We're taking about _you."_

"You kids think I wanted to kill you?" asked Bleck. "That business with Gloomtail wasn't the only time I helped you. Who do you think hacked into Iris' system and assigned Deckmaster abilities for the Seven Companions?"

He pointed to himself.

"I was the one who gave that system to her in the first place, after hacking into Noah Kaiba's original files and copying them, and then making some upgrades and improvements.

"In fact, I was the one who taught her about the game of Duel Monsters in the first place, along with how to summon Duel Spirits. She didn't even know they _existed _before I told her about them."

"Who are you, Bleck?" asked Stan. "What on earth do you want with Vladimir?"

Bleck chuckled a little. Then he pointed at Vladimir, and the ropes holding him fell away. The Heir of Shadow leapt up, and slowly started to back away from him.

"My true name is Lord Claudius Blumiere," said Bleck.

A look that appeared to be a combination of horror and shock appeared on Vladimir's face. Apparently, he recognized that name…

"And as for Vladimir…" continued Bleck. "He's perfectly fine… Do you really think I'd hurt…

"…my own son?"

Everyone gasped. Vladimir, too. He looked at Bleck.

"You can't be serious…" said Andy.

"I am, Mr. Markova," replied Bleck. "Deadly serious. The time for humor is past…"

He sighed, and put his hand on his face. Slowly, the dark shadow covering it melted away, causing his human face to appear… Then he removed the monocle.

Indeed, there was a clear family resemblance that could be seen between him and Vladimir. He even had the same piercing, blue eyes.

"That's impossible…" said Vladimir. "My father is dead… He…"

"Your mother told you that, I'm sure," replied Bleck. "And she wasn't lying, at least she didn't think she was… She thought I was dead… Just not via the method she claimed.

"Sit down…"

Vladimir looked at him again, still in shock, but at loss for words. He slowly sat back in the chair.

"You see, people," began Bleck, "unlike those other five poor souls that Iris seduced to bear her children only to betray them, I was her true consort. Maybe there was even some love between us at times, I don't know…

"We were partners for a long time… I was willing to help her in her plan for a while. You three weren't born yet, and the family lines of her jailers had yet to produce capable heirs, but we were willing to wait…

"Then, about twenty years ago, shortly after Vladimir's birth, something happened. A failed experiment the two of us were engaged in summoned a powerful demon that we couldn't control. Iris was injured in the ensuing fight, but I managed to kill it… Not before it wrecked half the Palace, however…

"The thing is, Iris saw how powerful I was, and she got nervous. She saw me as a potential threat. Eventually, she figured I was too much of a risk.

"She tried to kill me, but her attempt at an ambush failed. A fight broke out, a battle of wizards.

"I lost… And my body was destroyed. She assumed I was dead, and maybe I technically was.

"Still, to quote Einstein, explaining the law of conservation of energy, 'Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one form to another.' And the human soul is considered energy. Spiritual energy yes, but still energy. Due to the magic I possessed from inheritance, I was able to remain on the mortal plane, and spent nearly fifteen years painstakingly rebuilding by body using whatever available magical forces I could find.

"It _wasn't _easy, and most men would have given up. I would not.

"Not when I knew my son was suffering under the worst excuse for a parent I knew of…"

He looked at Vladimir.

"Wait…" said Stan. "You mean… You did this all as your idea of a… _Custody battle?"_

"To put it simply, I'm afraid so, Mr. Mason," replied Bleck.

He turned back to Vladimir, and held his hand to him.

"It's okay now, Vladimir," he said. "Your father is here, and I swear, everything is going to be all right from now on…"

Vladimir looked him in the eye. Then he slowly lifted his own hand. It trembled a little as he reached for Bleck's.

Then, two evil-looking female eyes appeared in the wall behind them…

"Uh, hold that thought," said Bleck.

He grabbed Vladimir by the wrist, and seemingly leapt, propelling him and Vladimir backwards towards the entrance to the crypt, just as the Shadow Queen emerged from the wall, a dark, flaming shadow emitting from her armor. A bolt of destructive energy shot from her hand, to which Bleck lifted his hand, catching it.

Then he and Vladimir landed, about ten feet in front of the three youths.

"Hello Iris," said Bleck, as he shook his head. "A shame… You aren't how I remember you…"

Then she angrily pointed again, blasting another bolt of black magic. Again, he caught it, straining a little this time.

"I take that back," he said, "you're _exactly _how I remember you. In fact, that was the whole reason I never considered any reasonable negotiations, Iris, because I knew you wouldn't listen to them."

"You are _not _to call me that," said the Queen, with a scowl.

"Oh, right…" said Bleck. "Let's see… What was that other name I used to call you?"

"Call me Iris…" groaned the Queen, as she covered her eyes with her hand.

"Only you would think of putting a secret entrance into a tomb," chuckled Bleck.

"Get away from my son at once, Claudius!" she demanded.

"Why?" he asked. "So you can have him flogged?"

"Uh, look…" said Francesca, as she and her friends started to back up towards the door. "I really don't see why the three of us are needed here, so we'll just…"

"You three aren't going _anywhere!" _shouted the Queen.

She pointed at the door and it slammed shut.

Then she looked at them and the dark flames started to subside.

"At least not until I give you a proper translation of that story this dirty liar told you."

"Huh?" said Andy.

"Yeah, Claudius, I was listening," she said. "It would have been quite a tear-jerker if it was the truth."

She stared at him for a brief moment, then looked at the three of them again.

"He seems to have gotten the facts wrong about that whole thing with the demon. It was a 'representative' of a race of demons that are considered insane and unstable even by the standards of other demons. However, _this_ idiot, despite my warnings, summoned the thing, thinking that the creatures would make an adequate replacement for the Company of Malice.

"Yeah, he killed it. Probably would have been better if he had listened to me and not summoned it in the first place.

"And as for that accusation about me trying to kill him, he _really _got that backwards. _He _was the one who tried to slip a knife between _my _ribs. And when it didn't work, well, that was when the fight started.

"Vladimir, don't believe this liar…"

"Why should you trust her?' asked Bleck. "You do know where your siblings are right? She condemned them to the sixth layer of her prison."

The Queen snapped her fingers, and there was a flash of light. The five younger Shadow Spawn all appeared, collapsing at her feet. Their armor was gone, and they were only wearing torn and ragged clothing now, but they didn't seem _too _hurt.

"You're all pardoned," she said, looking at them.

Then she looked at Bleck.

"Happy?"

"Right, I'm supposed to think that makes it okay?" asked Bleck, crossing his arms.

"You know, Bleck makes a good case," said Stan. "You killed their fathers… Except Melissa's."

"Not just killed them," added Bleck. "She sacrificed them. Offered them to that foul demon prince she works for so that he would bestow a dark blessing on the children they sired. She meant to do it to Melissa's father too; when he escaped, she found a replacement."

The three of them looked at the Vladimir, and then at his brothers and sisters.

_Wait… _thought Andy. _Is that… Is that why Vlad seemed to be more reluctant than the others? Because he didn't have this "dark blessing"?_

"You're insane, Claudius…" said the Queen.

"Am I?" asked Bleck. "They called Einstein insane…"

"Uh, that's really not true…" said Leopold, nervously. "No-one ever told Einstein he was insane…"

"You be quiet!" snapped his mother.

Leopold cowered in fright.

"See, that's my whole point!" said Bleck. "He was taking _your _side, and you scolded him. You treat them like something you scraped off the bottom of your shoe."

"You know, Iris, that's another thing," said Andy. "You haven't given us much reason to trust you…"

"Yeah…" said Stan. "I mean, you don't seem to respect _anyone. _That place where I fought Prophecy Destroyer… I mean, aside from what it did, it had more than a passing resemblance to a certain infamous arena in _Mortal Kombat…"_

"You're not accusing _me _of copyright violation are you?" boomed the Shadow Queen with such force that the room shook. "I built that room a thousand years before humans could even conceive _Pong, _let alone that silly fighting game! The idiots who deigned it stole it from _me _after an ambassador – correction, _ex_-ambassador – from Madripoor told them about it.

"It's not the only thing about this Palace that they put in that franchise, which was designed by two guys who were not only unbalanced but were bad spellers. I'd sue them if I could…"

"Oh, I'd _really _like to see _that _argued in court!" laughed Bleck. "What would your lawyer say, something like, 'You see, your honor, we seek damages due to the fact that the designers of this fantasy-based fighting game which is less realistic than _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon _as far as actual martial arts is concerned used my client's material'? Yeah, a judge would believe _that, _sure."

The Shadow Queen looked at her ex-husband, angrier than ever.

"Listen to me, Claudius," she said, her eyes started to burn like embers. "I'm still the Queen of the Empire of Shadow…"

"…what's left of it," added Bleck.

"…and as such," continued the Queen, ignoring the interruption, "no-one is taking _anything _from me without a fight, and that includes Vladimir…"

As she said this, she pointed at Bleck, and a blast of pulsating, destructive, dark energy shot from her hand. Bleck lifted his cane, and a similar bolt shot towards her. The two blasts collided, and everyone else in the room cowered as an explosion shook the place.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scored…" said Andy, trembling.

"Especially one who can actually channel the power of Hell…"

"You've learned a few tricks since I last saw you," said the Queen.

"A few," replied Bleck. "You know, if you're trying to prove to everyone here that you're the sane one, you're doing a bad job…

"You said you were willing to fight these three on equal terms…"

He pointed to Stan, Andy, and Francesca.

"Want to prove that isn't all tripe?"

The Queen closed her eyes and chuckled softly.

"Same old Claudius…" she said. "Always the 'anything you can do I can do better' type… I assume you're challenging me to a duel?"

Bleck looked at her. Then he took his glove off, and threw it at her, and a glowing aura of magical light enveloped it, causing it to fly across the room and slap her in the face.

She held up her left arm, and the sword-like Duel Disk on her arm activated as the tray snapped into position. A similar one appeared on Bleck's arm.

"We're using the house rules of my tournament, I suppose?" she asked.

"Naturally," he said.

"Fine, Claudius," she said, "I'll use this system that _you _gave me just to show you once and for all who's in charge here."

"Well…" said Bleck, as he held up a card. "Try not to soil yourself when you see my Deckmaster… Arise…

"Darkness Neosphere!"

There was a foul burst of black smoke and a hulking, hideous, seven-foot tall demon stepped out. It had a dark, scaly torso (wearing only a tattered, black skirt) one white, feathered wing, huge claws on its arms, and a handsome-looking face with long, wine-red hair. Its eyes were closed… At least the ones on its face. It also had two eyes on its chest that were wide open, and staring with and evil glare. (4,000 ATK)

"Four-thousand Attack Points?" shouted Andy.

"Either Bleck _wants _to give the first turn to Iris," said Francesca, "or he just doesn't care!"

"I'm going with the second option," said the Queen. "Here's mine, by the way…"

She held up a card, and the Fiend that appeared behind her was just as intimidating, but far more recognizable.

Demise, King of Armageddon looked at Bleck and his Monster with a cold glare. (2,400 ATK)

Bleck checked his watch one more time.

"High noon," he said. "Almost to the second… So let's start… _Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!"_

"Claudius, I thought that laugh of yours was cute once," said the Queen. "Now… It's just plain _annoying…_"

Her eyes started to glow again, and the whole room faded away, turning into a void of pure darkness…

**(Bleck: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Iris: 8,000)**

Uh, question…" said Andy, as they watched the Queen make her first draw. "Who do we want to win here?"

All six of the Shadow Spawn were thinking the same thing. The five who were still nervously standing behind their mother were still supporting her for now, but were seriously considering the benefits of changing sides.

Still, until there was concrete proof that Bleck could indeed outfight their mother, they kept this opinion secret.

"Uh…" whispered Melissa. "Has anyone actually seen mom duel for real?"

By that she meant "other than the decks she used to spar with them" which were mostly net-decked.

"Now that you mention it, no," replied Kurtis.

"You all be quiet," said their mother. "Just watch… You might learn something.

"I summon Crying Fanatic…"

As she played the card, a loud, pitiful sobbing noise sounded over the field. A hideous, gaunt, ghoul-like creature with dirty, broken claws, sharp teeth, long, tangled hair, and pure white eyes covered with a disgusting film, appeared, dressed only in a dirty breechcloth. Tears flowed from its eyes. (1,300 ATK)

"This creature's effect increases the Attack Score of all Monsters on the field with either the word 'Fanatic' or 'Cotantoce' in its name by 400 points."

(1,700 ATK)

"What in the world is a 'Cotantoce'?" asked Francesca.

Bleck smirked.

"Well..." he said. "I certainly know what it is... But why don't you explain it to them Iris?"

"Stop calling me that!" shouted the Shadow Queen. "A Cotantoce is a huge, bestial, and nearly mindless demon that is used by use in armies by smarter demons like living siege engines. Kind of like how Hannibal intended to use those elephants, but demons who use Cotantoces tend to have more success.

"But Graz'zt had a better idea. He took three exceptionally powerful ones, and bred them with a captured female red dragon over the course of several years, and the offspring..."

"Let me guess..." said Andy. "Hooktail, Gloomtail, and that unmentionable one..."

"That's right," said Bleck. "Those beasts were half-demon. That's a big reason why your ancestor had zero luck trying to reason with them, despite his affinity with such creatures And they had no loyalty to their mother... They devoured her as soon as Hooktail's teeth were developed enough to do so."

"Yeah, well…" said the Queen.

She set two cards into her Disk, and they appeared set behind the Fanatic.

"We'll get into them later. I end my turn."

"If there is a later," said Bleck, as he made a draw.

"I activate a Field Spell, whose name is simplicity at its finest… It is called… Darkness…"

The card appeared, and the dark void around them became dense and unpleasant… It almost started to stick to everyone watching.

_This darkness… _thought Vladimir. _It's different than anything I've ever seen… It's like… _Living _darkness…_

"When I activate this Field Spell," said Bleck, "I first have to destroy all other Spell and Trap Cards I have. However, I have none. I then get to take five specific Trap Cards from my deck and set them."

Five auras of eerie, sinister energy appeared in front of them, and five face-down cards appeared.

"Five Traps?" said Maria, nervously. "This guy isn't fooling around."

"Uh," said Leopold. "Actually, I think I know how this works, and it may not be quite as lethal as it seems…"

The Queen looked at him, and he stopped.

"Go on…" she said.

Leopold shivered a bit, but then continued.

"See," he said, "this was a setup used by a demon, also named Darkness. Bleck had to set those five cards completely at random, and due to the Field Spell, he isn't allowed to look at them. _And _if he activates one, he's required to rearrange them at the End Phases, also randomly. _And _in order for their effects to work, he has to activate them in a specific order."

"What he said," said the Queen. "In other words, I'm not impressed."

"Well, if you think it will be so easy…" said Bleck.

He set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared.

"Then you're welcome to try. Go ahead."

"I will," said the Queen, as she drew. "I summon Hungry Fanatic."

She played another card, and a Fiend appeared that looked much like the previous Fanatic. This one had broken shackles on its wrists, and its teeth were a lot more pronounced. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

It hardly needed any encouragement. It drooled, and a long, raspy tongue protruded from its mouth. It leapt at the Monster claws first.

"Hungry?" said Bleck. "Eat this…"

Giant Germ appeared on the card, and burst in an explosion of filth. The Queen groaned a little.

Two more of the foul bacteria appeared. (1,000 ATK x2)

"You think you're so smart…" said the Queen. "When Hungry Fanatic destroys a Monster, I get to summon _another _Hungry Fanatic."

A second of the ravenous ghouls appeared. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"This will cost me a little," she said, "but seeing as it can use this one's effect too, I can wipe out all three of your Germs and still have one attack left for you…"

The second Hungry Fanatic rushed towards the second the second Germ.

"I think I'll activate… _This _Trap Card," said Bleck, pointing to the one on his far left.

It lifted up.

"Zero?" he said. "Interesting… Which one next? Maybe that one?"

He pointed to the one on the far right.

"Infinity? Lucky me. That means I'm allowed to activate the three Traps positioned between them, which are named Darkness 1, Darkness 2, and Darkness 3…"

The three cards lifted up.

"And the one whose effect actually activates is the first one I activated, which in this case is Darkness 1, which destroys one card for each Trap Card activated with the word 'Darkness' in its name."

He pointed at the three Fanatics, and they all shattered into little pieces.

Everyone looked at Bleck with dumbfounded looks, except the Queen, who looked rather annoyed.

"O-kay…" said Stan. "That was either the biggest example of dumb luck I've ever seen, or…"

"Or Leopold was wrong…" said Francesca.

"He was absolutely right," replied Bleck. "True… I'm not allowed to look at them – not without help, at least…

"But, there are cards that can provide such help… Most of them are Monsters with low or nonexistent Scores…

"With one exception…"

"His Deckmaster…" gasped Francesca, looking at Darkness Neosphere. "It removes that condition…"

"Exactly…" said Bleck. "After all, I'm the one who implemented this system, after improving it… And upgrading it.

"After all, by the time Darkness Neosphere was first used in a duel, Noah had been dead for years."

"I'll set another card and end my turn," said the Queen, setting a third card in her Spell Zone. "It's your move…"

"Which means," said Bleck, "as the lad said a minute ago, due to the effect of my Field Spell, my five Trap Cards rearrange themselves in a random order…"

The five Traps combined into one, and then spread out again into five.

**(B: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 7,500)**

"So now I'll draw…"

He looked at the card, and smirked.

"I'll swap both my protozoa…" he said, as the two Germs melted into pools of slime.

Then two eyes appeared out of the darkness, and a Monster that was almost – but not quite – as hideous as Darkness Neosphere. It was tall, but hunched over, had a head that seemed like a cross between a demon and a deformed dragon, with scythe-like claws on its hands – and its feet – and more sprouting from its back.

Darkness Destroyer looked at the Queen with a low snarl… (2,300 ATK)

One of Bleck's Trap Cards lifted up, this time the second one from the left. Again, it was Zero. Then the one on the far right lifted up, which was again, Infinity. Then the two in-between lifted up, first Darkness 2, then Darkness 3.

"Because I activated Darkness 2 this time," he said, "I can increase the Attack Score of this beast by 2,000 points…"

(4,300 ATK)

"Attack directly, my pet…"

The Fiend bore its claws, and then let out a howl that chilled the blood of everyone in the room except the two combatants. It lumbered towards the Queen.

Then one of her set cards lifted up, revealing Call of the Haunted. Crying Fanatic appeared in a shadowy aura. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"Eh, that will shield you a little," said Bleck, "but not much…"

"More than you think, Claudius," said the Queen.

Another of her cards lifted up.

"Thanks to the Continuous Trap Card, Mirror of Origins. The effect of this card activates whenever you attack one of my Monsters with a Monster that's the same Type. It cuts the Attack Score of your Monster in half each time you do so…"

Destroyer's score fell to 2,150, right before its claw raked across the ghoul, cutting through the rotted flesh and ripping it in half.

"Next, Damage Condenser!" shouted the Queen, as her third Trap Card lifted up and she discarded one of her cards. "By tossing one of my cards, I can Special Summon a Monster from by deck with less Attack Points then the damage I took.

"I choose Doomed Fanatic."

Another Fanatic appeared, this one without the claws and normal teeth, and its hands chained with shackles that _weren't _broken. It knelt in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"I suppose you didn't know that my Monster could attack twice?" asked Bleck. "Or that it could deal damage even if your Monster was defending?"

Destroyer clawed at Doomed Fanatic, its Score falling to 2,150 again, rending the smaller Fiend to bits.

"Actually, I did," replied the Queen. "That's why I summoned Doomed Fanatic…"

Then a huge, ugly claw reached out of the darkness below, grabbing Darkness Destroyer in a crushing grip as it roared.

"See, when Doomed Fanatic is killed, it drags its opponent down with it."

The huge Fiend shattered. Bleck frowned.

"I end my turn…" he muttered.

"And that means the second effect of Mirror of Origins activates…" said the Queen. "If one of your Monsters is affected by its first effect, but wins the battle anyway, I get to draw once during the End Phase for each time that happened."

She made two draws.

"You say you taught me everything I know about this game?" she asked. "I was a fast learner… And I remembered how fond you were of the Fiend-Type…"

"Fine, you're very smart…" said Bleck. "I end my turn, so, once again…"

The five cards in front of him rearranged themselves.

**(B: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 6,700)**

The Queen drew again, and played a card.

"So much for your combo, Bleck…" she said. "Heavy Storm!"

"No way!" shouted Francesca, as the wind started to tear over the field. "This will wreck his whole combo!"

"No it won't…" said Bleck.

He discarded a card, and Neosphere's true eyes – as in the ones on its head – opened, and glowed with evil light. It lifted its hands, and the storm subsided as the Spell Card shattered.

"Due to my Deckmaster's other effect, I can discard a card to negate a Spell or Trap who's effect involves destroying other Spells or Traps."

"This isn't fair…" said Stan. "Just because you implemented this system doesn't mean you can create a completely broken Deckmaster and then use it!"

"You think _I'm _not playing fair?" asked Bleck. "You should have seen Noah Kaiba, the guy who invented this system.

"He was in complete control of his virtual world, and felt that since he _made _the rules, none of them really applied to him. His Deckmaster was originally Shinato's Ark, a violation of the rules right off the bat because it wasn't a Monster.

"And to make it worse, he changed the rules throughout his duel with Kaiba and then with Yugi, giving the Deckmaster whatever effects he wanted anytime he pleased.

"Why bother following rules when you're the one making them? Does that sound familiar to anyone here? In fact, I think it was a certain fellow from Atlanta who said, 'Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal'."

All this time, the Queen was looking at him with a bored expression.

"Are you done?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Sorry," he said. "Got a little carried away there…"

"I summon Undertaker Fanatic," said the Queen, as she held up a card.

Another of the ghouls appeared. This one wasn't as gaunt, actually being a little healthy and muscular, which kind of made sense. It was carrying a coffin on its back, slung to a chain that it wore like a bandoleer. (1,800 ATK)

"An undertaker?" asked Bleck, with a slight chuckle. "These things have funerals?"

"Only for the people they kill," said the Queen.

Then the Fiend quickly grabbed the casket from its back, ran towards Bleck with speed that was oddly fast – considering it was a living corpse – and walloped him hard with it, knocking him backwards and knocking his hat off.

"Boy, did he walk into _that _one…" said Tyson, with a nervous chuckle.

'Tyson, will you clam up?"shouted Maria.

"Guys, let's not get angry!" pleaded Melissa. "We're in enough trouble here."

"Not as much trouble as your mother is…" said Bleck.

He sat up, and the Trap on the far right lifted up. Again, it was Zero. Then the one second to the left lifted up, which was Infinity.

Then Darkness 3 lifted up, then Darkness 2, both of them between the two previous ones.

"With Darkness 3 activated first this time," he said with a scowl, "I can deal 1,000 points of damage per card! So take _this!"_

A beam of raw, powerful magic shot from Darkness 3, and for the very first time, the three teenagers that she had lured to her home as a trap heard a cry from her that could be interpreted as pain.

**(B: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 4,700)**

"Do you think the Queen could actually lose?" asked Francesca.

"I'm not sure…" said Andy. "But… Even if she does, I really don't know if Bleck will be better…"

"It's your move…" growled the Queen.

"So once again, my five Traps rearrange," said Bleck. "Then…"

He drew. He looked at the card oddly for a minute, and then put it aside.

He looked at the five Traps again.

_Hmm… _he thought. _Only one of them is between Zero and Infinity this time… Ah well, at least that one is the one I can best use…_

Zero activated first, at the second space from the left, then Infinity, at the second from the right. Then Darkness 1 lifted up between the two.

"The card I choose to destroy," he said, "is Mirror of Origins."

The Trap in front of the Queen shattered.

"Now that that's taken care of," he said, "I use the effect of the card I discarded to use my Deckmaster's effect… By banishing Stygian Street Patrol, I can Special Summon a Fiend-Type Monster with 2,000 or less Attack Points."

The card appeared behind him and vanished into thin air, and then Sangan appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I'll sacrifice Sangan," he said, as the small critter dissolved, "Sangan's effect activates first…

He quickly took a card from his deck, reshuffled, and then put it back.

"…and as a result, I get to summon the powerful Ambitious Gofer."

A huge, intimidating, hulking creature slowly appeared out of the darkness behind him. It was a giant, evil head with a demonic face and a cranium that looked like an oversized, exposed brain. It looked at the Queen, its eyes briefly glowing. (2,400 ATK)

"Figures you'd like Monsters with big heads," said the Queen.

"Very funny," replied Bleck. "I'm activating its effect. I can destroy up to two Monsters, unless you negate it by revealing one in your hand."

The Queen quickly flipped one of her two cards around, showing it to be a Monster called Master of Fanatic.

"Well, it was worth a shot," said Bleck. "Destroy Undertaker Fanatic with Plasma Storm!"

The eyes of the huge head crackled with blazing cosmic energy… Then the whole dark void lit up, blasting the ghoul into dust…

But as the light subsided, something fell with a clatter… The coffin.

"You activated its effect, Claudius," said the Queen, quietly.

The lid of the coffin opened, and a claw reached out.

"You see, when Undertaker Fanatic is destroyed by battle, one of my Fiend-Type Monsters comes back from the grave."

Doomed Fanatic pushed its way out of the coffin with a grunt, and then knelt in front of the Queen with a grunt. (1,800 DEF)

"However, it's now a Zombie rather than a Fiend, and it can't use its effect. For now."

"Fine! Make your move!" shouted Bleck.

**(B: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 4,100)**

_I should be able to end this in two or three turns anyway… _he thought. _Maybe not the way I'd like… But even if I can't kill her right away, simply subduing her should be enough…_

_That was your whole weakness, Iris… You were too careless, you trusted me too much… _

_You know, I have no idea who the first guy was to figure out that kryptonite could kill Superman… But I'm more than certain the Man of Steel himself didn't tell him… Because unlike you, he's smart._

The Queen drew. Then she looked at the card closely.

She quickly set it, and then played a Monster.

"I summon Manager Fanatic," she said.

The ghoulish creature that appeared this time was wearing armor. Well, sort of. Whether the rusted, rotted chain mail it was wearing could actually function as armor was questionable. It also had sickly green and rotting skin. (1,200 ATK)

"I've seen managers of fast food joints who were scarier," said Bleck. "And by the way… It seems that my five Trap Cards positioned themselves in rather convenient places this time…"

Both Zero and Infinity lifted up, each of them on the opposing far sides of his Spell Zone. Then, Darkness 3, Darkness 2, and Darkness 1 lifted up, in that order.

Again, the bolt of vile energy shot from the Darkness 3 card, this time knocking the Queen off her feet and knocking her down.

**(B: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 1,100)**

"Good lord…" said Stan. "If he manages to do that even one more time, she's had it…"

"Actually, he only has to use Darkness 3 with _one _of the other two cards," added Andy. "The Queen may be in big trouble."

The Queen slowly got up. She looked at her ex-husband with a cold glare.

"That was painful, yes…" she said. "But… Not unexpected…

"You see, Claudius, I was kind of hoping you'd do that…"

A large claw, much like the one that had grabbed Darkness Destroyer, reached out from below, grabbing Manager Fanatic this time, and dragged it into the darkness below.

"You see, because I just took Effect Damage, I can sacrifice Manager Fanatic to draw once for every 1,000 points of damage I took…"

She took hold of the top three cards on her deck and flicked them off the top. Then she glanced at them.

"It's your move…"

Bleck drew a card, and then chuckled.

"Then I'm ending this now!" he said. "Goodbye, Iris!"

One of the five Traps, now second from left, started to lift up.

"I activate…"

"Hold it right there!" she replied.

Then her Trap lifted up.

"HUH?" he shouted. "Xing Zhen Hu?"

Then ropes sprang out of the void below, trying around Zero and forcing it back down, along with the card next to it. Everyone except the Queen gasped.

"No way…" said Kurtis. "That card prevents him from using those two cards…"

"And since it doesn't destroy them, there was nothing his Deckmaster could do to stop it…" added Melissa.

"Even worse," said Tyson, "putting _those _two cards out of commission renders the other three worthless too. She's not only disabled the whole system, but his entire Spell Zone!"

"So, Claudius, I think you were in the middle of some sort of villainous gloat?" said the Queen, sarcastically, as she crossed her arms. "A shame… I would have so much loved to hear that laugh of yours again…"

For the first time, Bleck seemed genuinely angry.

"Ambitious Gofer, obliterate her…" he shouted.

The giant head's eyes started to glow.

"STOP!" shouted Bleck.

It stopped, and he calmed down a little.

"On second thought, bad idea…" he said. "I'll use just use its effect instead…"

Quickly, the Queen turned another card in her hand around, showing Master of Fanatic again.

"I still had that one, remember?" she said.

"I end my turn…" said Bleck.

"Why didn't Bleck attack Doomed Fanatic?" asked Maria.

"Because unlike you, Bleck has a brain," said Leopold. "Undertaker Fanatic's effect negates the effect of Monsters that it summons so long as they stay on the field, but Doomed Fanatic's effect activates in the Graveyard. If Bleck had attacked it, its effect would still have worked, and would have destroyed Ambitious Gofer."

The Queen made a draw, and then smirked.

"I summon Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands," she said.

She played the card, and in a bright light, a far more recognizable creature appeared, an ugly thing with silver skin covered from head to toe with, well, hands. (1,400 ATK)

"That's no Fiend…" said Bleck.

"So?" asked the Queen, as she took her deck from the holder and spread the cards out. "Besides, this Monster may not be a Fiend, but it will lead to the summoning of a strong one…"

She chose a card, and then put the deck back.

"No kidding…" said Francesca. "Ritual Monsters are always bad news…"

"I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Fanatical Rite," said the Queen.

As she played it, two bonfires lit to either side of her two Monsters, and low, ominous chanting sounded through the whole void.

"So I'll sacrifice my Doomed Fanatic and Maju…"

The two Monsters vanished in dark clouds of smoke, as the bonfires slowly died, and the chanting got louder…

"You three want to know who Hooktail's dad was?" she said.

Stan, Andy, and Francesca looked up. She was talking to them.

"You're about to find out…" she continued. "I Ritual Summon my Dark Cotantoce."

Then, an ever bigger bonfire erupted, and there was a loud roar. The creature that appeared was huge and hulking, like some big, armored rhinoceros, but with big tusks instead of a horn, reptilian eyes, sharp claws on its stubby legs, a tail with a spiked knob, and a thick, rust-colored carapace on its back. (2,000 DEF)

"I'd really rather it had remained a mystery…" said Andy, nervously.

"I know what you're thinking, Bleck," said the Queen. "This Monster isn't strong enough to defeat Ambitious Gofer. Well, that's all well and good, actually, because if I use its effect, I can't attack this turn.

"But before I do that, I first have to summon this Monster, Master of Fanatic."

She turned a card in her hand around.

"Which I can do if I have a Cotantoce on the field. In Defense Mode, of course."

The ghoulish creature that appeared this time had maroon skin, and was wearing armor that was in much better condition, even though it was a little plain. It still had broken shackles on its arms, and broken manacles on its feet. (1,600 DEF)

"But… By summoning it, I'm able to take Fanatical Rite back from my Graveyard…"

She quickly picked the card as it slid out of her discard slot.

"I'll save it for later… For now… I use Dark Cotantoce's effect, and sacrifice one Fanatic so it can deliver damage equal to that Fanatic's Attack Score."

Master of Fanatic disappeared, and the hulking demon belched a spray of brilliant, red flames at Bleck. The wizard clutched his chest with a loud "UGH!"

"I'm not done, Claudius," continued the Queen. "Next, I use the Spell Card, The Beginning of the End.

"I have at least seven Dark Monsters in my Graveyard, so I can now banish five of them…"

Both Hungry Fanatics, Doomed Fanatic, Crying Fanatic, and Master of Fanatic appeared behind her.

She lifted her hand and they vanished.

"Begone," she said. "Now, I draw three times…"

She made three draws, then casually looked at the cards.

"…then I set one…" she said, as a reversed card appeared, "and then you go…"

Bleck growled a little.

**(B: 4,500) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 1,100)**

"Uh…" said Vladimir.

"Everything's under control…" said Bleck, as he drew a card.

He quickly put it aside.

"I'm using the effect of Ambitious Gofer again!" he shouted, as the huge alien's eyes glowed.

The Queen quickly turned one of her cards around. This time it was called Bandit Fanatic.

"I _seriously _don't care if you know what my cards are, Claudius," she said.

"Then he'll do it the old fashioned way…" said Bleck. "Attack that… thing…"

Ambitious Gofer's eyes started to glow again.

"I activate… Shrink!" shouted the Queen, as her set Spell Card lifted up.

"Eh?" said Bleck.

Then he looked at the huge head, which was not as huge now… (1,200 ATK)

"Uh oh…."

The burning radiance shot from Dark Cotantoce's jaws again. The ugly head burned with super-hot flames, and then tumbled into the dark void below…

"Bitch…" muttered Bleck.

He slapped a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

"Feh…" he said, as he waved his hand.

**(B: 3,900) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 1,100)**

Francesca shook her head sadly as the Queen drew.

"Damn…" she said. "For a minute there, I was hoping this nightmare might be over…"

"Who knows?" said Stan. "Stranger things have happened…"

"I activate the Fiend's Sanctuary Spell Card," said the Queen.

As she played the card, an ugly stone gargoyle appeared behind her, then the odd, metal stickman appeared. (0 ATK)

"Then I'll sacrifice it," she said, "and summon Bandit Fanatic…"

The Token dissolved, and a Fanatic appeared that seemed even more gaunt and disheveled than the others, with sickly, green skin. It wore a tattered scarf over its mouth, and its filthy claws were even longer than usual. (1,800 ATK)

"Dark Cotantoce, attack his Monster with primal fury."

The burning, blazing energy from the Fiend shot towards the Monster…

The Monster that appeared was… Weird. It looked like Cyber Jar and Morphing Jar had combined into some odd high-tech contraption, sort of like a probe from some science fiction setting, with Morphing Jar's one-eyed face.

The flames hit it, and it shattered.

"What was THAT?" asked Kurtis.

"It's called an Absorbing Jar," replied Bleck. "Due to its Flip Effect, every set Spell and Trap Cards on the field is now destroyed…"

As he said that, the five Trap Cards in front of him shattered.

"Why did he do that?" asked Melissa.

"Melissa, duh!" said Tyson. "If he plays a second copy of that Field Spell, he won't have to worry about Xing Zhen Hu anymore!"

"Not only that, Tyson," said Bleck, "but each player is able to make one draw for each card of his that was destroyed."

"Five draws?" gasped Stan, as Bleck started drawing. "Maybe this duel isn't quite finished yet."

"I'm not through with you, Claudius," said the Queen. "Attack him directly, Bandit Fanatic! Vampiric Rend!"

The ghoul lunged, jamming its claws into the warlock's chest. This time Bleck really did scream.

"This Monster is well-named…" said the Queen. "When he deals damage, I gain the Life Points you lost…"

**(B: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 2,900)**

"And that will be all."

Bleck drew, adding a tenth card to his hand, which did, indeed, have his other copy of Darkness and also his second copy of both Infinity and Darkness 2…

However… He wasn't going to use them… He had something else in mind this time.

He quickly set a Monster and a very different Trap Card, causing both to appear reversed. He waved his hand again, then discarded both Darkness and Darkness 2, cutting his hand down to the six-card limit.

The Queen's eyes narrowed as she made a draw.

"I activate a _second _Fanatical Rite," she said, as the Ritual Spell Card appeared again.

The chanting started again, and the bonfires appeared once more.

"I'll sacrifice Dark Cotantoce," she said, as the bestial Fiend dissolved into mist, "to summon the dreaded Cotantoce of Ruin."

With another bellow and a bonfire of hellish flame much like the first one, another of the savage creatures appeared. This one looked like a slightly bigger version of the first, but with a dull, green hide. (2,000 ATK)

It looked at the three teenagers, and a bead of cold sweat fell down the side of Francesca's face.

"Uh…" she said. "That… That wouldn't happen to be Gloomtail's dad, would it?"

"Why, yes," replied the Queen, with a slight smirk. "Wonder if it recognizes you?"

"Don't believe her, Francesca!" shouted Bleck. "The intelligence of those creatures can be compared to that of a box of hammers. Those three dragons got all their smarts from their mother. Probably their looks too, I would say…"

"But one thing they got from their fathers was raw power," added the Queen. "Attack with Basilisk's Burn!"

The creature spit a foul breath weapon at the set card that was hard to describe. It looked sort of like a cloud of gas, but shot like a burst from a flamethrower. A fiendish creature appeared on Bleck's card, and as quickly melted into a puddle of goo.

"I activate my Mad Reloader's effect," said Bleck. "I'll toss two cards…"

He quickly discarded two cards – one of them being Infinity – and then made two draws.

"Bandit Fanatic, attack him again," continued the Queen, as the creature bore its claws.

"I don't think so, Iris…" said Bleck.

He threw a card on his Disk, and a strange, demonic-looking pendulum appeared. (0 ATK)

"My Battle Fader with protect me."

"Maybe for now," said the Queen, "but it's only fair to warn you about Cotantoce of Ruin's effect. It will deal 800 points of damage to either player who makes a Normal Summon."

"Eh?" said Bleck.

The Queen set a card, and it appeared behind Cotantoce of Ruin.

"And that's that… What next, Bleck?"

Bleck drew, and then chuckled a little.

"What's next?" he asked. "Well… 800 Life Points will be a small price to pay…"

Battle Fader turned into a dark orb of light…

"I summon Midnight Bloom!" he shouted.

The darkness started to thicken again, as a dark, feminine form rose on Bleck's side of the field.

It came as a surprise to almost everyone. The Monster was a dead ringer for the Shadow Queen, a sinister-looking female… But her clothing had a much more verdant theme. It had the same plunging neckline, but resembled dark green leaves, woven into a long dress. Her hairstyle was set in an exotic style with a belladonna flower, and her dress was decorated by monkshood, larkspur, and other lovely flowers known for their lethal toxins. Her eyebrows were even darker than the real Queen's. (2,400 ATK)

The Queen looked angry now as she looked at the Monster.

"So _that's _where it went…" she grumbled.

"You know about this card, mom?" asked Melissa.

"I was trying to forget about it," replied the Queen. "He gave it to me… Sort of a wedding present…

"You have some nerve, Claudius…"

"What can I say?" replied Bleck. "Appealing to your pride seems to work for everyone else. Still, I assume you remember this card's effect. Not only is she impervious to all Trap Cards, she prevents you from countering mine.

"So don't try to counter _this _one…"

His face-down card lifted up.

"Refund and Reimbursement."

Suddenly the Shadow Queen's expression changed. It wasn't anger now… It was more like _terror._

"What?" asked Stan. "What does that card do?"

"_Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!" _laughed Bleck. "I'm sure _she _knows what it does…

"But… We'll keep that between her and me for now… Midnight Bloom…"

The Queen's twin looked at Cotantoce of Ruin, and her eyes turned blood red…

"Take care of it… Dark Venom Stream."

The Queen's darker twin pointed, and an odd wave of sickly purple venom rippled towards Cotantoce of Ruin. The creature groaned, and then broke, crumbling into little pieces.

**(B: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 2,500)**

The Queen groaned a little too, clutching her chest with a very painful expression on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" said Francesca, softly.

"I dunno…" said Andy. "Do you think… Do you think she's actually injured?"

"Does Bleck know something we don't?" asked Stan.

The Queen looked at them. She didn't answer, but the look on her face… It clearly did have an expression on it that suggested worry, and the confidence she had before seemed to be gone.

"O… Kay…" she muttered.

She slowly drew. She raised her hand, and her set card lifted up.

"I use Escape From the Dark Dimension to summon Master of Fanatic back to the field," she said, as a pulsating portal of pure darkness appeared.

Quickly, the armored ghoul stepped out of the portal. (1,700 ATK)

"As you remember, summoning this one lets me take Fanatical Rite from my Graveyard," she said.

The Ritual Spell appeared in her hand again, and then she played it.

"The final Cotantoce is more powerful than the other two," she said, as the chanting started again, "so I need at least eight Levels worth of Monsters this time.

"So I'll sacrifice Bandit Fanatic and Master of Fanatic… To summon the Cotantoce of Chaos."

Red laser beams shot out of the card, striking the two Fanatics, impaling them from behind and then dissolving them into black particles…

Then, a foul black smoke rose from the center of the field, and another hulking shape rose from the foul smog. It was even uglier than the last two, with two sets of tusks and eyes that… Well, ones that didn't seem quite as bestial and cold as the first two. This one had eyes that seemed to have a malign intelligence of sorts behind them. Its hide was pitch black, and covered with dull-looking spurs. (1,800 ATK)

"I'll set one more card…" said the Queen, as she fit a card into her Disk, causing it to appear set, "and then you go."

Bleck chuckled a little.

"Nice…" he said, as he made a draw. "You summon a Ritual Monster that's two Levels higher than the other two, but has less Attack Points, but summon it in Attack Mode, despite the fact that my Monster is stronger, and then set a card. Despite the fact that my Monster is immune to Traps.

"You think I'm stupid, Iris? Obviously my Monster is going to regret it when she attacks that thing, and the Trap is just something to make sure you don't get hurt when it happens.

"Well… It's not going to work…"

He played a card, and Mystical Space Typhoon appeared in front of him. The wind blew towards the card – Nightmare Wheel – and it was swept up and blown to pieces.

"Well, you can't blame me for trying…" muttered the Queen.

"Guess I can't…" chuckled Bleck. "I summon Archfiend Interceptor."

He played the card, and a Fiend appeared wearing, of all things, a football uniform, one with a skull on the jersey. It had six arms, two with oversized hands and four that were skinny and spindly. (1,400 ATK)

"Destroy that thing, Midnight Bloom!" ordered Bleck, as the dark lady pointed at the beast.

The Queen glared at her twin as the venomous spell was cast again…

Then foul breath shot from the jaws of Cotantoce of Chaos. Midnight Bloom let out a cry of surprise and then froze into a statue of stone.

Then the stone statue shattered into pebbles.

"What?" shouted Bleck.

The Queen let out a sigh.

"Her hair was all wrong anyway…" she muttered.

"What…" said Bleck.

"You were right," said the Queen, with a smirk. "A Monster that's a lower Level than Cotantoce of Chaos attacks it, it won't survive…

"However, the Ritual Spell I used to summon it, Fanatical Rite has a useful effect too. By banishing it, my Monster can survive the battle with no harm to myself.

"I should point out, Bleck, I still have another copy of that card in my Graveyard…"

"Your… move…" said Bleck, through his teeth.

The Queen drew, and looked at the card.

"Incidentally," he continued, "if you attack while I have Archfiend Interceptor, you'll receive 500 points of damage…"

Then he was cut off as a bolt of magic shot from Cotantoce of Chaos, obliterating the Archfiend and knocking him down.

"…but I guess you really don't care about that, huh?"

"Not in the least," replied the Queen. "I'm activating Emergency Provisions…"

Her two inert Trap Cards, Xing Zhen Hu and Escape From the Dark Dimension, both dissolved into pure, soft light, and she closed her eyes as the calming magic covered her.

**(B: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 4,000)**

She took a long look at Bleck. Then she nodded.

"Okay…" he grumbled, making a draw. "She wants to play dirty… Fine… I can play dirty too…"

He quickly played a card, and a small, bat-like imp fluttered onto the field; in fact, it seemed to be the Winged Minion he had spoken to earlier. (700 ATK)

"Oh, come on…" said the Queen.

"Darkness Neosphere…" said Bleck. "Move to the field…"

The abomination nodded, and then took two steps forward. (4,000 ATK)

"WHAT?" shouted Maria. "What is he thinking? That guy is powerful, but not indestructible…"

"He also isn't allowed to attack this turn," added Bleck. "That's one downside to having a Deckmaster this powerful…

"But… To get around this loophole, I'm going to swap him for someone better… You like Ritual Monsters, Iris? I'm no slouch with them myself, as you no doubt know…"

A Ritual Spell Card appeared, and a hideous, sinister chuckle started to fill the void. A look of pain started to appear on Darkness Neosphere's face…

"It's a Ritual Spell called Form of Madness," said Bleck. "It's as deadly as it sounds…"

Then Neosphere's eyes opened, its face in a look of hideous agony, and it let out a horrible, maddening laugh.

"That sound…" gasped Leopold.

_All _of the Shadow Spawn and the Queen recognized it. The Laugh of Madness, a horrible keening that legends said, only lunatics could hear clearly. Some even said this was the _cause_ of insanity among humans, and that it was actually the laugh of one of those things mentioned in old horror stories that you couldn't look upon without being driven mad yourself. (The stuff that Lovecraft wrote about were the best examples.)

Then the Fiend collapsed, as gashes appeared in its hide, and dark smoke started to flow from them… Slowly, the laughter died…

Then a much more lucid, but still evil chuckle took its place as a new creature stood up.

It looked like a type of harlequin, one dressed in rather unpleasant colors, purple, orange, and black, the overall pattern resembling a flared starburst. Its face had white face-paint on one side, black on the other, and its eyes and mouth were both the opposite color of the part of its face they were on.

The creature chuckled again, and then held out its hands, cracking its knuckles. (2,800 ATK)

"Oh, terrific," muttered Andy, nervously. "Another clown…"

"That is NOT a clown, Mr. Markova," said the Queen, in a voice that suggested she had switched back to angry. "That's the demon he summoned that started the fight in the first place. You know, the 'representative' of the race that even other demons think are crazy?

"You just don't learn, do you Claudius?"

"On the contrary," replied Bleck, "I learn _very _well… I remember how badly you got your ass kicked when you tried to handle him on your own. I thought bringing him back might be worth a shot…

"And if he steps out of line _this_ time, I'll rip his card in half. Is that clear, Dimentio?"

The jester's jovial expression turned into a sour frown, but he didn't say anything.

"I'll take that as a yes…" continued Bleck. "Now then, I use his effect, and sacrifice one other Fiend…"

Winged Minion vanished, and Dimentio lifted his hand.

"Obliterate Cotantoce of Chaos with Warp Bend!"

The entire void around them started to seemingly bend and ripple as the dark clown pointed. Cotantoce of Chaos seemed to bend even more, then it howled…

Then everyone grit their teeth as the creature was seemingly ripped apart, and the Shadow Queen cried in pain, falling on one knee.

**(B: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 2,400)**

"Not only does this effect destroy a Monster," continued Bleck, "it deals damage equal to 200 times the Level of that Monster.

"Now, unfortunately, he can't attack because he used that effect, so I can't finish you off this turn, so I'll just end now and wait until next turn…

"After all… I've been waiting twenty years, another minute or two won't hurt?"

"Twenty years?" asked the Queen.

She drew a card as she got up, an angry scowl on her face.

"I was waiting much longer than _that _Claudius, in case you forgot. I've been in this place for a millennia.

"By the way, I spent the first three-hundred years stuck in a cell the size of a closet tied up by chains so tight I could barely move. I couldn't talk either. They muzzled me just in case I somehow managed to regain the use of my spells. The only reason I didn't go mad was because I was focusing on my goal the whole time, figuring out how to break free of them…"

"Uh…" said Stan.

"You be quiet…" said the Queen, pointing to him. "I'm not trying to say those three were cruel, and I don't expect you to think that. If you must know, they actually offered to include an anesthesia. You know, like Sleeping Beauty. The catch was, they would have made sure I wouldn't get any kiss from a prince.

"I turned that down. I needed to be awake if I wanted any chance to escape.

"Twenty years Claudius? You don't know the half of it…

"I summon MY Deckmaster to the field!"

Everyone looked behind her at Demise, King of Armageddon, which they had completely forgotten about. They had no idea what its Deckmaster effect was… She hadn't used it even once…

The skull-faced Fiend stepped forward and lifted its axe. (2,400 ATK)

"Demise has an infamous effect that everyone here knows about," said the Queen, "one that lets him obliterate every card on the field except himself. It costs 2,000 Life Points, but I have enough. Since you know so much about this system, I don't think I have to tell you what happens to a player when his Deckmaster is destroyed.

"Doomsday Purge!"

Everyone watched as the creature lifted its axe…

Then it struck the ground, and the shockwave caused the whole dark arena to erupt in a burst of blazing hellfire…

**(B: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (I: 400)**

Slowly, the fires started to subside…

To everyone's shock, Dimentio was still there, and both he _and _Bleck were looking at the Queen with sadistic smiles.

"How…" she said. "He wasn't destroyed?"

"Sure he was," replied Bleck. "Demise destroyed him. You see, Dimentio is just so insane, he doesn't realize it!"

"I'm not amused, Claudius," replied the Queen.

"Okay, to put it in game terms," said Bleck, "You remember how that Ritual Spell of yours had an added effect? Well, the one I used has one too, but it's much more potent.

"See, as long as Form of Madness is in my Graveyard, Dimentio can dodge one attempt per round to destroy him with a card effect. Of course, if you used Demise's effect a second time, I'd be in big trouble. But with only 400 Life Points left, it seems you can't."

"Bleck played her for a sucker…" gasped Andy. "He was _hoping _she'd summon that guy."

"And now _her _Deckmaster is the one in trouble!" shouted Francesca.

The Queen looked at the two cards she had left. Then she slowly set one.

Then she casually looked at Bleck.

Bleck looked back nervously, and drew. Vladimir looked at him.

_He's hesitating… _he thought. _He doesn't know what that set card is… Form of Madness' effect would probably protect Dimentio, but… Mom already fooled him with a trick like that once…_

_Of course, Dimentio doesn't even need to attack to destroy Demise, and if he does that, this is over…_

Bleck took a card from his hand, and played it. A creature covered with mummy linens, wearing brown trousers, with glowing, red eyes appeared… (0 ATK)

Then the Queen's Trap Card flipped up.

"I activate Solemn Judgment!" she shouted.

Lightning flashed, striking the bandaged Fiend and obliterating it.

"So much for your Grave Squirmer," she said. "It cost me half my Life Points, but now you don't have the sacrifice you need to use that thing's effect."

Then Bleck laughed. He laughed out loud.

"_Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!" _he cackled. "Big deal! Dimentio has 400 more Attack Points than Demise.

"And now that I know what that Trap was, because you've so graciously used it… He can attack unopposed!"

Dimentio made a flying leap, then somersaulted twice, then paused in mid-air… Then he darted towards Demise, aiming a kick… For one brief second, everyone froze as they watched…

Everyone but Demise. The King of Armageddon lifted his weapon and met it with a brutal swing. The evil jester let out a horrid cry and fell backwards.

Everyone gasped. The blow had left a horrid wound in the jester's chest.

"WHAT?" shouted Bleck.

"Look before you leap, as the saying goes…" said the Queen.

Everyone looked at Demise.

(3,200 ATK)

"HOW?" shouted Bleck.

The Queen held up a Monster card. A Level 2 Monster.

"This," she said. "Starving Fanatic. It's what I discarded to pay the cost for Damage Condenser, which I have no doubt you forgot about a few turns ago.

"By banishing it when a Dark Ritual Monster – like Demise – is attacked, said Monster gains 800 Attack Points."

Bleck fell to his knees as Dimentio shattered.

"Ironically, Claudius," she continued, "that Monster you sacrificed to use its effect was Winged Minion, a Monster that could have increased Dimentio's Attack Score to 3,500 with its effect, possibly making it _truly _invincible when combined with the effect of Form of Madness. But you were so anxious to win this duel, you got sloppy.

"You implied that you had patience, when in fact, the reason you lost was because, quite simply, you rushed."

She sighed, and shook her head. The void slowly faded away as the crypt returned. Andy was holding Francesca. He was just as upset as she was, and so was Stan, but there was really nothing they could have done here. They couldn't even have warned him, as they had no more idea that would happen than he did… And frankly, they didn't even know if they should have.

"Vladimir!" shouted the Queen.

The Shadow Spawn of Darkness looked at his mother, nervously.

"Time to make a choice, Vladimir," she said. "If you come over here right now, I can protect you from him.

"If you stay there… I doubt that _he _can protect you from _me."_

Vladimir looked at his father sadly.

Then he slowly walked away from him, towards his mother and his siblings. Bleck said nothing.

"A wise choice…" said the Queen.

She looked at the six of them for a few seconds, and then turned to Bleck again. She walked over to him.

"I'm almost sorry for what happened at first, Bleck," she said. "Maybe the whole relationship was my fault, in a way…

"I was lonely and pining for something that I had lost that I wanted back so much… I thought maybe you would ease the gnawing in my soul a little…

"I was wrong… I was only fooling myself, and you were a poor substitute…"

Then she grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off his feet.

"But I'm _not _sorry for what happened later. If there's one thing the Empire of Shadow _doesn't _need, it's an usurper!

"I trust I need say no more than that…"

Then there was a loud, horrid snap.

The three teenagers wanted to look away, but they couldn't. They were paralyzed, maybe by some dark spell that the Queen had cast, or maybe simply by fear. It was impossible to tell.

She dropped Bleck's body and stopped for a minute.

Andy just stared at Bleck's body both shocked and horrified. Then, as the Shadow Queen turned away from him, something inside him seemed to snap and a white hot tide of anger came boiling up his hands clenching into fists and a fire igniting in his eyes.

"SHADOW QUEEN!"

There was so much force and rage in those two words that even the Queen seemed to stop for a moment in surprise, turning her head to regard Andy curiously.

"That... was the last life... you are EVER going to take, do you hear me?" Andy snarled, his whole body shaking in barely controlled fury. "You've toyed with us, you've enslaved people against their will or offered them empty promises to make them attack us on your behalf, and now you've murdered a man who if nothing else was fighting to get back his son, and you are _not going to get away with it damn it!_

"But at least now I know the real reason you hate being called by your old name. If that little girl's brothers were alive today and knew a monster like you still had the audacity to call herself their sister, they'd likely die all over again from shame. You're not Iris anymore at all, you're just some slimy, dirty piece of scum that Graz'zt scraped out of the bottom of a dying little girl's broken heart and gave a crown."

The Queen looked at him. A look of incredible rage appeared on her face. She pointed at him, and his blood turned cold… He closed his eyes.

Then she stopped. She slowly turned away.

"That was close…" she said softly. "I almost killed you there… For a brief moment, I completely forgot about the terms of the curse that binds me to this place…

"And to be honest… Andy… Such defiance… I almost admire it… You're so much like someone else I know… If Fate hadn't put us on opposite sides, who knows?

"Still, I'd settle the issue properly between myself and the three of you now, but I have a more pressing thing to deal with at the moment…

"Now that this gatecrasher has been dealt with, the tournament will continue as scheduled, and you three are actually very close to your goal. Simply backtrack to the hallway you entered, and turn left.

"The center of the Palace, where the finals of this tournament will be held, is very close. We'll settle this there.

"I assure you."

She turned to her children.

"Let's go…"

As she and the six of them walked towards the shadowy portal she had entered the crypt from, a glowing orb appeared in her hand.

"Are you there?" she said. "Ninety minutes…"

After about a minute, Andy opened his eyes.

"Do you think she's gone?" he asked.

"I – I think so," replied Francesca.

"Good..." said Andy. " I think I'm just going to lie down for a second…"

And as soon as the last word left his mouth he toppled over face first onto the ground in a dead faint.

**0000000000**

In Rogueport, Merlow was standing on a rooftop with Jolene, watching something a few streets over…

Then a strange feeling came over him.

He looked at his arms. He hadn't told any other members of the resistance movement this, but there were odd symbols there, evil runes that only he could see, marks that Bleck had placed on him as part of a curse after he had lost that duel.

And now, they were fading quickly. After a minute, they were gone.

"Jolene," he said. "Tell White he's in charge."

"What?" she said. "What are you…"

"Long story!" he replied. "I'll tell you later!"

He ran to the stairs, and then rushed down them, two at a time.

He knew this meant that Bleck was either dead or worse. Either way, it had meant his plan had failed.

But it also meant that the curse which kept him away from the Thousand Year Door was lifted. And that was the first place he intended to go.

**0000000000**

Andy grunted as he got up.

"Maybe it was the wrong thing to say…" he groaned.

"Well, I might have said the same thing," replied Stan, "but you beat me to it…"

He lifted his hand. The force-field was gone. They walked up to the wizard's body, where his cards lay scattered around him.

"I guess if there's one thing a villain doesn't need in her life," said Francesca, sadly, "it's another villain…"

Stan picked up the Refund and Reimbursement card and looked at it.

"Who do you think was telling the truth?" he asked. "You know… About who betrayed who?

"I mean, my gut wants me to believe that the Shadow Queen was lying… She's the one who wants to kill us… And she killed Bleck, in cold blood…

"But at least she's been honest about that… The way Bleck tricked us… Used us…"

They looked at each other.

"We may _never _know…" said Francesca.

**0000000000**

**DARKNESS**** (Spell Card)**

**Field Spell**

**Image: **The demon Darkness surrounded by rippling, dark energy.

**Card Description: **Upon activation, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control except this card. Then, take 1 each of the following Trap Cards from your hand or deck and set them in random order in your Spell/Trap Zone: "Zero", "Infinity", "Darkness 1", "Darkness 2", and "Darkness 3". You cannot look at these face-down cards. During each player's End Phase, if you activated a Trap Card during the turn, flip all Trap Cards you control to face-down position and rearrange them in a random order. If a Spell or Trap Card you control is removed from the field, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control.

**0000000000**

**ZERO**** (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **A mote of light appearing from out of a void. (The image is supposed to represent the first act of creation in the universe.)

**Card Description: **Activate only if you control a face-up "Darkness". If you activate this card immediately after activating "Infinity", select 1 face-down card between "Infinity" and this card in your Spell/Trap Zone and activate it.

**0000000000**

**INFINITY**** (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **A galaxy, similar in shape to the Milky Way.

**Card Description: **Activate only if you control a face-up "Darkness". If you activate this card immediately after activating "Zero", select 1 face-down card between "Zero" and this card in your Spell/Trap Zone and activate it.

**0000000000**

**DARKNESS 1**** (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **The dark pulsating energy field seen on the "Darkness" Field Spell, but without anybody there.

**Card Description: **If this card is not activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", return it to face-down position. If this card is activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", activate all other face-down cards in your Spell/Trap Zone between "Zero" and "Infinity" and destroy 1 card your opponent controls for each "Darkness" Trap Card activated.

**0000000000**

**DARKNESS 2**** (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **A certain point of view seen by victims drawn into the World of Darkness by the demon Darkness.

**Card Description: **If this card is not activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", return it to face-down position. If this card is activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", activate all other face-down cards in your Spell/Trap Zone between "Zero" and "Infinity" and select 1 Monster you control. Until the End Phase, the selected Monster gains 1,000 Attack Points for each "Darkness" Trap Card activated.

**0000000000**

**DARKNESS 3**** (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **Similar to "Darkness 1", but with a pulsating core of darkness in the center.

**Card Description: **If this card is not activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", return it to face-down position. If this card is activated via the effect of "Zero" or "Infinity", activate all other face-down cards in your Spell/Trap Zone between "Zero" and "Infinity" and inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent for each "Darkness" Trap Card activated.

_Note: The preceding six cards were first used by Darkness in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episodes 177 and 178. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. _

**0000000000**

**MIDNIGHT BLOOM (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl6/2,400ATK/800DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. The Normal Summon of this card cannot be countered or negated by your opponent's Trap Cards. This card is not affected by Trap Cards. Your opponent cannot counter or negate your Trap Cards.

**0000000000**

**FORM OF MADNESS (Spell Card)**

**Ritual Spell**

**Image: **A young girl wandering in a dark forest full of evil-looking trees as the Red Ghost Moon shines down from above.

**Card Description:** This card is used to Ritual Summon "Dimentio". You must offer as Tribute from your hand or the field Monsters whose combined Levels equal 10 or more. If this card is in your Graveyard, "Dimentio" cannot be destroyed by the effect of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Monster effect once per turn.

**0000000000**

**DIMENTIO****(Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Ritual/Effect/Level 10/2,800ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect:** This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Form of Madness". Once per turn, you may Tribute 1 Fiend-Type Monster you control other than this card to destroy 1 Monster your opponent controls and inflict damage to your opponent equal to 200x the destroyed Monster's Level. This card cannot attack the turn this effect is used.

**0000000000**

**STARVING FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl2/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect:** If this card is in your Graveyard and your opponent declares an attack against a DARK Fiend-Type Ritual Monster you control, you may banish this card to increase the ATK of the attack target by 800 until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**HUNGRY FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl3/1,300ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect:** When this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle, you may Special Summon 1 "Hungry Fanatic" from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**CRYING FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl3/1,300ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect:** Increase the ATK of all "Fanatic" and "Cotantoce" Monsters you control by 400 points.

**0000000000**

**UNDERTAKER FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,800ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect**: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, select 1 Level 4 or lower Fiend-Type Monster in your Graveyard except an "Undertaker Fanatic". Special Summon the selected Monster. Its Type is treated as Zombie, and it cannot use its effect while face-up on the field.

**0000000000**

**DOOMED FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect**: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, destroy the Monster that destroyed this card and end the Battle Phase.

**0000000000**

**BANDIT FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl5/1,800ATK/1,500DEF**

**Effect:** When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, increase your Life Points by the same amount.

**0000000000**

**MANAGER FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,200ATK/0DEF**

**Effect:** If you take Effect Damage from 1 card effect and control a face-up "Cotantoce" or "Fanatic" Monster (other than a "Manager Fanatic") you may Tribute this card to draw 1 card for every 1,000 points of Effect Damage taken from that effect. You can only use the effect of 1"Manager Fanatic" once per turn.

**0000000000**

**MASTER OF FANATIC (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Effect/Lvl5/1,700ATK/1,600DEF**

**Effect:** You may Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up Defense Position if you control a face-up "Cotantoce" Monster. When this card is Summoned, add one "Fanatical Rite" from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only control 1 "Master of Fanatic".

**0000000000**

**FANATICAL RITE (Spell Card)**

**Ritual Spell**

**Image:** A mob of Fanatics dancing around a bonfire in a dark dungeon.

**Card Description:** This card is used to Ritual Summon any "Cotantoce" Ritual Monster. You must offer Monsters from the field or your hand whose combined Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you intend to summon. You can only activate 1 "Fanatical Rite" per turn. If a "Fanatic" or "Cotantoce" Monster you control is targeted by an attack, you may banish this card from your Graveyard; if you do, the attack target cannot be destroyed by battle and you take no Battle Damage from a battle involving the attack target until the end of the Battle Phase.

**0000000000**

**COTANTOCE OF RUIN (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Ritual/Effect/Lvl6/2,000ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect**: This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Fanatical Rite". Both players take 800 points of damage each time they Normal Summon a Monster.

**0000000000**

**DARK COTANTOCE (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Ritual/Effect/Lvl6/1,800ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect:** This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Fanatical Rite". Once per turn, you may Tribute 1 "Fanatic" Monster you control to inflict damage to your opponent equal to the base ATK of the Tributed Monster. Skip your Battle Phase during a turn you use this effect.

**0000000000**

**COTANTOCE OF CHAOS (Monster Card)**

**Fiend/Dark/Ritual/Effect/Lvl8/1,800ATK/1,800DEF**

**Effect:** This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Fanatical Rite". If this card is attacked by at opposing Monster with a lower Level than this card while it is in Attack Position, destroy the attacking Monster after damage calculation.

**0000000000**

**MIRROR OF ORIGINS (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **Terrorking Archfiend casually looking into an evil-looking mirror, where the shadowy, dark form of Skull Archfiend of Lightning is looking back.

**Card Description: **If your opponent declares an attack against one of your face-up Monsters with a Monster that is the same Type as the attack target, the ATK of your opponent's Monster is reduced by half for the damage step only. During the End Phase of your opponent's turn, draw one card for each of your Monsters that was destroyed by battle by an opposing Monster whose ATK was halved by the effect of this card.

**0000000000**

**REFUND AND REIMBURSEMENT (Trap Card)**

**Counter Trap**

**Image: **The Goblin of Greed at the same market he was at in the "Point Purchase" Spell Card; this time, he has a dour look on his face and the Pot of Benevolence is on the counter in front of him, while the now-confused merchant is looking at a receipt.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent activates a card effect that requires a Life Point payment. Negate that effect. Then, increase your opponent's Life Points by an amount equal to the cost paid.

**000000000**

"**Darkness Neosphere":** Fiend/Dark/Lvl10/4,000/4,000: If this Deckmaster is summoned to the field, it cannot attack or use its Deckmaster effects or actual effects during the same turn. As a Deckmaster, it has the following effect. "Blindsight": If you control a face-up "Darkness", you can use the following effects: * The part of the effect of "Darkness" that states "You cannot look at these face-down cards" is not applied. * If your opponent activates a Spell or Trap Card whose effect involves destroying one or more Trap Cards you control, you may discard 1 card from your hand to negate the effect of that card and destroy it.

**000000000**

"**Demise, King of Armageddon":** Fiend/Dark/Ritual/Lvl8/2,400/2,000: ?

**0000000000**

_**Wait… Hold on here… That Trap Card…**_

_**Bleck activated it back when… And it does what? **_

_**Okay… Stan said he "wanted to know what the deal was", and frankly, I **_**still**_** don't know…**_

_**Grodus: Well, don't injure your brain trying to figure it out, pal. The important part is, Bleck is gone. Good riddance. **_

_**Now we can get some things done around here. Ninety minutes huh? I think I handle that, so long as Crump doesn't screw things up again…**_

"_**Double Payback" is coming soon.**_


	61. Double Payback

_Author's note: Some may see in this chapter that Fran has used Ms. Mowz again as a Deckmaster, but with a different effect._

_Neither I nor my beta remembered the previous duel, and seeing as this was hard enough to write and changing it would require starting from scratch... Let's just say that Ms. Mowz was able to evolve her ability._

_I promise this won't happen again. _

**0000000000**

_**You ever notice that working for an evil overlord is never a good career choice? Honestly, it's a bad idea. Many famous villains in fiction are so cruel, their employees are often in more danger than the heroes who fight them.**_

_**Most of James Bond's enemies are like this. (A "Blofield Ploy" is a term for a villain killing one of his own henchmen that he's angry - or just annoyed - at in order to intimidate a hero, named after one of Bond's enemies.) The guy from **_**A View to a Kill **_**even double-crossed his lover. Darth Vader killed two minions (that we know about) and from what novels tell us, Moff Tarkin was **_**much **_**worse in this regard. (And don't even get me started on Palpatine.) The Joker… Well, to give one example, in Tim Burton's movie, he murdered his loyal second-in-command simply because he was angry and just wanted to shoot someone.**_

_**Cartoon villains tended to live this trope. Skeletor, the Shredder, Megatron... You name it. (The villains in the old **_**G.I. Joe _cartoon were like this, but it was lampooned in one episode, I believe, where the Joes found out that Cobra did provide a decent dental plan, at least.)_**

_**So… The question is, why exactly does anyone work for people like this? And what do they do to earn such loyalty from some employees, like the ones in front of us?**_

_**Uh… Mind if we get back to you on that?**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**Duel Sixty-One**

**0000000000**

**Double Payback**

**0000000000**

**00000**

As the three of them walked down the hallway, Stan looked hard at the Refund and Reimbursement card.

"Stan, you're glued to that Trap Card, aren't you?" sighed Francesca.

Goombella and Vivian appeared behind Stan, as he shook his head.

"Come on, people, this must have done _something," _he said. "I just don't know what…

"Goombella… You're the genius here… Do you know why the heck he used this?"

"Uh…" said the goomba.

She hopped up on Stan's shoulder to take a closer look.

"Uhm…" she said.

Vivian looked closely at it too, lifting the brim of her hat slightly as she did so.

Goombella looked closer. Then she shook her head.

"You got me…" she said.

"I'm clueless too, I'm afraid…" said Vivian.

Stan muttered something under his breath, and then put it into his shirt pocket.

"We'll figure it out later," said Andy. "Right now… We have other stuff to do…"

**0000000000**

In Rogueport, Rawk Hawk and the Shy Guy General were sitting on a bench made from a log, watching the parliamentary building, which they assumed Arcadia's puppet government was still hiding in.

Rawk sipped from a bottle of water, and then handed it to the General… Who drank from it, without removing the mask.

"How do you _do _that, Remmy?" asked Rawk.

"Do what?" replied the Shy Guy.

"Eh…" muttered the wrestler.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Remmy. "Did you like your job?"

"You mean wrestling?" asked Rawk.

He leaned back against the wall of the building.

"Well, I used to…" he said. "What wasn't to like? It's probably the only job where you're encouraged to act like a maniac."

He sipped from the bottle again.

"Problem was, I got too popular… And my head got too big… I started thinking I was so popular in the Glitz Pit, I was untouchable…"

He threw the bottle to the ground.

"No-one is untouchable here… In fact… Opening my big mouth only made it worse…"

"Yeah, you aren't the only one she's done that too…" replied Remmy

He reached into the long sleeve of his robe, and pulled out a rolled up scroll.

"She gave you the contract you signed?" asked Rawk.

"Course not," replied Remmy. "This is a copy…"

He unfolded it.

"I always keep this with me… You know how they say you should read the fine print with stuff like this? That's a myth. The stuff you have to watch out for is in the main body of the contract.

"Listen to this…

"It says here, 'If the party of the first part,' that's the Queen, by the way, 'observes any previously unforeseen factors that may hinder or endanger the terms agreed to by the party of the second part,' that would be me, 'the party of the first part or a representative thereof is authorized to take any reasonable steps deemed necessary to remove or neutralize said unforeseen factors to ensure terms are no longer at risk'.

"Right! I'm willing to bet THAT was the clause that caused the 'accident' that led to my second-in-command being found dead with his neck broken after he started having second thoughts about working for her! And all the other Shy Guys who were mysteriously killed or disappeared after they spoke out against her!

"By the time I realized what that clause meant, it was too late to ask whose definition of 'reasonable steps' we were using…

"After a while, I had no choice but to tell them all to go home… It was for their own safety… This dumb contract is the only reason I'm still here… Why she let me live… I have no idea…

"I thought she had forgotten about me completely until she called and told me she needed me for her dumb tournament…"

"Chin up, people," said White's voice.

They looked up, and saw him looking at the building with binoculars.

"They can't stay in there forever…"

"Can I ask a dumb question?" asked Rawk. "What's keeping you from just breaking the doors down?"

"Not a dumb question at all, Rawk…" said White. "See, the place has some rather clever architecture that one of the Queen's top aides designed, and as a result, it's _very _hard to sneak in – or out – without being seen, or get the jump on someone by forcing your way in.

"There are only a few entrances, they're small, compared to doors in typical government buildings, and it's rather easy to set up and ambush from the inside."

"So… Maybe you can smoke them out, or something…" replied Rawk.

White looked at the muscleman with surprise.

"Rawk…" he said. "That may well be the best idea you've ever had…

"Come on you two!"

They got up and followed him as he took his mobile from his pocket.

**0000000000**

The Queen was leading her six children through another part of the Palace. As they walked through a large room with several flaming braziers, Melissa finally spoke up.

"Mom, what exactly do you plan to do with that card?" she asked.

The Queen looked at her. Then she held up a card, Dimentio's card, which she had picked up after killing Bleck.

"What, this?" she asked. "Mmm, yes… What to do with it…"

Then she tossed it into the brazier next to her, and a fierce ball of flame shot out of it, causing a hellish glow to fill the whole room. Then the brazier fell over with a crash and the flame went out, causing only thick, foul-smelling smoke to rise.

"That…" she said, as she wiped her hands. "Now come along, children, I didn't pardon you for free. I expect you all to return the favor.

"There's still time for you to prove your worth before the finals start…"

"HOW?" shouted Tyson. "We've already dueled them twice…"

"What's the old saying?" asked the Queen. "Third time's the charm?"

All six of them stopped. She looked at them.

"Mom, in all due respect…" said Maria. "Aw, screw that, _you are out of your mind!_

She shook her head.

"I'd rather go back to prison, thank you," added Melissa. "I'm starting to think I'll have better chances there…"

"What are you saying?" asked the Queen.

"She's saying, mother," said Leopold, as he took his glasses off, "that we're starting to think that you might not come out the winning side on this at all, and it would be better for us to not _be _on your side.

"You know, when Stan told me about that Philip person back in Twilight Town, I honestly _didn't _remember him… But I was curious… When you let us out of prison the first time, I looked him up.

"I found out what his 'crime' was… Immoral ideas. You know what _that _is, right?"

"I know what it means," added Tyson. "It's what you charge someone with when he does something that makes you angry and you can't find any _legitimate_ crime to charge him with! I defy you to deny it!"

Leopold nodded.

"Then…" he said. "Then I remembered the whole deal with him perfectly… And it wasn't a pleasant memory…"

"You ever hear about a Roman emperor named Caligula, mom?" asked Kurtis. "He was a tyrant who went too far. He forced himself on the wives and daughters of several members of the Praetorian Guard. Seeing as they were armed soldiers who were supposed to protect him, that was pretty dumb. They killed him.

"They killed his whole family too, even his two-year-old daughter, because they had to make sure…"

He stopped for a few seconds. The horrifying realization of what he was about to say had struck him, but he still had to say it…

"…they had to make sure the evil wasn't hereditary…"

"He wasn't the only Roman emperor who was killed by his own bodyguards," added Maria. "There were eight others. The Romans tended to have a LOT of rulers like that. And you're heading the same way, mom."

The Vladimir finally spoke, having been quiet up to now.

"We have half a mind to cut our losses and leave this place to start over on our own…" he said, with a bitter voice. "And _more _than half a mind to go before the United Nations and tell them everything we know about Arcadia's _real _government."

"And by the way," said Melissa, "don't even _try_ to give us that garbage you tell people about the UN having no real authority. The people who say that are the folks who most members side against."

"Maybe so," replied the Queen, "but the idea that you six can even 'start over' is, in itself, a big enough stretch. Start over with what? Exactly what do you have that I haven't given you?

"If you six leave, you'll have nothing… Nothing but the clothes on your backs… And I could even take _that _if I wanted to."

"I'll tell you one thing we'll have," replied Vladimir.

He looked his mother in the eye.

"Our self-respect."

She looked closely at her eldest son. Then she looked at her other children, but they all glared at her with the same defiant looks.

This was serious. She had never dreamed they would finally get this much of a backbone… Maybe she had taught them too well…

"So…" she said, as she crossed her arms. "You want to leave? How do you intend to get past me?"

"I'll show you how…" growled Vladimir.

Then he took a card from a pouch on his belt – his side deck – a Ritual Spell Card which his mother recognized, but didn't know he had. As his five siblings stood next to him, he lifted it, and both the card and six Spawn started to glow.

The Queen stepped back with a small look of surprise. _This _was new…

The six of them vanished, one by one, starting with Melissa, then Kurtis, and proceeding from youngest to oldest, until Vladimir, who was glowing with multicolored light, started to change shape…

Someone new was confronting her now…

The Queen slowly lifted her hand, and the orb appeared on it again.

"Grodus?" she said. "I'm probably going to need a little longer than ninety minutes…"

**0000000000**

"Yes, my Queen," said Grodus.

He and Crump were in a large, circular room, standing in front of an archway leading into the next room, topped by a gargoyle with its face in a silent scream.

"So why are we doing this again?" asked Crump.

"Because the Queen told us to," replied Grodus. "And that should be enough of a reason for you.

"Let's not have any more screw-ups, Crump… I still can't believe you broke into her alchemy lab and drank that stuff. I mean, seriously, you even balked at that idea for the medication I suggested to help stop smoking…"

"Wha?" asked Crump.

He dug into his pocket, and then took out a paper, a page torn out of a magazine. He looked at the advertisement on it.

"Oh, right, you mean this…" he said. "Yup, ninety-percent success rate for weight loss among the obese… Sure sounds like a good idea…

"Oh wait… There's a disclaimer here… What does it say…

"It says, 'Most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, lightheadedness, dry mouth, headache, numbness, sudden, uncontrolled sweating, and rapid, uncontrolled movements in extremities. Less common side effects include seizures, high fever, impaired vision, visual hallucinations, and impotence in men. This product carries a risk of allergic reaction, and may react adversely with other medications. If you are pregnant or nursing, consult an obstetrician before using this product'.

"Guess I don't have to worry about that last one…"

"Well, an obstetrician would actually recommend _not _trying to lose weight at all to a pregnant woman," sighed Grodus. "But the thing is, _that _was my exact point.

'You _always _find out the adverse effects of a drug before you use it, so if you don't even _know _what they are…

"…you sure as Hell don't use it…

"Now, keep your mind on the plan. Given what the Queen wants, given my experience, I estimate twenty should do, given no unforeseen accidents.

"I assume you can count that high?"

"Yes…" muttered Crump, closing his eyes.

Then the three teenagers walked in from the opposite end.

"Just don't embarrass me, okay?" he said, quickly.

Then he cleared his throat as they looked at him and Crump.

"Who?" said Francesca.

"Greetings," said Grodus. "I am Lord Grodus, Chamberlain of the Arcadian Parliament…"

"Which means you're the Shadow Queen's flunky," said Francesca. "We're not impressed.

"Now can you and your friend over there get out of our way? We've had enough trouble from him already…"

"Okay, I tried being polite…" said Grodus.

Electricity started sparking around his cranium, and his scepter vanished, as a fancy, silvery Duel Disk appeared on his left arm. Crump stepped forward, slipping his own on his arm.

"Look, chrome-dome, we don't have time for this," said Andy. "We're _not _in the mood to deal with you."

"Yes, well, that's the problem," said Grodus, "see… We aren't asking permission…"

Then he and Crump pointed their right arms forward, and twin lashes of energy shot from them, one of them snagging Andy's wrist and the other snagging Francesca's.

"Not THIS again!" shouted Andy.

He and Stan remembered this… The Duel Binder that Saggi had used on him and Chaos Hunter had used on Stan. It was new to Fran, but she realized what it meant… They didn't have a choice now…

"I guess one more can't hurt…" she sighed, as the cords faded. "Feel like a team duel, Andy?"

"Actually…" he said. "It may help me blow off some steam…"

"Very well…" said Grodus. "We're still under the rules for the Palace of Shadow, but in a two-on-two, each team uses two Deckmasters, one per player. However, during each player's turn, he can only use his own Deckmaster unless his partner – or her partner, as the case may be – has summoned his or hers to the field.

"So… Let's see them…"

They looked at him. Francesca lifted a card, and Ms. Mowz appeared behind her. (1,200 ATK) Then Andy lifted one, causing Bobbery to appear. (2,200 ATK)

_Bleck may be dead, _thought Andy, _but the help he gave us won't be forgotten…_

"My Deckmaster will be…" said Crump. "Puppet Master!"

With a loud, evil cackle, a jester with a skull-like face and decaying, dead hands appeared, hovering in the air. (0 ATK)

"Ugh…" said Francesca.

"And mine…" said Grodus. "Dark Ruler Ha Des."

A slow, creeping shadow crept behind him, and a tall, hulking, dark shape parted to reveal the ruler of Fiends. (2,450 ATK)

"All right," said Grodus. "Because Crump's Deckmaster has the lowest Attack Score of the four, he'll make the first move… Then Francesca, whose Deckmaster is second-lowest, will go second, then me, then Andy, then back to Crump.

"Any questions?"

"Uh…" said Stan, as Vivian appeared behind him.

"Don't worry, Stan, we can handle this guy…" said Andy.

"Famous last words…" muttered Vivian.

**(Andy and Fran: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Grodus and Crump: 8,000)**

"Let's start this off!" said Crump.

He drew a card.

"If you guys think I'm going to be the same as I was last time, you're dead wrong. I summon Gimmick Puppet Egghead."

As he played the card, there was a deep, throaty laugh, and a man-sized, puppet-like creature with an egg-shaped body, a goofy face on the front, a mop of hair on the top, and long, spindly, wooden limbs. It balanced on one foot, and spun like a top. (1,600 ATK)

"What in the world…" said Andy.

"Now, this guy can't attack because I went first..." said Crump.

He took another card from his hand and discarded it.

"But… By tossing another Gimmick Puppet, my egg flips, but it won't land over easy..."

The weird thing let out the deep chuckle again, and leapt into the air, doing a double flip. It hovered for a minute, and then split apart at the waist, like it was hinged in the back, and a dozen glowing spheres fell from its upper half.

Then, to Andy's shock, they all exploded like bombs as they fell around him.

**(A&F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 8,000)**

"GAH!" he said. "Oh… Kay… Not bad for an egg…"

Crump chuckled as Egghead landed.

"This is the type of egg that scrambles _you_," he chuckled.

Grodus sighed.

"You've been hanging around Tyson too much…" he muttered.

Crump set two cards, and they appeared behind the Puppet, and he nodded.

"If you think this guy was a blast, just hang in there. I've got lots more… But he'll be fine for now."

"Don't worry, Andy," said Francesca, as she stepped forward, making a draw. "One omelet coming up."

She played the card, and Beast Striker appeared in front of her, looking at Egghead and letting out a feral roar. (1,850 ATK)

"Crush that egg!" she shouted, as it lifted its hammer.

"I activate… Gravity Gain!" shouted Crump, as one of his Traps lifted up.

"Huh?" said Fran, as Beast Striker backed off. "Gravity _Gain?"_

"You know what Gravity Bind does, right?" asked Crump. "It stops high-Level Monsters from attacking. This does the opposite. It stops _low-_Level Monsters from attacking."

Francesca looked at him oddly… Then she went over the other five cards in her hand…

She slowly took Key Mouse, and discarded it, causing Beast Striker to slam his mallet against the ground, and Moja to spring up from the impact. (100 DEF)

"Uh…" she said. "Gonna play one more card…"

A set card appeared behind her Monsters.

"And… Done…"

"Then I draw…" Grodus, as he drew. "And during my Standby Phase, I have to sacrifice a Monster to keep Gravity Gain in play… So I'll get rid of Humpty Dumpty here…"

The rotund puppet turned into shadow and then dissipated into dark smoke.

"Then, I'll summon Archer of the Company…"

There was another sinister shadow, and a humanoid wearing tarnished bronze armor of monstrous, demonic design, but still elaborately decorated, stepped out. He held a longbow that was almost as big as himself. He drew the bowstring back, aiming at Francesca threateningly. (900 ATK)

"He doesn't seem so tough," said Fran.

"He isn't," replied Grodus, "but… When does an army only have _one _archer?

"By summoning him, I'm able to summon another one by relinquishing 800 Life Points…"

Red sparks crackled in the dome on his head as a second Archer appeared. (900 ATK)

"Then I'll use the effect of my second Archer as well…"

Again, his cranium sparked as a third Archer joined the others. (900 ATK)

"I'm not allowed to summon any other Monsters, so we'll just hand the reigns over to Andy…"

**(A&F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 6,400)**

_I can see what they're planning… _thought Andy. _They're planning to sacrifice one of those guys to keep their Trap while using the rest of their Monsters to bring out something that can get past Gravity Gain…_

_So I'd best summon something strong of my own fast…_

He made a draw.

_Good one…_

"I'll use Moja," he said, as the small Beast turned into particles of light, "to summon Des Volstgalph!"

Grodus looked up as the huge Dragon looked down on him. (2,200 ATK)

"I've seen better," he said.

"He's no Gloomtail…" said Andy. "But still… He's Level 6, so… The one on the left, Des Volstgalph!"

The blast hit one of the three Archers, turning him to a cloud of ash.

"He's toast…" said Andy.

"True," said Grodus, "but I'm much better off…"

"Crump's other Trap Card!" shouted Stan.

"That's right, I activated it," said Grodus, turning towards the activated card. "I know about all the cards he's using… After all, I _gave _him the deck he has.

"This Trap is called Gimmick Box, and the first thing it does in protect me from the Battle Damage I would have taken."

"You still take 500 points of Effect Damage…" added Andy.

"A minor inconvenience," replied Grodus, "seeing as Gimmick Box has another effect. The Trap itself then becomes a Monster…"

A window-like opening appeared in mid-air five feet by five feet, revealing a grinning mechanical face behind it.

"…and its Attack Score is equal to the Life Points your attack would have caused me."

(1,300 ATK)

**(A&F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 5,900)**

"I've got the strangest feeling that Grodus _wanted _me to attack him…" said Andy.

"That's cause he _did!" _laughed Crump. "My move now?"

"Have it your way…" said Andy.

"Right!" shouted Crump, as he quickly made a draw. "I'll get rid of another Archer to keep Gravity Gain for a little long…"

Another of the fiendish bowmen turned into a cloud of ash.

"Then, I'll activate the Trade-In Spell Card," he said, as he played a Spell. "I'll trash one of my Level 8 Monsters…"

He quickly chucked a card into his discard pile.

"And then draw twice…"

He made two draws.

"And because the card I junked was Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll, I can banish another Gimmick Puppet from my Graveyard to summon it!"

What happened next was… Bizarre. A sinister, ghostly coffin slowly rose out of the floor. Then the lid opened, and a female doll – a mutilated female doll with a stained bandage around her head – sat up in it. (0 ATK)

"Ugh!" said Francesca.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it…" said Crump, as eerie fog started to cover the floor of the room. "I build the Overlay Unit with Gear Box and Dreary Doll…"

"A Rank 8 Xyz?" gasped Stan, as the two weird creatures were absorbed into the Network. "This is…"

A cackling, maddening laughter echoed through the whole room. Then, the light in the whole room dimmed.

"Creepy!" gasped Vivian.

"_You _think it's creepy?" asked Stan, looking at her funny. "I thought you used to practice black magic…"

"I _did!" _she shouted. "Now you know why I quit!"

"I Xyz Summon Gimmick Puppet Mad Jack!" shouted Crump.

A set of dangling strings fell from the ceiling, and then pulled up, pulling taunt, and then pulling up a large marionette, one the size of a man. It looked like a tall, dark man wearing a long, billowing cloak and overcoat, a wide-brimmed hat, and a scarf over the lower part of its face. Strangely, the dark fabric of the clothes it was wearing seemed to sort of drink up what little light was left in the now dim room, making it harder to see.

One part that _could _be seen were the eyes. They were horrifying eyes that reflected pure madness, but no soul. (0 ATK)

"I'd hate to meet _that _guy in a dark alley…" said Francesca, trembling.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," said Crump, "as folks tend to say. You probably notice that Jack here has zero Attack Points…"

Mad Jack reached into his cloak, and quickly pulled out a long, razor sharp blade that shone brightly in the dim light.

"However, when he attacks, I can ditch one of his Overlay Units, and he wins regardless of what the Scores of the Monsters are, plus I take no damage."

"And since Xyzs have no Levels at all," added Stan, "Gravity Gain isn't an issue. No wonder you two wanted to duel them instead of me…"

"See? You're learning," said Crump.

Then the light in the room dimmed even more, and Mad Jack seemed to simply fade into the darkness. Francesca and Andy and their Monsters – along with Bobbery and Ms. Mowz – looked around nervously…

Then, those two glowing eyes appeared next to Des Volstgalph…

"LOOK OUT!" screamed Andy.

The Dragon turned in response, but all everyone saw was the flash of a knife, followed by a screech from Des Volstgalph, right before it collapsed, a deep wound in its neck.

As the Dragon slowly faded away, Mad Jack appeared out of the shadows on Crump's side of the field again, as a little light – not much, just a little – slowly came back.

"One other thing…" said Crump. "If he kills a Monster this way, his Attack Points become equal to his victim…"

(2,200 ATK)

"…so I'll only have to do that again should you two come up with something stronger."

Then he looked at the two of them.

"Scared, huh?" he said. "I gotta admit, this guy even scared me the first time I used him… Anyway, to end my turn, I'll move the last Archer to Defense Mode…"

The Archer of the Company knelt, holding his bow on his knee. (300 ATK)

"So," said Fran, as she drew, "Mad Jack seems to like attacking by ambush… That's probably why he can, in theory, defeat any Monster that he attacks…

"But… I'm willing to bet that, like all such people, he's no good fighting someone who directly challenges him."

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Crump.

Fran's set card lifted up, and Limit Reverse glowed with light. Key Mouse hopped out of the card. (100 ATK)

"I mean he likely can't do it if he's _being _attacked," replied Fran. "Let's see if I'm right…

"Because I control a Tuner, I can Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight…"

In a flash of radiant power, the bestial knight with a trident appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Then," she said, as Key Mouse and D.D. Unicorn Knight turned into glowing stars, "I'll Tune these two Monsters together…"

The darkness vanished as Thunder Unicorn's appeared with a glowing prominence. (2,200 ATK) Mad Jack grunted and covered his eyes.

Crump growled a little.

"I take it from your expression I'm right," said Fran. "That guy isn't so tough when he can't hide in the darkness."

"Yes, you're very smart!" snapped Crump.

"Crump!" said Grodus, under his breath and out the side of him mouth. "Don't get angry here! Remember what the Queen's orders were!"

"Uh yeah…" said Crump. "Right…"

"I use Thunder Unicorn's effect!" shouted Francesca. "With two Monsters, Gimmick Puppet Mad Jack loses 1,000 Attack Points!"

The light became even stronger, and Jack let out a low moan. (1,200 ATK)

"Smash that puppet! Attack!"

Lightning flashed from Thunder Unicorn's horn, and sparks flew from Mad Jack's chest as it hit…

Then they heard a demonic cackle again, even worse than the laugh that came from Jack. They looked up, and saw another weird puppet leap from the ceiling, one dressed like a harlequin in black, holding a scythe. As it landed, it swung its weapon, severing Mad Jack's strings and causing it to fall to the floor in a heap.

"Huh?" said Fran, as Mad Jack vanished.

"Since you destroyed my Gimmick Puppet," said Crump. "I was able to banish it to Special Summon Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker."

The weird jester looked at Andy, and made a bone-chilling laugh. (1,600 DEF)

Andy almost turned white. Even if clowns _didn't _scare him, this one likely would have.

"What in the world _are _these creatures?" he shouted.

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid," replied Crump.

"Calm down, Andy," said Fran, "it's nothing we can't handle.

"Your move, creepy."

**(A&F: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,900)**

"Creepy?" asked Grodus."

He drew.

"Really? We're trying to kill you and _that's_ the most original insult you can think of?"

"Okay how about this," replied Fran, "you look like a senile old man cosplaying as a gumball machine, better?"

Crump snickered a bit before turning it into a cough as Grodus glared at him.

The sorcerer turned to Dark Ruler Ha Des behind him, and made a nudging gesture. The Fiend ruler pointed at Francesca, and a small burst of flame shot at her. She let out a small shriek as the small projectile hit her.

"What was _that?" _she asked.

"My Deckmaster effect," said Grodus. "You see, every time you or your ally destroys one of my Fiend-Type Monsters, Ha Des gains a Rage Counter. This enables him to inflict 200 points of damage during each of my Standby Phases per counter."

"WHAT?" shouted Stan, as Goombella appeared next to Vivian.

"Very clever…" said the goomba. "Grodus knew that in this type of duel, you couldn't use your partner's Deckmaster. But he managed to benefit from having a partner by choosing one with a continuous effect, which would gain Counters no matter whose turn it was.

"Clearly, Grodus is smarter than we thought… Only question is, why is he choosing to duel with Crump instead of working on his own?"

"Well…" said Stan. "Honestly… Crump didn't do all _too _bad…"

"Normally, I'd have to get rid of one of my Monsters to keep Gravity Gain," continued Grodus. "But I don't think I need it anymore, so I'll just keep what I have now, which means the Trap goes away."

The Gravity Gain card simply disintegrated.

"Now, I'll play the Spell Card, Advance Draw," he said, as he held up a card. "I can draw twice if I sacrifice a Monster that's at least Level 8. So I'll discard this Joker..."

Twilight Joker disintegrated as well, chuckling slightly right before its face vanished. Grodus made two draws.

"Then, I'll activate Tribute to the Doomed…"

The Spell Card appeared, and he discarded a card. There was a surge of lightning, but it was red this time. Thunder Unicorn made a loud moan, and then shattered.

"HEY!" shouted Fran.

"Now that that's taken care of," said Grodus, "I'll sacrifice my final Archer to summon Lieutenant of the Company."

The Fiend vanished, just as Joker did, and Fiend appeared that stood head and shoulders above him. His armor was made of the same metal, but his helmet, breastplate, shoulder-guards – well, pretty much _everything _on his armor – was shaped like a skull. He held a spear with a long, barbed head. (2,200 ATK)

"When I summon him, I can Special Summon a Level 4 Monster with the word 'Company' in its name from my hand. Which is fortunate, because this one can _only _be Special Summoned…

"Shock Troop of the Company."

There was a sound like the clashing of blades, and a new demonic soldier appeared. This one wasn't wearing plate armor; he was bare-chested and muscular, wearing a kilt made of metal plates, no shoes, and a helmet with no features; just a metal plate in front, without even eyeholes. He held two Fu Tao (martial arts weapons more commonly known as "Chinese hook swords" in America). (2,200 ATK)

"I take it these guys have a pretty bad PR agent…" said Fran.

"The Company of Malice doesn't need one," replied Grodus.

"_Company of Malice?"_ shouted Stan. "I thought they were gone!"

"In body, yes," replied Grodus, "but due these cards of my own design, they are still present in spirit…

"And once the Queen is free, it is my magic that will channel the portal that will to _truly _bring General U'ulgan and his army back to this world."

"Does the term 'not a snowball's chance' mean anything to you, buster?" asked Francesca.

"Well, why don't I give you a sample?" replied Grodus. "Shock Troop, destroy Beast Striker with Raging Flash."

The Shock Troop ran so fast that he became a blur, then made two swings, hitting Beast Striker with both swords. Then he swung a third time with both, cutting the Beast in half.

_Crap… _thought Francesca. _Why the hell didn't I move him to Defense Mode?_

She barely had time to finish that thought before the Lieutenant was on her, jabbing her hard in the stomach with the spear.

**(A&F: 4,450) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,900)**

"Fran…" said Andy.

"I'm fine, Andy…" she replied, "I'm…"

She stopped for a minute. Then she stopped holding the wound, and looked at her hand.

"Truthfully, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would…"

"Bah…" said Grodus, as he waved his hand.

Francesca looked at them suspiciously as Andy drew a card.

_Weird… _she thought. _These Monsters they're using are downright creepy… But… They both seem to be holding back for some reason…_

"I'll summon Doppelganger Dragon!" shouted Andy, as the goopy, amorphous Dragon appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Then, I'll give up 1,000 Life Points, so it can take the form of Warrior Dai Grepher."

The red aura of siphoning power surrounded him as Doppelganger Dragon oozed into a shape resembling Grepher. Then the Polymerization card appeared.

Spirit Ryu appeared next to it, and both were sucked through the card. Ryu Senshi stepped out of the shadows. He looked at Crump sternly through his mask. (2,000 ATK)

"I'll set one," he said, as a reversed card appeared behind the Fusion Monster, "and then you go…"

Crump chuckled again as he made a draw.

"You think I'm falling for that?" he asked. "How dumb do you think I am?

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"

He quickly played the card, and the powerful wind lifted the Trap Card up, blowing it to pieces.

"Wha?" said Crump. "It was nothing but Dragon's Rage!"

"That's because it was bait for my true trap," chuckled Andy, as Bobbery's fuse started to spark. "See, my Deckmaster's Decoy Mine ability can destroy one of your Monsters if you destroy one of my Spells or Traps."

Bobbery exploded, and Lieutenant of the Company was thrown backwards from the blast, shattering against the wall behind Grodus.

Then the Shock Troop dropped his swords, and collapsed, then shattered too.

"What do you know?" said Stan, almost laughing. "Kabal was nothing without Stryker backing him up. Some things never change."

Crump looked at him.

"Huh?" he said. "Uh, I don't…"

"I'll tell you later…" muttered Grodus.

Bobbery reformed, and winked at them.

"The downside is, it's only free _this _time," said Andy. "Next time I use that effect, it costs 1,000 Life Points, and that cost goes up by another 1,000 each time."

"Yeah, yeah…" said Crump. "I'll summon Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow…"

As he played the card, a flock of crows flew into the room with a cacophony of screeches. A weird looking scarecrow made of bent metal pipes wearing a torn pair of farmer's overalls and a straw hat appeared, holding a pitchfork. (800 ATK)

"That should do…"

**(A&F: 3,450) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,900)**

"My move…" said Francesca, as she drew.

_Just great, three Tuners and a Trap Card, _she thought.

She looked at Ryu Senshi.

_And he's not a Beast, so I can't use him to summon Lightning Tricorn of Garnecia Earthshaker…_

_Ah, spit…_

"Attack that Scarecrow, Ryu!" she shouted.

The Warrior lifted his sword, and it gleamed in the dim light.

"Scarecrow's effect activates!" shouted Crump, "You attack it when it's in Attack Mode, it moves to Defense Mode."

The weird thing crossed its arms. (2,000 DEF) Ryu's sword fell against it with a clang.

"One other thing…" said Crump. "It's the only Monster you two can attack."

"Well, that sucks…" sighed Francesca.

She took the Trap Card, and set it.

"All right…" she said.

"Then it comes to me…" said Grodus, as he drew. "True, Shock Troop cannot survive without another member of the Company with him… But on the bright side, Andy's last move destroyed two more Fiends…"

"What do you…" asked Fran.

Then she was interrupted as an even _bigger _fireball from Ha Des hit her.

"Oh… right…" she groaned.

"Next, I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back someone you might remember," said Grodus.

He played the card, and a dark portal opened in the floor. Lieutenant of the Company rose out. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon Scout of the Company," he continued.

Another fiendish creature soldier appeared, this one wearing a tattered, black cloth hood and a long scarf covering the lower half of his face, no shirt or shoes, tight linens wrapped around his hands, and ragged trousers. He carried a long pike. (700 ATK)

"You're probably thinking he's just a grunt," said Grodus, "and well, you'd be right. However…"

He played another Spell Card.

"Because he has only 700 Attack Points, by using Secret Pass to the Treasures, he can attack directly."

"Bring… it… on…" said Francesca.

Grodus didn't answer, but the Scout did make a rush for her, jabbing her in the stomach with its pike.

"Didn't hurt!" she said.

"I didn't intend for it too," replied Grodus. "You see, when Scout attacks directly, he gets to move to Defense Mode."

The Fiend knelt, and then lowered his weapon. (2,000 DEF)

"Just how many Monsters do you guys have who can do that?" asked Stan.

"Do what?" asked Grodus. "Switch battle positions?

"Do you think that all demonic armies are the type where all members are bloodthirsty berserkers with no strategy other than 'scream and charge'? Maybe some are like that, and it's a big reason why they tend to lose a lot.

"The Company of Malice was a fierce race of warriors, and they were proud of it, but they weren't stupid. An army with no strategy is a dead one. My Monsters are just giving you an example of what they were capable of.

"My Scout, for example… Guerilla tactics, hit and run. Of course…"

The Lieutenant lifted his spear.

"…a few of them are more direct."

The officer made a thrust at Ryu Senshi, quickly, Fran tapped, her Disk, and her Trap Card lifted up.

"Draining Shield!" she shouted.

There was a loud crackle as the weapon jammed into the force field, and the Lieutenant struggled a little to free it before doing so with a hefty yank.

**(A&F: 4,350) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,900)**

"Well then…" said Grodus. "In that case… I can activate my Scout's _other _effect, which is triggered now because the first effect was activated."

A second Scout of the Company appeared, also kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,000 DEF)

_You may have increased your Life Points with that Trap, Francesca, _he thought, _but that's actually a good thing… After all, I wouldn't want this duel to be over too soon…_

**0000000000**

In case you were wondering where the Queen was right now, she was in the middle of a nightmare come true.

A blast of flames from one of her opponent's Monsters struck Doomed Fanatic, burning it to a crisp.

"Doomed Fanatic's effect activates!" she shouted, as the wicked claw reached out of the floor and crushed the Monster.

Unfortunately, she had nothing to defend her from the other Monster, which quickly launched a blast of superheated steam, hitting her in the chest.

Sweat was falling down her brow. Both their Life Points were in triple digits now, but she was a little worse off. And there was only so much this armor could take… The deck she was using was one she had brought with Bleck in mind… It wasn't as good in this case, but she had no time to switch it for another.

She realized she had made a big mistake in raising – and disciplining – her children. She had focused too much on how to keep them in line individually, never dreaming they would try to work as a team to take her down…

Her hand consisted of one card, and her field was clear, other than Demise, whose Deckmaster effect wasn't of any use right now…

She started to lift her hand to draw…

Then she looked at her opponent.

"You know…" she said. "You're a lot better than you thought… Maybe that was the whole problem… You should have told me about this, and I should have had you try it in the first place…"

She got no answer. Just a cold stare.

"Look, you kids want to quit?" she said. "Fine. You can quit.

"I won't stop you. If you want to leave and start a new life somewhere else, you can go…

"But… We wouldn't have to leave on bad terms…"

She looked at her opponent again. Still, only the cold glare.

"I could maybe look into boarding schools… Colleges… Make sure you kids are well-off once you leave… I could even do it through a trust fund so you'd never have to talk to me again…

"I can do it… If you just do me one more favor…"

Her opponent looked at her. The cold glare started to falter a bit.

"I give you my word…" said the Queen. "Just one last time… And you can leave with my blessings…"

The glare vanished as her opponent's eyes closed…

**0000000000**

"My move…" said Andy.

_Nuts… _he thought.

He set all three of his cards, causing all of them, one Monster and two others, to appear reversed.

"That's all I can do…" he said.

"Then stand back…" said Crump, as he made a draw.

_Heh, Machine Duplication… _he thought. _Just what the doctor ordered._

"Time to use _my _Deckmaster's effect," he said. "See, I have a great Rank 4 that I'm just dying to summon… But… I need three Level 4 Monsters, and they have to be Gimmick Puppets."

"You've got four Monsters," said Andy. "You'll have to get rid of one to make room."

"I'll just kill two birds with one stone," replied Crump, "to quote a cliché. That's where the guy behind me comes in…"

Puppet Master laughed, and two dark strings entangled the two Scouts of the Company. It yanked, and pulled them into the shadows.

"By sacrificing two Fiends," he continued, "I can Special Summon any Monster I want from my deck with the word 'Puppet' in its name. It can't attack this turn, but the guy I'm going to summon isn't the type that attacks much anyway.

"So, let's have a hand… For Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer."

The Puppet that appeared this time had outright bizarre anatomy, which is hard to describe. First, picture a very old-fashioned dial-lock, like the kind on old suitcases. Then put one spindly blue arm on the top of it, and another where the right arm would be on a human, then put the whole thing on a pair of spindly blue legs. Basically, that's what it was. (100 ATK)

"I don't know what's worse…" said Goombella. "These creepy Monsters or his lame jokes."

"Yeah, well," said Crump. "Know how they say 'less is more'? I say that's bull. _More _is more! I play Machine Duplication so I can have _three _Gear Changers!"

As he played the card, two more of the weird Fiends appeared. (100 ATK x2)

"And Gear Changer has a nifty effect. If I have another Gimmick Puppet, it can change its Level to match the other one. Since Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow is Level 4, that means all three of my Gear Changers can use their effects to become Level 4."

The three Gimmick Puppets took hold of their cranks, and turned them until the numbers on their locks all read 4.

"Now, with the Overlay Network built again," said Crump, as the portal opened, drawing the four Gear Changers in, "I Xyz Summon Gimmick Puppet Queen Payne!"

The portal vanished, and the room was completely _plunged _into darkness…

Then the light slowly came back, and the Monster in front of the teenagers gave them quite a shock. It was a full fifteen feet tall, and looked female, but whether its clothing was armor of a formal dress was hard to tell; it was metal, but seemed to incorporate elements of both. Its face was completely blank, no features at all, and it wore a silvery crown with sharp prongs on the top. It was holding a large, sharp axe. (0 ATK)

It looked at Andy. Even with no face, he didn't like the way it was looking at him…

"I know what you're thinking…" said Crump. "This one has no points either. But when it battles, I can get rid of one Overlay Unit..."

Queen Payne lifted its axe, and looked towards Ryu Senshi.

"Then your Monsters Attack Score becomes zero, while _hers _increases to whatever _your _Monster had."

Ryu Senshi fell on one knee (0 ATK) while Queen Payne lifted the axe higher. (2,000 ATK) She quickly struck, cleaving him in half. Andy fell shouted and toppled backwards… _That _one had _hurt._

**(A&F: 2,350) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,900)**

Yoshi quickly materialized next to Goombella and Vivian.

"I don't get it!" he shouted. "A while ago, this guy was afraid of his own shadow! What changed?"

Crump looked at him with a smirk.

"Dunno…" he said. "Maybe that Potion of Bravery wasn't as much a failure as it seemed…

"I mean, sure, it wore off… But maybe it just gave me a push in the right direction, gave me the confidence I needed to start standing up for myself."

"Well, I'm very happy for you," said Andy, sarcastically.

"And as for _you," _said Crump, as Lieutenant of the Company lifted his spear, "I'm not done with you, wise guy!"

The Fiend soldier charged point first, and Masked Dragon appeared on the card. The weapon impaled it, and it blew into red and silver triangles.

Then the triangles all coalesced together, forming a second Masked Dragon. (1,100 DEF)

"Here we go…" said Andy, as one of his two set cards lifted up. "I'll use Shock Draw to draw twice."

He snatched two cards off his deck.

"Then my turn is over," said Crump, "so Queen Payne's effect wears off…"

(0 ATK)

Francesca looked at Queen Payne as she drew.

"Francesca…" said Andy.

"Huh?" she said.

"Careful…" said Andy. "I have a feeling that Queen Payne is a lot braver than Mad Jack was…"

"Uh…" said Francesca.

She looked at the Xyz again. Then she realized what Andy meant.

_I figured out that Mad Jack's effect didn't work both ways because he was the type to attack by ambush… _she thought. _But… Queen Payne seems like the type who would fight an enemy face-to-face… And probably enjoy it._

_Which means HER effect likely DOES work both ways, and could be activated during my turn. _

"I use the Signal Check Spell Card!" she shouted.

Crump chuckled a little as Glow Moss appeared next to her.

"I should warn you…" he said. "Not all Gimmick Puppets are Dark Monsters…"

"Yeah, well, that's the Attribute I'm naming," said Fran, "so let's see what you've got…"

Crump picked the top card off of his deck. Then he growled a little and turned it forward. It was Sangan. The orbs between Glow Moss's hands turned into a dark purple orb.

"Perfect!" said Fran. "I guessed correctly, so I get three draws…"

She drew three times, and then looked at the cards.

_Seems maybe I can kill two birds with one stone too… _she thought.

"First I'll summon Uni-Horned Familiar," she said, as the card appeared and the small Imp leapt out of it. (0 ATK)

"Then, I'll discard my Elephun to Special Summon Egotistical Ape…"

She tossed the card, and the small money appeared, its monstrous shadow rising behind it. (1,200 ATK)

"Because Elephun is Level 2, that means Ape's Level is lowered from 5 to 3."

"So?" asked Crump. "You can't Synchro Summon with two Tuners."

"I'm going to use one of them to _get _a non-Tuner!" said Fran, with a smirk. "I use Enemy Controller!"

She played the card, and the video game pad appeared. The Familiar vanished, and glowing energy strings reached towards Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow, pulling it over to Fran's side of the field.

"I forgot all about that silly thing!" shouted Crump.

"I just bet you did," replied Fran. "But because this _thing _is a Dark Monster, I can Tune it with my Egotistical Ape…"

The small primate leapt into the air, its shadow wrapping around the Gimmick Puppet and pulling it with it.

"_As the sun sets, a lone figure stands on the western hill, standing against the lengthening shadows. Hold your head proud, as you rule the night!"_

**(*3 + *4 = *7)**

"_I Synchro Summon… Dusk Unicorn!"_

The shadows started to darken again, but this time, the ominous feeling of dread was gone. The midnight-black mare with a glowing horn strode onto the field, then reared with a loud whinny. (2,300 ATK)

"I not only got rid of that thing that was shielding your other Monsters…" said Fran.

Dusk Unicorn looked at Lieutenant of the Company. Then she galloped at him, her horn pointing forward like a lance.

"She's strong enough to get rid of another one!"

The Lieutenant only made a look of incredible shock when the horn literally skewered him through the chest. He fell to his knees, and his spear fell with a clatter as he did so. Then he shattered.

"Nasty…" muttered Fran.

She swung her right hand left to right, throwing two cards into her Disk as she did so (she was getting awfully good at that lately) and then flashed into being in front of her.

"You're on, dim-bulb," she said.

**(A&F: 2,350) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,800)**

_Getting mighty sick of this… _thought Grodus, as he drew a card.

He casually checked his watch, then quickly did some math in his head.

_I suppose this couldn't hurt…_

"First I use my Deckmaster's effect," he said. "And Ha Des has _four _Counters now!"

The fireball from the Dark Ruler was even bigger than before, and this time, Francesca actually screamed when it hit her.

"Leave her alone, you jerk!" shouted Andy.

"The order of turns wasn't _my _fault," replied Grodus. "Now where was I? Oh yes…

"This Monster I just drew is incredibly powerful… But… To summon it, I must banish one Machine and one Fiend from my Graveyard, and _both _must by at least Level 5.

"Thus, I banish Lieutenant of the Company and Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker…"

The two Monsters appeared behind him, and then dissolved into formless mist.

"I call forth the Artillery Unit of the Company!"

There was a sound like gears grinding on gears, and then a noise like a noisy, broken muffler. Then a large, hulking contraption rolled out of the darkness behind Grodus. It looked like someone had taken the contents of a junkyard and welded them together, giving it treads for locomotion, with a nasty turret on the top and four smaller ones, two to each side of the big one. It seemed to have a coal-powered engine; at least the foul smoke coming from the thing suggested one. (2,900 ATK)

"Artillery Unit?" shouted Stan. "That's a damn _tank!"_

"A tank that the Company of Malice invented and was using on the battlefield more than five-hundred years before Leonardo da Vinci's silly sketch, thank you," said Grodus.

"Yeah, well, they probably have whole schools where they teach them better ways to destroy things," replied Stan.

"Indeed they do," said Grodus. "But anyway, before we get to that…"

Queen Payne lifted her axe.

"I don't think so…" said Fran. "I use the Trap Card, Shadow Spell!"

One of her two reversed cards lifted up, and chains shot out of the ground around Queen Payne, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Seems I took _her _out of commission."

"But not my tank," replied Grodus, as the huge weapon aimed. "Turn that unicorn into low-price Chinese beef!"

"Oh, that is NOT funny!" shouted Francesca, as the turret glowed.

Her other set card lifted up.

"I activate Shrink! Your tank is about to hit a mine!"

"Is it?" asked Grodus. "Artillery Unit has a special ability. Once per turn, if it's targeted by a Spell or Trap Card, I can switch the target of said card to any other Monster I want."

Dusk Unicorn shrunk to half its size. (1,150 ATK)

"So you just made things worse…"

_No… _thought Fran. _What can I do? I have to…_

_Wait! Andy's Trap Card!_

"I use Staunch Defender!" she shouted.

The card flipped up, and the turret swung towards Masked Dragon, right before an earsplitting blast accompanied a burning bolt of plasma that blew it to miniscule pieces.

Fran let out a sigh.

"I may have no Dragons in my deck," she said, "so I can't use its effect… But… At least I protected Dusk Unicorn and our Life Points."

"Mmm…" said Grodus. "I'll set this for later…"

He fit his last card into his Disk, causing it to appear set.

"Your move…" he said, as Dusk Unicorn rose back to 2,300 Attack Points.

**(A&F: 1,550) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,800)**

Andy drew, and looked at the three cards nervously.

_So now what? _he thought. _These guys are working so well as a team, I…_

_Wait… Hold on… Maybe that can work for me and Fran too…_

He set all three of them, and they all appeared set in his Spell Zone.

"Okay, take a breather…" he said, turning to Dusk Unicorn.

The steed sat on her hindquarters. (1,200 DEF)

"Okay, Crump… Let's see what you've got…"

"Well, let's see what I _have_…" replied Crump.

He drew a card.

_Overlay Regen… _he thought. _Might need that later…_

"I'm using Grodus' Trap Card," he said, as the reversed card lifted up. "Dust Tornado!"

The tornado sprouted from the Trap, and blew towards the Shadow Spell card, smashing it to pieces. Queen Payne lifted her arms, breaking the chains.

"Now then…" said Crump, as she picked up the axe again. "I can…"

One of Andy's cards lifted up.

"Threatening Roar!" he shouted.

"Okay, guess I can't…" he growled. "I end my turn…"

Fran made a draw, and looked at it. Then she looked at Andy's other two set cards, and her Limit Reverse, which had been of no real use since she had used Key Mouse to Synchro Summon.

_Ha Des is going to cost me another 800 Life Points on Grodus' next turn… _she thought.

_Better make this count…_

She played the card, and the Pot of Avarice appeared. She quickly added Egotistical Ape, Uni-Horned Familiar, D.D. Unicorn Knight, Elephun, and Beast Striker to her deck and reshuffled, then drew twice.

"Think you're ready for this?" she said, looking at Ms. Mowz.

"You got it, you cute chaubier!" she squeaked. "I'm a little rusty, but I don't think I'll forget it…"

"What are you blathering about?" said Grodus.

"Don't get your robes in an uproar, fellah…" said Francesca.

She played a card, and Lock Cat crawled onto the field, and meowed. (1,200 ATK)

"You know what this means, right?" she asked.

Key Mouse hopped onto the field next to the cat. (100 DEF)

"Next, I'll Tune my Level 1 Key Mouse and my Level 7 Dusk Unicorn…" she said, as the small Monster and the large mare turned into glowing stars.

**(*1 + *7 = *8)**

The room was illuminated even brighter than before as Lightning Tricorn appeared in a tremendous flash.

"Now, I use my Deckmaster's effect," she continued. "But to do it, I have to sacrifice both a Monster and either a Spell or Trap Card.

"So, I'll sacrifice Lock Cat and my Limit Reverse…"

The cat and the Continuous Trap dissolved into bright, glowing embers.

"…and… sic 'em."

Ms. Mowz darted towards Grodus, and to the evil wizard's incredible shock, planted a kiss on his cheek.

"WHA?" he shouted. "Get away you little…"

He lifted his hand to try to "shoo" her, but then he noticed that she was holding something in her mouth. It was a copy of Monster Reborn.

"HEY!" he shouted. "That's mine!"

Before he could do anything else, the Squeek flew back to Fran.

"Sure it's yours," replied Fran.

Fran took the Spell Card, and Ms. Mowz pecked her on the cheek before she returned to her position behind her.

"That was a trick she used very often when she was the greatest thief in Arcadia. She was called 'the Tease Thief' for a reason.

"I'll use this Monster Reborn to summon Ryu Senshi from the Graveyard."

The glowing holy symbol appeared, and a portal opened in the floor. The draconic Warrior emerged. (2,000 ATK)

"And now he's going to take care of Astrid's evil twin over there! Attack Gimmick Puppet Queen Payne with Dragon Soulsword!"

Ryu lifted his blade, and a shining aura of crackling motes ran along it…

"Forget already?" chuckled Crump. "By ditching one of her Overlay Units, she can reduce his Score to zero and raise hers to 2,000."

(Ryu Senshi: 0 ATK, Queen Payne: 2,000)

"Which means you lose!"

"Not yet, buster," said Francesca, with a grin. "See, I _didn't _forget about that…

"I use my partner's Spell Card…"

One of the set cards lifted up.

"Battle Fusion!"

(2,000 ATK)

"What?" said Crump, as the two Monsters rushed towards each other. "They'll kill each other!"

"That's the idea, fellah," said Andy.

The sword and the axe collided, and the whole room shook as the two Monsters were blown to bits.

"Yes!" shouted Andy. "Scratch one evil puppet."

He held up his hand, and Francesca "high-fived" him.

"Lovely…" muttered Grodus. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you guys are starting to_ like_ this…"

"Yeah, well…" said Fran.

She set her last two cards into her Disk, and they appeared behind Lightning Tricorn.

"Seeing as we're trapped in a dark nightmare with no way out, we might as well make the best of it… It's your move…"

Grodus grumbled a little, and drew.

_Eh? _he thought. _Altar of __Azzagrat?_

_Curses, I could win the duel with this card's effect… But… I need to discard a card to use it, and I don't have one…_

_Oh, well…_

"First," he said, "it's time for Ha Des to do his dirty work…"

Once again, the fireballs exploded around Francesca; fortunately, she had seen it coming this time.

"Ooh, they're down to 750…" said Vivian.

She nervously tugged on her hair.

"One more time, and it's gonna be the _last _time…"

"Chin up, Viv," said Yoshi. "I have a feeling they've got something in mind…"

"They'd better come up with it fast…" said Grodus, as Artillery Unit pointed at Lightning Tricorn. "Attack with Soulcrusher Cannon!"

Again, the weapon blasted, the mighty roar, almost knocking both Andy and Francesca off their feet as it blew Tricorn into particles. Almost, that is.

"I use Tricorn's effect…" she said, softly.

There was a soft glow as Thunder Unicorn appeared in front of her. (2,200 ATK)

"Oh… right…" said Grodus.

"Now, I activate Andy's Trap Card…" said Francesca, as the card flipped up. "Miracle's Wake!"

There was another soft glow, and Tricorn appeared once again. (2,800 ATK)

**(A&F: 650) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 4,800)**

"Andy…" said Fran. "Finish this up…"

"All right…" said Andy.

_I can do this… _he thought. _Just need the right Monster…_

He drew.

_Not the best, but he'll do…_

"I summon Ancient Dragon!" he shouted.

He played the card, and the shadowy fog was swept away entirely as the brilliant, wise Dragon flew above his side of the field. (1,400 ATK)

"Then, I'll use Fran's Call of the Haunted," he said, as one of his two cards lifted up, "and summon Ryu Senshi again."

The ground cracked open, and the Warrior leapt out, sword first, in a heroic pose. (2,000 ATK)

"_Him _again…" muttered Crump.

"Go with what works…" said Andy.

The other card that Fran had set lifted up.

"I use Fran's Synchro Rider Spell Card!" he shouted.

Lightning flashed again, and Ryu leapt onto Lightning Tricorn's back. He held his sword high, and lightning fell again, striking the sword and causing him and the mount to glow with holy power.

"By forfeiting his attack, he adds his Attack Score to Tricorn's!"

(4,800 ATK)

"Uh, this is bad, right?" asked Crump.

"Shut up, Crump!" shouted Grodus.

"I'll show you how bad it is…" said Andy.

Lightning Tricorn galloped towards Artillery Unit of the Company, her rider gripping his sword in both hands. With one slash, Ryu _smote _the evil device, and flames spouted from the huge gash cleaved in the side…

Then the thing's furnace ruptured, and a fiery explosion knocked Crump down. Grodus was still standing, but dizzy and holding his head.

"Thunder Unicorn, Ancient Dragon, finish them off!" he shouted. "Show him some real teamwork… Double Radiant Rays!"

Grodus recovered from the daze, but just in time to see the bolts of energy from the two Monsters thundering towards him…

He fell against the wall, the dome on his head cracking as he did so.

"This is not my day…" he groaned.

**(A&F: 650) - - - - - - - - - - (G&C: 0)**

The Duel Binders snapped.

"We did it!" exclaimed Fran.

She quickly hugged Andy.

"Uh, Fran?" he asked. "Uh, 'Astrid's evil twin'?"

"Tell you later," said Fran, with a small smirk.

Andy nodded. Then they and Stan looked at Grodus and Crump.

"So what do we do with them?" he asked.

"Let the Queen handle them," said Stan.

He looked at the archway.

"We've got other stuff to handle…"

They walked past the two henchmen, stepping over Crump as they did.

Once they past, Crump groaned and sat up.

"I… I think that was twenty turns…" he grumbled.

Grodus sat up too.

"On the nose…" he said.

He checked his watch.

"Unfortunately, that last blast seems to have fried this cheap thing… I should really invest in a better one…"

Then his cranium started to glow again, sparking a little as it did, likely do to the damage.

"Hold that thought," he said.

He held out his hand, and the glowing orb appeared in it.

"My Queen?" he asked. "Look, we…"

"Don't bother," replied the Queen's voice. "You two succeeded. You delayed them for more than enough time. Maybe you aren't so worthless after all."

The two henchmen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now listen," continued her voice, "there's been a sight change in my plans, so you two had best make yourselves scarce. Things might get ugly in a minute or two."

"Roger," said Grodus.

The orb vanished.

"Come on, Crump…" he said.

He reached into his robe, and pulled out a Spell Card, the same Dimensionhole card that Crump had used in Twilight Town. He lifted it, and dark portal opened next to him, quickly pulling him and Crump through.

**0000000000**

**GRAVITY GAIN (Trap Card)**

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **The goblins of Goblin Attack Force staggering under a Dark Core.

**Card Description: **During your Standby Phase, either Tribute 1 Monster you control or destroy this card. Level 4 or lower Monsters cannot attack.

_Note: "Gravity Gain" was first used by Guardian Baou in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Conquering the Past (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET SCARECROW (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/800ATK/2,000DEF**

**Effect: **When this face-up Attack Position card is targeted for an attack, switch it to face-up Defense Position. Your opponent cannot target any face-up Monster except "Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow".

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET GEAR CHANGER (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl1/100ATK/100DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn, you can select 1 "Gimmick Puppet" Monster you control. The Level of this card becomes equal to the Level of the selected Monster until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET EGG HEAD (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,600ATK/1,200DEF**

**Effect: **Once per turn: You can send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET TWILIGHT JOKER (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Effect/Lvl8/800ATK/1,600DEF**

**Effect: **When a "Gimmick Puppet" Monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you may banish that Monster to Special Summon this card from your hand.

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK BOX (Trap Card) **

**Continuous Trap**

**Image: **A trapdoor opening in the middle of a blue sky, revealing a sinister, mechanical face on the other side.

**Card Description: **Activate when your opponent declares an attack; reduce the damage you would take from the attack to zero. Then, Special Summon this card as a Monster Card. (Machine/Dark/Lvl8/?ATK/0DEF) The ATK of this card as a Monster becomes equal to the damage you would have taken from the attack. (This card is still treated as a Trap Card.)

_Note: The proceeding five cards were all first used by IV in various episodes of the first season of "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal". __Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes._

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET MAD JACK (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank8/0ATK/0DEF**

_2 Level 8 Monsters_

**Effect: **If this card attacks an opposing Monster, you may detach 1 of its Xyz Materials to destroy the opposing Monster without applying damage calculation. Then, increase the ATK of this card by an amount equal to the base ATK of the destroyed Monster.

**0000000000**

**GIMMICK PUPPET QUEEN PAYNE (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank8/0ATK/0DEF**

_3 Level 4 "Gimmick Puppet" Monsters_

**Effect: **When this card battles an opposing Monster, you may detach one of its Xyz Materials; if you do, until the End Phase of the turn, the ATK of the opposing Monster becomes zero, and the ATK of this card becomes equal to the base ATK of the opposing Monster.

**0000000000**

**ARCHER OF THE COMPANY (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/900ATK/200DEF

Effect:

When this card is Summoned, you may pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon 1 "Archer of the Company" from your hand or deck in Attack Position. During the turn this effect is activated, you may not Summon or set any Monsters except for "Archer of the Company".

**0000000000**

**LIEUTENANT OF THE COMPANY (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl5/2,200ATK/1,000DEF

Effect:

When this card is Tribute Summoned, you may Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Company" Monster from your hand.

**0000000000**

**SCOUT OF THE COMPANY (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/700ATK/2,000DEF

Effect

: When this card attacks directly, switch it to face-up Defense Position. During your Main Phase 2 after this effect is activated, you may Special Summon 1 'scout of the Company" from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**SHOCK TROOP OF THE COMPANY (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/2,200ATK/300DEF

Effect:

This card cannot be Normal Summoned. If you do not control a "Company" Monster other than 'shock Troop of the Company", the ATK and DEF of this card both become zero.

**0000000000**

**ARTILLERY UNIT OF THE COMPANY (Monster Card)**

Fiend/Earth/Effect/Lvl8/2,900ATK/2,000DEF

Effect:

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 Fiend-Type Monster that is Level 5 or higher and 1 Machine-Type Monster that is Level 5 or higher from your Graveyard. Once per turn, if this card is targeted by a card effect that targets 1 specific Monster, you may select 1 other face-up Monster on the field; the selected Monster becomes the target of the card effect.

**0000000000**

**Admiral Bobbery the Bomber: **Machine/Earth/Lvl6/2,200/1,000: "Decoy Mine": Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card effect that destroys exactly 1 set Spell or Trap Card you control, you may destroy 1 Monster your opponent controls. You cannot activate the destroyed Spell or Trap Card if you use this effect. Each time you use this effect, you must pay 1,000 Life Points times the number of times this effect was previously used.

**0000000000**

**Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief:** Beast/Earth/Lvl3/1,200/1,000: Once per turn, you may Tribute 1 Monster and one Spell or Trap Card you control to take a Normal or Quickplay Spell Card from your opponent's Graveyard and activate it.

**0000000000**

**Puppet Master:** Fiend/Dark/Lvl6/0/0: "Dark Strings": Once per turn, you can Tribute 2 Fiend-Type Monsters and select 1 "Puppet" Monster in your deck. Special Summon the selected Monster. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack this turn.

**0000000000**

**Dark Ruler Ha Des:** Fiend/Dark/Lvl6/2,450/1,600: Vengeance Scourge: When a Fiend-Type Monster you control is destroyed, put a "Vengeance Counter" on this card (max. 10). During each of your Standby Phases, inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent per "Vengeance Counter".

**0000000000**

_**Okay, seeing as the Queen wasn't upset that they lost, it seems those two were just trying to slow them down… Oh, that doesn't bode well… Especially since they appear to have succeeded… **_

_**Next:**_

_**We've gone through the gauntlet, and our goal is in sight… Behind the door in front of us, the center of the Palace awaits, where the Queen has promised the finals of the Tournament, where we can assume the final stand will be made…**_

_**But one last challenge stands to stop us before then…**_

_**But… Something may yet throw a wrench in the Queen's plan this time…**_

"_**Baton of the Hero" is coming soon. **_


	62. Baton of the Hero

_**I've told you before about my research into the minds of monsters… Trying to answer the question, "Why do people do acts of unspeakable evil?"**_

_**To compare, I sometimes study fictional examples, like Lord Voldemort, the villain in J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series.**_

_**Now, Voldemort was truly a monster, as no-one would argue. He hated humans, and he hated wizards who were "muggle-born", a term for a wizards with one human parent, even worse. (The fact that he was one himself only made this more abhorrent.) He was incapable of feeling or comprehending love… And he wanted to become immortal…**_

_**Question is… Why?**_

_**To pursue this goal, he was willing to do anything, perverting the beliefs of "great ambition" that Slytherin held, going so far as to break his soul into several horcuxes that took away more and more of his humanity, causing him to become increasingly paranoid and frantic and causing his body to degenerate into a snakelike, demonic thing as Harry and his friends destroyed more and more of them.**_

_**Even most of his Death Eater servants started to realize that they didn't like their job much after a while. Severus Snape (the guy whose loyalty you were never certain of until the end) lost the only thing he ever loved by working for Voldemort, and even though he came to his senses and spent the rest of his life trying to atone for Lily's death, he spent it all in misery.**_

_**You almost have to feel sorry for Draco Malfoy. He spent the first seven books idolizing He Who Must Not Be Named and thinking about how "cool" it would be too work for him… But when he was actually given that chance… Killing a defenseless person in cold blood really didn't seem so "cool" then…**_

_**Now, if the book had ended with Voldemort's victory (just asking a rhetorical question here) would he have been happy? Would immortality as a hideous, ugly thing living in constant paranoia who was universally hated been a desirable fate?**_

_**In my own honest opinion, I think that after a while, he'd start to envy his victims.**_

_**So to get back to my original question, "Why do people do acts of unspeakable evil?"**_

…_**I still have no clue…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**Duel Sixty-Two**

**0000000000**

**Baton of the Hero**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"All right…" said White.

He and the other members of the resistance forces were a good thirty feet from the main entrance to the parliament building. White was wearing a headset.

"We basically 'smoke them out', as Rawk suggested…" he said. "Barricade every exit except this one, and the one in the back and then use a fire at _that _one to fill the place with smoke and force them out _this _end."

"Uh… question…" said Hyde. "Does the Geneva convention approve of this sort of thing?"

"I don't recall the Queen abiding by those rules," said Jolene, who was right next to him.

"Uh, White, before we get started…" said Pennington.

White turned to him. Pennington was looking at a device that resembled an old-fashioned compass.

"What's that?" asked White.

"A little something I used to keep track of King Boo when he was in the Poshley Sanctum," replied Pennington. "Even the Queen didn't trust that guy, and with good reason.

"He's not the most… stable of her minions…"

"In other words," said White, "he's batshit crazy."

"Well, that's one way to put it," said Pennington.

"Anyway, it would take too long to explain how this works, but in simple terms, it would have let me know if someone with malignant magical powers – like him – were up to something in there.

"Anyway… About an hour ago, this started to register a small problem in there… Then a moderate one… Then a _big _one…

"See, King Boo's aura never went past 30 when he was in the Sanctum…"

"So how big is it in there now?" asked White.

"Past 50, but just _how _much past, I have no idea," replied Pennington. "That's the highest reading this device can measure. Maybe I should look into switching to digital.

"Anyway… I'd say that someone in there is _definitely _'up to something'…"

"Lovely…" said White. "Just when a real wizard would be useful… Where could Merlow have gone?"

He rubbed his chin.

"Uh, White…" said Tutankoopa, nervously. "Maybe we reconsider this…"

"On the contrary," said Remmy, as he stood up, "this is all the more reason to do it. If they are 'up to something', we'd better _stop _them from doing it!"

"Point taken," said White. "Be prepared for anything people!"

He tapped the side of his headset.

"Light it," he said.

On the other side of the building, a lit rag was thrown on a bonfire made with both wood and special leaves and soaked with gasoline. The fire burned fiercely, creating ample smoke. Then a second and third bonfire was lit…

**0000000000**

Just past the room where they had dealt with Crump and Grodus, the three teenagers came upon a similar room…

But there was no archway in front of them this time. Instead, a very large and ominous set of metal double doors were in front of them, with two sinister gargoyle-shaped door-knockers, rings in their mouths apparently used to knock. To either side of the door were two vertically hanging tapestries colored an unpleasant purple color with golden trim, and odd designs on the front: a golden infinity symbol with a downward-pointing arrow through the center. Above the tapestries were torches.

The Companions all appeared behind them.

"I remember this place…" said Koops, shivering. "This door leads to her inner sanctums… The heart of the Palace…"

"Yeah…" said Yoshi, "as in 'authorized personnel only'."

"So how do we get in?" asked Stan.

"Uh, well…" said Flurrie. "Last time, we just knocked on the door and it opened."

"Seriously?" asked Fran.

"Yes…" said Goombella. "No guards, no traps, nothing. Apparently the Queen had simply never expected anyone who had broken in to actually get this far."

"…or be stupid enough to," added Vivian, shaking her head.

"Let's be cautious," said Bobbery. "If this has taught us one thing, it's that the Queen has learned from all this."

Andy cautiously stepped forward, and grabbed hold of one of the rings. He slowly lifted it, and knocked once, and then twice.

The doors slowly swung inward with a loud creek.

"Son of a gun…" said Andy.

Then they were startled as what could best be described as a wave of solid air knocked into them, knocking all ten of them back to the archway. But before they could fall _through _the archway, a set of glowing portcullis appeared, sealing it off.

Then a portal of multicolored energy appeared in the doorway of the door they just opened. The flames in the torches turned from red to violet.

"I just hate being right all the time…" muttered Bobbery.

A figure stepped out of the portal… One that surprised everyone.

They had expected some hideous demon. This was actually a beautiful, friendly-looking woman. She seemed to be a priestess of some sort, with flowing, light blue, decorative robes, and an exotic headdress that was red with a green center and a star-shaped gem as a setting. She had gentle, blue eyes, and long, flowing strawberry blonde hair. (1,200 ATK)

Andy looked at her oddly as he got up.

"Elemental Mistress Doriado?" he said.

The Ritual Monster in front of him spoke closed her eyes. Then she spoke in a voice that was only too familiar.

"Not quite, Andy," she said.

"_Melissa?"_ shouted Fran, as she and Stan stood up.

As they did so, Melissa appeared next to Doriado, wearing the same outfit she had when they had first met her in Hooktail Castle. But she was almost transparent, like a phantom.

"This was sort of a surprise," she said. "One that we were saving for a special occasion."

"We?" asked Stan.

"That's right, we," said another familiar voice.

Then Kurtis appeared, again like a ghost, as he did at the Great Tree.

"As in, all six of us. We were working on this for a long time, and not even mom knew about it…"

Then Tyson appeared next to him.

"See," said the Shadow Spawn of Fire, "we worked on it in secret, learning the few times she couldn't ever be watching, and managed a powerful spell we could cast by working in unison. Of course, we never had a chance to test it… But it was a risk we had to take."

Leopold appeared next to Tyson.

"I can't take complete credit for thinking this up," said Leopold, "but I based the spell on the principal of Gestalt psychology, where the human mind sees a group of things in such a way that it sees one thing, which is greater than the sum of its parts."

Then Maria appeared next to him.

"But we've taken it _much _further," she said. "No illusion here. It's kind of like the Fusion Dance from _Dragonball Z. _We've _really _combined into one body. One that holds every element inside at once."

Finally, Vladimir appeared.

"We truly _are _a whole greater than the sum of its parts," he said. "We've combined ourselves and become stronger than we ever were before…"

Then the six of them vanished, and Doriado opened her eyes again. She held up her left arm, and a plain-looking Duel Disk appeared on it.

"You're… you're kidding…" said Francesca.

"No joke," said Doriado, speaking in Melissa's voice again. "But you three will be pleased to know that this one duel will mark our retirement as mom's enforcers.

"Once it's over, we're taking the next ship off this island and never, _ever _coming back. Neither you nor any citizen of Arcadia will _ever _see us again.

"We don't even care who duels us… So who's it going to be?"

"I believe…" said a voice. "That honor belongs to me…"

Everyone spun around as the magical energy surrounding the portcullis shattered. They lifted, very quickly.

Then someone stepped through them. Stan, Andy, and Francesca breathed a sigh of relief when they saw who it was.

"Merlow…" muttered Andy. "Thank God, I…

"Uh… It is you, right?"

The old man chuckled.

"I'm one of a kind, Mr. Markova," he said. "Sorry it kept so long… There were some… Unforeseen problems that I believe have been dealt with by now.

"Bleck is dead, I assume?"

They nodded. Merlow shook his head.

"I tried to reason with the guy," he said, "but some people just don't listen…"

"Uh, excuse me?" said Tyson's voice. "Who the Hell is this?"

"I'm your opponent," said Merlow, as he faced them. "And trust me, I've waited a _very _long time for this…"

"Huh?" said Maria. "We've… never met."

"Well, I'm probably the most wanted criminal in Arcadia, at least according to your mom," said Merlow, as he dug into his pocket.

He looked at a card.

"So why did she never tell you six – her top enforcers about me? Well, to be honest, it _wasn't _because she doubted your abilities when compared to mind. It had a lot more to do with the reasons why she wanted me dead, and the stuff she was afraid I would tell you…

"Do you recognize this card, Shadow Spawn?"

He held the card up to them.

"Hey… That's the card that mom outlawed!" shouted Melissa. "What's his name?"

"Noble Knight Artorigus…" said Leopold.

"I have no idea why…" said Tyson. "It's just a Normal Monster, and not a very strong one at that…"

"Oh, I'll tell you why your mother hates and fears this card…" said Merlow. "Artorigus was a real man, and one whom, five-hundred years ago, dealt your mother her greatest setback since she was imprisoned.

"You see, when the three heroes confronted the Queen, they were outmatched… They would have perished, had they not unleashed the one power that could defeat her…"

"And what power is that?" asked Maria, almost laughing "Divine light?"

"The good side of Shadow?" asked Tyson.

"The Light aspect of Chaos?" asked Melissa.

"No!" shouted Merlow. "Hope.

"For an embodiment of Despair like her, Hope is a poison that burns like acid upon skin. Hope is something that creatures of darkness like her try their hardest to crush. Her kind cowers from it in fear. Extinguishing Hope is how she built her Empire of Shadow.

"Graz'zt himself dreads and fears the power that Hope gives to mortals, and he waited until the very moment that Iris had given up the last she had of it before he made his offer to her.

"But the Three Heroes ignited Hope in the hearts of all sentient beings who were oppressed under her rule, and it flowed into the Palace of Shadow, weakening her enough for them to bring her to her knees.

"When the Shadow Queen finally recovered, she took steps to see to it that even if the descendants of her enemies ever came, they would not be able to recreate the power she feared…

"That's when she bore your predecessors… The original Shadow Spawn."

Doriado looked at him with widened eyes, but he went on.

"She researched for years on a powerful Spell of Despair, and when her first six children were old enough, she broke the spell into six parts, and inscribed one part on each of their hearts.

"You see, each separate piece of the dark incantation was indestructible, and the Spell of Despair could only be undone if it was whole. Thus, an enemy who wished to stop her would have to defeat each and every one of her heirs.

"She thought she was ready. If she was ever challenged by the heirs of her enemies, she and the Shadow Spawn would be ready to counter the weapon that she knew would be used against her.

"Five-hundred years ago, a powerful knight learned of this secret. His name was Artorigus.

"Determined to destroy the Spell of Despair, even if it cost him his life, he dared oppose the heirs of the Shadow Queen, facing them one by one in personal combat. Duel Monsters didn't exist back then, so he used his sword and his wits.

"But the sword he used was no normal sword…

"You see, Graz'zt has many rivals among the demon lords of the Abyss… Orcus and Demogorgon are the most dangerous. To protect herself against any proxies of _them _who might show up to challenge her, she forged a sword of great and evil power, one named simply Oblivion. It had incredible power against creatures normally holding divine power inside them, and could easily slay any rival proxy who opposed her. It was even dangerous against the Queen herself, and anyone blood related to her.

"She entrusted this weapon to the one servant she trusted completely, the first man to hold Grodus' position. However, the Champion of Shadow, as he was named, fell when the Three Heroes stormed the Palace, shortly before they confronted the Queen personally. They didn't try to use the sword against her then… Its evil power was too dangerous at that point.

"Instead, after they had been victorious, they took the sword to an unspoiled forest, and drove it deep into a magical stone that radiated holy power, hoping that its sacred light would purge the evil from it. Over many centuries it did, although in the process, the surrounding forest was bent and twisted into a nightmarish mockery of its former self.

"Artorigus had an ally who knew what the sword could do. He led him to that stone…"

He looked at the card.

"The verse on the card's text pretty much explains it…

"Anyway, with this weapon in hand, which he renamed 'Steadfast' as a symbol of his goal, he challenged the first generation of Shadow Spawn. With the Spawns of Light, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Water, he was successful. He slew them, and stole the first five parts of the evil spell… In the process, he defeated many of the Shadow Queens other allies, including Smithy and his mechanical army, destroying the second prototype of the Infernal Machine…

"But he didn't fare as well against the eldest sibling…"

"Damien…" whispered Vladimir.

"That's right…" said Merlow. "Damien, the first Shadow Spawn of Darkness, was different than the others. His father was a half-demon warlord of incredible notoriety, mainly because _his _father was Graz'zt himself. The Queen's brief relationship that would lead to her carrying his child was part of a deal she made with Graz'zt years ago, her end of a bargain where she was given special aid not included in their original contract.

Artorigus had no idea going into this battle that he was facing someone who had the blood of the Dark Prince himself in his veins. Damien was far more skilled than his siblings, and Artorigus didn't take him by surprise. Even so, the battle between them was long and brutal…

"At the climax, Damien drove a dagger deep into Artorigus' gut, sending the knight to his knees. But Damien made the fatal mistake of stopping to gloat. It gave Artorigus just enough time to muster one last burst of strength, and he used it to make one powerful swing with his sword, beheading Damien.

"But his victory was short lived… He quickly died from the wound his foe had inflicted upon him. And the Shadow Queen quickly took back the five parts of the spell he had taken.

"The Shadow Queen's heirs lay dead… Artorigus' spirit could take at least take comfort knowing that her power had been dealt a terrible wound that would take centuries to heal… But the evil spell was still in her possession. His true mission had failed.

"At least the Queen didn't get the sword. The same man who led Artorigus to it picked it up, and returned it to his family… But… It was later stolen, and its whereabouts now are a mystery…"

"Ho-boy…" said Melissa. "You kinda had me worried… For a minute there, I thought you were gonna say that you _were _Artorigus."

"I'm not Artorigus…" said Merlow. "But I am his blood…"

"You don't mean…" said Tyson.

"That's right…" said Merlow. "Artorigus had a son. His name was Adrian. And while Adrian mourned for his father, he was not surprised. Artorigus had told his family that his chances of surviving were slim.

"Adrian knew that the Queen would eventually find new hosts for the accursed spell, and that so long as it existed, she was unbeatable. He had to take over where his father left off… But while his father had opposed the Queen directly, he would do so indirectly. He would live in seclusion, striking from the shadows…

"…waiting for the time when the heirs of the Three Heroes did come…

"I am Adrian… And you know as well as I do that the Spell of Despair is now inscribed on your hearts…"

"And I suppose you're going to try to take it from us?" asked Tyson.

"That, Tyson, is the general idea," said the man that, only minutes ago, the three duelists had thought was named Merlow. "I may not have Steadfast with me, but my skills at swordplay aren't what they used to be anyway. So I'll do the next best thing…"

"People…" said Leopold. "Maybe we should just ditch this guy? If we lose…"

"Run away from an old geezer?" shouted Maria. "We'd never live it down!"

"Besides, we owe it to the original Shadow Spawn…" added Tyson.

"Owe it to them?" shouted Kurtis. "WHY? What the Hell did they ever do for us? It seems that two days can't go by without mom comparing us to them, saying how much better they were than us! We've spent all our lives living under their ugly shadows!"

"I'll give you one reason why you're better than they are," said Adrian. "You're alive, and they're dead. They're rotting in their graves, which, I may add, the Queen had them buried in with no funerals or any other show of respect. She had no actual love for them, just as she has none for you.

"And if you run back to your mother to report your third failure, the same fate will likely befall you. Your mother will let you live only long enough for the Spell of the Despair to help her defeat Stan, Francesca, and Andy. Then she'll have you executed, maybe along with the three of them, and make plans for a third generation of Shadow Spawn.

"You all made your decision long ago. Now duel me…"

"Merlow…" said Andy.

"No need for me to keep secrets from you anymore, Mr. Markova," he replied. "Call me Adrian now…"

"Calm down, people!" shouted Doriado, in Vladimir's voice.

They all paused for a minute.

"We all agreed to cooperate," he said, "so we'll take a vote on this. All in favor of dueling this guy…"

He stopped for a few tense seconds. Then he looked at the man who, just minutes ago, they had been calling "Merlow".

"All right, Adrian, or whatever your name is," he said. "Seems the ayes have it by four to two… I'm not saying who the two holdouts were, but… I think what you just said may have helped change one person's mind."

"I assume we're still using the house rules for the Palace of Shadow?" asked Adrian.

Doriado nodded, so Adrian held the card up again.

"Then, my Deckmaster will naturally be this," he said, as Noble Knight Artorigus appeared behind him. (1,800 ATK)

"And as you can see, ours is Elemental Mistress Doriado," said Melissa, again speaking through the Spellcaster's mouth. "So…"

Her Duel Disk activated.

"Let's dance…"

**(Adrian: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Gestalt: 8,000)**

"Doriado has 600 less Attack Points than your Knight," said Melissa, "so I think it's my move…"

She made her first draw.

"Think I'll set these…" she said.

She flicked two cards forward, and they fell on her Disk, and the images of the reversed cards appeared in front of her.

"Your move, grandpa."

"I wish I was, your grandfather, Melissa," said Adrian.

He made a draw.

"I'd give you a good spanking if I was. I summon Axe Raider!"

As he played the card, the ground in front of him cracked open, and a hulking, muscular barbarian leapt out, holding a battle-axe above his head. (1,700 ATK)

"Whoa, _that's _an antique…" said Melissa.

"Maybe…" said Merlow, "but he has what counts. Attack with Axe Crash!"

The barbarian let out a low grumble, then gripped the axe in both hands, and swung. Sangan appeared on the card right before it was sliced down the middle.

"Good one…" said Melissa.

A new card appeared in her hand, a Monster depicting a statue of a strange-looking imp.

_We should be able to bring out our_ big_ surprise in only a few turns, _he thought.

"I'll throw down a face-down, and end my turn," said Adrian.

"Good lord," said Doriado, now speaking with Kurtis' voice. "You're actually trying to copy Judai's dumb quips?"

"Copy?" asked Adrian. "He _learned _that one from me."

Everyone seemed a little surprised at first, but then they remembered just how old he was.

"Uh…" said Andy. "When did you…"

"Shortly after the treatment they used on him to force him to forget about Yubel," replied Adrian, interrupting. "Long story. People say he was too carefree and careless Trust me… It was a _lot _better than he'd have been if he had to live with himself after losing her.

"And I believe I said I ended my turn."

"Very well then…" said Kurtis, as he drew.

"I'll summon…"

As he played the card, a geyser of water and a column of fire shot out of the floor, one to either side of Doriado. Then both combined together in a tall spiral.

"Element Valkyrie!"

The spiral collapsed, and a beautiful woman stood before him, wearing a blue leotard, and cape, with red elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots. Her hair was also red, and she wore a winged helmet. She held a spear with a blade at one end, a fire burning on one end, and an icy mist on the other. (1,500 ATK)

"Now, some quick words of explanation," started Kurtis. "Doriado has the power to grant four Elemental Gifts, and she grants at least two to most of her servants. However, each Gift is only useable if a Monster of the corresponding Attribute is on the field.

"Her servants are all either Light or Dark, so they need help to use their effects. Doriado herself would be ideal, seeing as she has every Attribute except Dark."

"She's your Deckmaster," said Adrian. "She doesn't count as being on the field."

"I was getting to that," continued Kurtis. "That's true, but her Deckmaster effect grants the same power to every Light or Dark Monster with the word 'Element' in its name, meaning her servants can use their Gifts any time they want."

"Ah, crud…" said Stan.

"And don't blame mom for this," continued Kurtis. "Like we said before, we came up with this entirely on our own.

"Now, Element Valkyrie has the Gift of Water, meaning she can't be brainwashed, and the Gift of Fire, meaning she gains 500 Attack Points."

(2,000 ATK)

"I'll use her in one minute… First…"

His Trap Card lifted up.

"I use the powerful Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!" he said. "I can only use this card if there's a Wind, Earth, Fire, _and _Water Monster on the field, and due to the Deckmaster, Valkyrie is all four at once.

"I now get four effects to choose from… I could destroy Axe Raider, but…

"I'm in no rush, so I'll use the one that lets me draw twice."

Doriado picked up two cards from her deck, and looked at them briefly. Then Element Valkyrie pointed at Axe Raider with her spear.

"So then… Attack with Boiling Rainstorm!"

There was a flash of hot fire, and then flames fell from the ceiling, followed by scalding-hot water. Adrian's three supporters tried to cover themselves from it… Still, Adrian himself didn't flinch, even as Axe Raider shattered.

**(A: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 8,000)**

Adrian looked at _her _closely. Then he finally spoke.

"Interesting…" he said. "Too bad you've only taken two turns, and you've pretty much spelled your entire strategy out for me already."

"Oh, I may have a few things up my sleeve you don't even know about, old man," said Kurtis.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" asked Adrian. "Yes, I'm old. Knowledge and wisdom comes with age… I'm so old that even E.F. Hutton tended to listen to me."

"Eh?" said Kurtis.

Adrian chuckled.

"I guess that joke may be a little before your time…" he said.

"Yeah…" said Kurtis.

Doriado gestured, and a reversed card appeared in her Spell Zone.

"Your move, gramps."

Adrian grumbled as he drew.

"At least the ones father dealt with weren't wise guys…" he grumbled.

"I summon Future Samurai!"

A beam of light with shimmering motes of energy in it lowered from the ceiling, and a humanoid form slowly materialized within it. It turned into a young woman, wearing a bizarre outfit, a sort of martial arts _gi _with a space-age style, made of silvery, metallic-looking cloth, and odd, gossamer streamers worn like a cloak. She wore a blue visor over her eyes, and held a sharp sword that had circuitry on its blade and odd wires on the hilt. (1,600 ATK)

"Next…" he said, as his reversed card lifted up, "I use Ultimate Offering.

"Being a Gemini Monster, Future Samurai has to be summoned a second time for her effect to be used, so I'll relinquish 500 Life Points to do so…"

A dark red aura surrounded him, as a silvery shimmer surrounded Future Samurai, and she lifted her sword.

"Then, by banishing a Monster from my Graveyard, and it can be any at all, I can destroy one of _your _Monsters."

Future Samurai lifted her visor as she looked at Element Valkyrie, and Valkyrie looked back oddly… Then a beam of pure light shot from the Gemini's eyes at Valkyrie, and she was vaporized.

"Now for you…" said Adrian, as the Warrior lifted the sword. "Attack directly with Pulse Blade!"

The Samurai swung her sword down, sending a crescent-shaped wave of energy at Doriado, hitting her.

She just smirked a little.

**(A: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,400)**

"Not bad…" said Kurtis, "but still, it barely hurt at all. See, one benefit the six of us have to sharing this body is, if it's injured, all six of us can divide the pain and trauma from it among ourselves equally. So every attack on us seems reduced to a sixth of its intensity.

"This Gestalt multiplies all our strengths by six and divides all our weakness by six! We're stronger than ever!"

"Well, that's just sad," said Adrian.

"Huh?" said Kurtis.

"In the time it took you to tell me that, I thought of fourteen far more benign and useful ways you could have used this spell than the reason you're doing so right now," replied Adrian. "And the twenty-two I had thought of before that are still valid.

"Thirty-six ways this could be used for a good cause, and you intended to use it to continue your roles as assassins. What a waste.

"I end my turn…"

"Then it's my move…" said Doriado, in another male voice. "I draw…'

"That's Tyson's voice…" said Andy.

"Exactly," said Tyson. "Kurtis is taking a breather… Another benefit of this little trick.

"I'll summon my favorite Monster in this deck… Element Saurus!"

There was a rumble, and the lava erupted out the ground with flaming, hot rocks. A small Dinosaur (well rather, small _for _a Dinosaur), crawled out, standing on its hind legs. (1,500 ATK)

"I think it goes without saying," continued Tyson, "that this one also has the Gift of Fire…"

(2,000 ATK)

"…but the Gift of Earth as well, meaning he negates the effect of any Monster he destroys.

"Attack with Magma Blaze!"

The Saurus shot – or rather spit – a stream of molten rock at Future Samurai. Again, she didn't react at all before it hit her and burned her to a crisp.

**(A: 6,800) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,400)**

_I think Adrian and his Monsters are being defiant just because they refuse to give them any satisfaction… _thought Stan. _Still, they have a pretty solid strategy here…_

"Tyson!" he said, speaking up.

"What is it?" asked the Spawn of Fire, sounding annoyed.

"So long as you're here, I have a question…"

Doriado looked at him.

"Uh, the original Spawn of Fire…" said Stan. "He, uh… Well, by chance, would _she _have been the correct pronoun in that case?"

Doriado frowned, and crossed her arms, and Tyson didn't answer.

"Yes," said Adrian. "That is _exactly _why he was so attached to Fire Princess in that deck he used in the Glitz Pit. The card is supposed to be her.

"He's looked up to her all his life… I have no idea why…"

"None of your damn business," said Tyson.

He played a card, and an odd, eerie mist appeared on his side of the field.

"I play the Altar of Mists Spell Card," he said, as the mist turned into a Spell Card, "and I end my turn."

They all looked at the Spell. It was a strange card, depicting an ominous outdoor altar with a Greco-Roman design.

"Oh lord, I've heard of that…" said Fran.

"You have?" asked Andy.

"Yeah, it's kind of a time-delay version of Manju," replied Fran. "It takes three turns, but after that, they should be able to Ritual Summon any Monster they want…"

Then Yoshi and Koops appeared behind them.

"No problem!" said Yoshi. "This old guy will wrap this up before those three turns are up!"

"Yoshi, please…" said Koops. "Remember the _last_ time you were that confident?"

Adrian drew, then quickly played a card.

"I use Silent Doom!" he exclaimed. "Because Gemini Monsters are considered Normal Monsters while in the Graveyard, I can use this card to summon Future Samurai in Defense Mode."

The high-tech _bushi _appeared again, kneeling with her sword held point-down. (1,200 DEF)

"Then, because she's still considered a Normal Monster and is also a Light Monster, I can Special Summon Noble Knight Gawayn in Defense Mode."

There was another aura of shining light, and a knight in bronze armor with a green cloak and a handsome face with blonde hair appeared, kneeling and holding his sword in front of him. (500 DEF)

"Then, I sacrifice two Monsters…"

Future Samurai and Noble Knight Gawayn turned into orbs of light, which then turned onto balls of fire. Then the two orbs turned into a roaring inferno of fire…

A _huge, _hulking Warrior stepped out of the fire, dressed in full plate that was pure white, highlighted by fire-engine red. He held a sword that most knights would need two ands to use, but held it on one hand as if it were light as a feather, and carried an equally-large shield in his other hand.

As he looked at Doriado, flames licked at his shoulders and arms. (2,800 ATK)

"Phoenix Gearfried…" stammered Tyson.

"I see you've heard of him," replied Adrian. "I use Ultimate Offering's effect again, and pay 500 Life Points to Gemini Summon Gearfried."

The same shimmer that had surrounded Future Samurai shone over Gearfried as he lifted his weapon.

"Now destroy Element Saurus with Nova Prominence!"

Gearfried swung his sword down, and a giant wave of flame rushed towards Element Saurus. As it was burned up, Doriado let out what sounded like three voices letting out a cry of pain at once. (Adrian's supporters recognized Melissa's voice among them, but it was kind of hard to say who the other two were.)

Doriado chuckled a little.

"Nova Prominence?" she asked, in Tyson's voice. "Gotta admit, that was a good one…"

Then the Trap Card in front of Doriado lifted up.

"I pay 1,000 Life Points to activate Alternate Element," he said. "Because you destroyed a Monster that had the word 'Element' in its name, I get to summon another one, with the same Level and a different Attribute.

"Saurus was every Attribute except Light, so that means I have to summon a Light one."

There was a strong gale accompanied by the smell of sea salt, and a lovely woman flew out of a portal that appeared in the floor, spinning around as she did, and the hovering in the air. She wore a green and white spandex dress with a short skirt and long gloves, and her blue hair was held in place by a headdress. (1,500 ATK)

"I've already told you about the Gift of Water," said Tyson. "Element Magician here has the Gift of Wind, meaning that once she destroys one Monster, she can attack a second time."

Adrian looked at Element Magician, and then at Doriado. Then he slowly played two cards, and two reversed cards appeared in his Spell Zone.

**(A: 6,800) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 4,600)**

"I'm done for now…" he said. "But… I'm far from done overall…"

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, the Queen was in a dark place. She had gotten rid of the armor (it was broken anyway), but she didn't need it now.

Far below where the screams of her most wretched prisoners could still be heard was the ninth level of her prison.

She had never given any explanation to anyone as to what this part of the prison was for. Most of her servants thought that it had never been used, and would be Stan, Francesca, and Andy's final home if she defeated them.

Still, the demonic guards who manned the ten checkpoints on the eighth level to the vault-like doors to the entrance to the ninth with orders to kill _anyone _except the Queen and guards who manned a further checkpoint (and if a guard tried to go to one that was further than his assigned post or the door itself, he had signed his death warrant too) often wondered why an empty level was so well protected.

The truth was, all assumptions were incorrect. First of all, she had never intended the ninth level to be the fate of her enemies, or for them to languish in her prison at all.

And it was _not _empty.

This level of her prison did indeed contain a special prisoner… One that she had to keep hidden and protected at all costs.

Slowly, the huge, heavy door – which was sealed by magic and lethal booby traps guaranteed to give everyone but her a horrid death if they did manage to get past the checkpoints – swung open with a loud, grinding sound.

The level consisted of one dark room. A spotlight from the ceiling fell on the center… Upon the prisoner.

It was a nude statue of a woman made of glass in a kneeling position. It seemed perfect in every detail, a masterpiece of glass carving worthy of Pygmalion himself. If one looked at the face closely, it almost resembled the Shadow Queen herself. Inside the statue's transparent chest, right where the heart would be, a glowing red orb slowly throbbed.

Given the lifelike nature of the statue, its near-perfection, and the fact that it was in a prison, anyone looking at it would likely be suspicious. However, it was not a previously-living woman. It was only a statue. The Queen had paid a small fortune for it to be carved, and it had taken more than a year to do so. The sculptor was not human, and not of this world. Skill greater than a human possessed had been needed.

It wasn't a _normal _statue, of course. It was magical, of course.

In fact, the statue was not the true prisoner. The true prisoner was the glowing, throbbing orb inside its chest.

Slowly, she lifted something. Count Bleck's cane. No-one had seen her take it, but she had.

"You shouldn't have come back, Claudius…" she said.

Then she stabbed the cane down, and it embedded in the stone floor, point first. The diamond on it started to glow.

"But I'm glad you did…"

The orb in the statue throbbed faster, and her necklace glowed too.

"For the first time in so long… I can have what something I've wanted so much…"

She watched as Lyrius' ghostly form started to appear next to the statue… His eyes were closed.

Then, slowly, his translucent form started to become more vibrant and full… Then opaque…

Finally, he opened his eyes, and made a small gasp… A breath, and a cry, as if taken by a man remembering the first cry he had made when he was born.

"Beloved?" said the Queen.

Lyrius looked at his hands. His expression was one that combined disbelief and shock…

Then the Queen took hold of him, and they embraced.

"After all these years…" she said. "I can touch you again… You're whole, beloved…"

Lyrius held her for a minute before he spoke.

"_Melantha…_" he said slowly. "You realize, this is temporary… I have a few days at most, and then…"

The Queen put her finger to her lips.

"Hush, hush, my love…" she said. "I know… We have some time…

"Soon all will be resolved… And no matter what happens to me, you'll be free."

Lyrius nodded, and held her close.

"I'll help you," he said. "I'll try my best to drag them to Hell with me…"

"And if I fail…" said the Queen. "I'll join you there… I've known a long time that my soul was damned and sentenced to eternal torment… But having you with me might ease the pain…"

Their lips met in a kiss that she had pined for a thousand years…

**0000000000**

Doriado drew. Then she spoke with Leopold's voice.

"I'll be taking over from here," said the Shadow Spawn of Earth. "And I'll summon Element Dragon."

He played, the card, and a hot, burning wind blew across the room as a small Dragon with pinkish-orange scales and a mane of orange hair. (1,500 ATK)

"Wonderful…" sighed Andy. "That guy is _really _bad news… It has both the Fire _and _Wind powers, meaning right now, it gains 500 Attack Points _and _can attack twice."

(2,000 ATK)

"I used to have a couple of them in my deck, but I took them out about a year ago…"

"How come?" asked Francesca.

"Had to make room for some other cards when I started focusing on Fusions…" muttered Andy. "There's only limited room in a deck."

"I activate the Equip Spell, Dhampyr's Blades," said Leopold, as he played another card. "Calm down, this has absolutely _nothing _to do with vampires…"

"And because you activated a Spell Card, Gearfried's effect activates," replied Adrian, as the hulking Warrior glowed with brilliant light. "I'm able to Special Summon another Gemini Monster from my Graveyard."

The holy aura intensified, and Future Samurai appeared again. (1,600 ATK)

"Yes, well…" said Leopold. "This Equip Spell gives my Monster double the Attack Score whenever it attacks a Monster with the same Attribute. At this point, that will happen if it attacks anything except a Dark Monster.

"In exchange for that, its Attack Score will fall to zero when it is _being _attacked by a Monster of the same Attribute."

"You do know, of course," replied Adrian, "that if that's true, I could defeat it easily on my turn if I summoned _any _Monster that wasn't Dark that even had 100 Attack Points?"

Leopold didn't respond, but did look casually at two Trap Cards he had in his hand right now.

_Actually, old man, _he thought, _not only do we know that, we're _counting _on it. _

"Element Dragon, destroy Phoenix Gearfried with Burning Sirocco"!

The small Dragon breathed a fiery, flaming gust at Gearfried, and its Attack Score briefly rose to 4,000. The huge Warrior groaned before he shattered.

"Ugh…" said Adrian. "I activate Birthright!"

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Because Gearfried is considered a Normal Monster in my Graveyard, this summons him back to the field."

There was an aura of light again, and Gearfried appeared again. (2,800 ATK)

"Did you forget?" asked Leopold. "My Dragon can attack twice."

Element Dragon launched the Burning Sirocco again… But then Adrian grinned.

"No, I did no…" he said. "You see, because Gearfried was sent to the Graveyard and then resummoned, he's _still _considered a Normal Monster right now…"

His other Trap Card lifted up.

"Meaning I can use _this _Trap Card! Justi-Break!

"I'm sure you know what it does…"

Lightning flashed as Doriado gasped. Clearly, the six Shadow Spawn clearly _did _know what it did…

The lightning stuck both Element Dragon and Element Magician, eradicating them. Leopold and Maria's phantom forms appeared to either side of Doriado, Leopold holding his head and Maria with a furious look on her face.

**(A: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 4,600)**

"Nice move, Leo!" cursed Maria. "The most obvious setup he could have made, and you walked right into it!"

"Like you could do better!" shouted Leopold. "And stop calling me Leo!"

Then Tyson appeared next to them.

"Both of you, shut up!" he shouted.

"Look at this…" said Adrian. "The heirs of the Empire of Shadow… These are the dreaded enforcers of the Shadow Queen, the ones who caused the people of Arcadia to tremble in their beds at night. They said prayers to the Heavens to keep you away, thinking you were Death…

"If only they could see you now, squabbling like the spoiled brats you really are. Ever since these three youngsters behind me handed you your first defeats, the blow to your prides has caused your true colors to show.

"I know that deal she made with you… Promising to let you all leave on good terms… At first I thought you all simply may have been gullible enough to believe her, and maybe that is the case… But there is another possibility, one I've wondered about for quite a while…

"You know, Maria, I recall that Francesca said that all you really are is a favored slave, and in a way, that's true… And maybe you six think that you had no choice but to serve your mother before…

"But the part I often wonder… Maybe on some subconscious level you _wanted_ to serve your mother. After all, if you had destroyed the Spell of Despair on your own, it would have weakened her long enough for you to escape.

"Maybe you want to serve her, because you enjoy the power she gave you… And without it, you'd truly have nothing, not even the self-respect you think you'd have. Because she's the reason _anyone, _even yourselves, ever gave you _any _respect!"

The three Shadow Spawn vanished as Doriado looked hard at him.

"You're wrong…" she said in Maria's voice.

"Prove it to me…" replied Adrian.

"Ahem," she said, as Leopold took over again. "I set two, and I end my turn…"

Two set cards appeared in their Spell Zone.

"It's your move…"

Adrian drew, and then quickly fit the card into his Disk. It appeared set behind his two Monsters.

"Attack directly Gearfried!" he shouted.

The huge Knight roared, and slashed downward, his sword striking Doriado as at least three of the Shadow Spawn groaned in response.

"I use Damage Gate!" replied Leopold, as one of their two Traps lifted up. "Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard with an Attack Score equal to or less than the damage I took…"

The dual geysers of fire and water appeared again, and Element Valkyrie rose out of the ground again. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

**(A: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 1,800)**

"It's your move, then," said Adrian.

"Wait a second…" said Andy. "How come he didn't try to use Future Samurai's effect?"

"I think he knows what he's doing, Andy," said Francesca.

_At least I hope I do… _she thought.

"I take it you'll be taking over, Maria?"

"Don't get smart!" said Maria, as she drew. "We've got a big surprise for you and your three friends, and it starts with this…"

Her second Trap Card lifted up.

"I'll use Call of the Haunted first, to bring back Element Saurus…"

The eruption of magma broke surface again, and the fiery Dinosaur crawled out of the lava. (1,500 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)

"Then, I'll summon Element Grotesque!"

She played the card, and a small, stone statue of an ugly gargoyle appeared. It looked like a fat monkey with a big mouth and small wings. (0 ATK)

"Because I have at least one Monster that has more than one Attribute, I can banish Element Grotesque…"

The statue vanished.

"…and then summon _two _Monsters from my Graveyard with different names, with the word 'Element' in them."

The ground started to churn, and then both Element Magician and Element Dragon leapt out of it.

"However, the downside is, their scores become zero, and I can't sacrifice them.

"However… I can Overlay them… Along with Element Valkyrie and Element Saurus… To create our big surprise…"

The Overlay Network opened, and the four Monsters turned into multicolored red, green, blue, and brown orbs.

"A _four-Monster _Overlay?" shouted Andy.

"And to think, I usually like surprises…" said Stan, nervously.

"Technically, I only _have _to Overlay two Monsters," said Maria. "But why settle for the minimum when you're capable of the best?

"I Xyz Summon… _Element Dreadnaught!"_

There was an explosion of dirt, dust, and rocks as a fifteen-foot tall mechanical beast rose out of the ground. Of course, it might have been _twenty _feet tall if it was standing fully upright, but it was not. It was more hunched over. Its robotic head on a bulky, hulking, metal frame was catlike with long fangs, and two gun turrets pointed forward from its shoulders. Although it had large legs to support it (with large, claw-like feet that seemed to be for support) its arms were disproportionately large, and ended in sharp, metal talons, three to each hand. (0 ATK)

"I know what you're thinking…" said Maria. "Zero Attack Points… Well, it gains 800 for each Overlay Unit it has."

(3,200 ATK)

"But that's not all… For each Overlay Unit I used to build this thing, I can give it one of Doriado's four Gifts. That means it has all four at once.

"And because my Deckmaster ability still applies, it can _use _all four!"

The Dreadnaught's eyes started to burn… (3,700 ATK)

"So… It has 3,700 Attack Points _and _it can attack twice?" shouted Francesca.

"I'd say this isn't fair…" muttered Andy, "but it never is…"

"Trust me, Mr. Markova," said Adrian, with a sigh, "trying to convince people like this to play fair is wasting your breath. The only reason folks like the Queen use Duel Monsters for things like this is because they want people to _think _they have some degree of honor that set themselves above common thugs. In most cases, those claims are blatant lies."

"I'll show you…" said Maria. "Attack Phoenix Gearfried with Amalgamation Explosion!"

Two lethal beams shot from the Dreadnaught's eyes, one red and one blue, while a green one shot from its left gun turret and a brown one from the right. The four rays all honed on Gearfried, and this time, even Adrian reacted a little as he was obliterated.

"Like Fran said," continued Maria, pointing at Future Samurai, "it can attack twice, so _she's _next!"

The four rays fired again, blasting the Gemini to little pieces and knocking Adrian backwards.

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 1,800)**

"MERLOW!" shouted Andy, forgetting his real name for a second.

He was about to run up to him.

"STOP!" shouted Adrian. "Lifting his hand."

Andy, stopped short.

"I appreciate the thought, Mr. Markova," he said, "but I am more than certain they'd consider it a violation of the rules if you helped me…"

He pulled himself up.

"Besides… I've dealt with worse…"

"I'd say living this long has made you paranoid, fellah…" said Maria with a chuckle.

"Well, you tell me, Maria," replied Adrian. "You six were raised by someone who's more than _twice _as old as I am.

"So in your opinion, does your mother ever act paranoid?"

He waited a few seconds, but she didn't answer.

"I figured as much…" he said. "I activate my Trap…"

His reversed card lifted up.

"Thanks to Shock Draw, I can draw three times…"

He quickly made three cards.

"And I think it's my turn…"

He made another draw.

Then he played a Spell Card.

"Sir Gawain didn't expect to return to Camelot alive when he kept his end of the bargain he made with the Green Knight," he said, "but he did, and he does so again now, thanks to The Warrior Returning Alive."

Noble Knight Gawayn's card appeared with his others in a golden flash.

"But before I use him, I'll summon Noble Knight Medraut."

There was another golden aura, and a new armored Warrior appeared, one with silvery plate armor, a scarlet cloak, a boyish face, and short, blonde hair. Still, while handsome, a grim look was on his otherwise flawless face that made you slightly on-edge by looking at him. (1,700 ATK)

"Medraut here isn't a Gemini Monster," continued Adrian, "but he works in a similar way. He's considered a Normal Monster right now, and in order to use his effect, I have to use an Equip Spell called a Noble Arms.

"I have one right here…"

He held up one card for them to see.

"But before I do that… As you remember, I'm able to Special Summon Noble Knight Gawayn from my hand if I have a Normal Light Monster on the field, and as I said, Medraut fits the bill right now."

He threw Gawayn's card on his Disk sideways, and the Knight appeared again, defending. (500 ATK)

"Now then…" he said. "I'll Equip Medraut with Noble Arms – Gallatin."

Medraut's normal sword vanished, and a fancier, glowing one appeared in his hand. Then the grim look on his face got even more pronounced, and a dark shadow started to appear behind him.

"First of all, Gallatin itself increases a Noble Knight's Attack Score by 1,000 points when I first use it, but lowers it by 200 on each of my turns."

(2,700 ATK)

"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Maria.

"Let me finish," continued Adrian. "Equipping Medraut with _any _Noble Arms Equip Spell changes his Attribute Dark and increases his Level by one.

"And, as I said, this lets me use his effect. I can Special Summon another Noble Knight from my deck in Defense Mode, and I choose to summon Noble Knight Gwalchavad."

There was an even more radiant glow than before, and a knight more handsome than any of the others appeared, one with flowing, blonde locks and the fairest complexion imaginable, highlighted by plate armor without the slightest blemish.

Francesca was awestruck just by looking at him. She knew right away that "Gwalchavad" could only be another name for Sir Galahad.

The knight knelt beside the other two knights and sheathed his sword. (1,800 DEF)

"Of course, to do that, I have to destroy the Equip Spell," continued Merlow.

Medraut held Gallatin I both hands, and broke it over his knee. As he tossed the pieces aside, his Attack Score returned to 1,700 and the ominous shadow faded away.

"Of course, that means his Attribute and Level are now both what they were before, meaning I now have three Level 4 Monsters…

"So I Overlay Noble Knights Medraut, Gawayn, and Gwalchavad…"

The Overlay Network formed above, and the three Knights turned into orbs of brilliant light. Francesca was almost ready to cry when Gwalchavad vanished…

But she recovered quickly when the larger-than-life and downright _awesome _Xyz Monster appeared out of the vortex. The Warrior wore midnight blue, high-tech armor and a helmet of the same color, augmented by red scarves and sashes, golden knee and elbow pads, and a white, featureless mask covering its face. It held twin katana blades, and the golden aura it radiated filled the entire room. (2,500 ATK)

"Meet my One-Eyed Skill Gainer," said Adrian.

"He's got two eyes," said Maria.

"If he were to take off that mask, you'd see that he's missing one," replied Adrian. "Ever hear the legend of the samurai Date Masamune? After he lost an eye, they called him 'One-Eyed Dragon'.

"And it's fitting, because of his effect. By getting rid of one Overlay Unit…"

He took Gwalchavad's card from beneath the Xyz's card, and then discarded it.

"…I can choose any opposing Xyz Monster on the field, and I think I'll choose… Element Dreadnaught.

"Gainer's name then becomes the same as that Xyz Monster, and he gains all of that Xyz Monster's effects."

He looked at his Disk, and a shimmering energy field covered One-Eyed Skill Gainer's card, transforming it into a copy of Element Dreadnaught's card. Then, Gainer himself started to blur and change shape, growing as he did…

Then, he un-blurred, turning into an exact copy of Element Dreadnaught.

"Your Monster can copy mine?" shouted Maria.

Adrian nodded.

"First of all," he said, "this means that he now gains 800 Attack Points for each Overlay Unit he has. Of course, my Element Dreadnaught only has two, compared to the four that yours has, but on the other hand, _mine _didn't start with a score of zero.

(4,100 ATK)

"AND it means it can use all the four of the effects that you gave your Monster when you assigned them to it. Which means, because _yours _has Fire as one of its Attributes, _mine _gains an additional 500 Attack Points."

(4,600 ATK)

"So my Monster can not only copy yours…" he said, as the transformed One-Eyed Skill Gainer aimed its weapons at the original, "it can do it _better!_

"Give it a taste of its own medicine! Amalgamation Explosion!"

Just like the Shadow Spawn's version had, the creature opened fire, and explosions burst over the Machine's hull. Then it collapsed, and Doriado was knocked backwards as Element Dreadnaught went up in a flaming pile of broken and burnt metal.

**(A: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 900)**

Adrian waited a moment for the flames to die down.

"Fortunately for you six," he continued, "there's no longer a Wind Monster in play, so I can't use its effect to attack a second time.

"My Monster's Score returns to 4,100… For now. It's your move…"

Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshi appeared behind the three teens, Yoshi grinning from ear to ear.

"Ooh, he's got 'em now…" said the small Dinosaur.

"Eh?" said Koops. "How does he 'got 'em'?"

"I'll tell you why, darlin'," said Flurrie. "See, their Deckmaster effect only applies to _their _Monsters, so while his Monster has all of the effects it copied from Element Dreadnaught, it can't use them. It only has one Attribute, Light.

"But… If they summon one of those Element Monsters, Doriado's effect automatically kicks in, and it gains the four Attributes, meaning his Monster can use those effects. It seems Adrian here has them cold…"

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't," said Doriado, speaking with Vladimir's voice as they made their draw.

"Vladimir?" asked Adrian.

"Yes, and I'll be running things from here," replied the Heir of Shadow. "It's time…"

"It's time?" said Fran. "What…

"Oh God… That Altar of Mists card! We forgot all about it!"

Indeed. This was the third turn since that card had been played, and weird, multicolored lights were now shimmering around it. Then the card itself vanished, and a card appeared hovering in mid-air in front of Doriado.

She took it.

The Shadow Spawn looked hard at it. The words they had spoken with their mother right after she had made her offer quickly came back to them…

**0000000000**

"_Right, sure," said Kurtis. "We give up this duel and help you one more time, and we can leave with your blessings?_

"_We believe that, we deserve to be double crossed. You gonna make your move or not?"_

_The Queen sighed a little._

"_I figured you six wouldn't believe me," she said. "I mean… I guess I never gave you a reason to…_

"_Time out…"_

"_Eh?" said Maria._

_Then a card appeared in the Queen's hand, a card conjured up by dark, shadowy magic. Then she slowly walked up to the Gestalt form of her six children._

"_What…" said Tyson. "What are you…"_

_She handed it to them, and then looked Doriado in the eye, an expression on her face they had never seen before._

_Then they looked at the card she had given them._

_They almost fell over in shock._

"_You recognize it, I take it?" she asked. "A card that grants the holder the ability to create a certain magical technique…_

"_One that only the true ruler of the Empire of Shadow or her heirs are permitted to use, a technique that is punishable by horrible death if used by a person without the right to do so."_

_They didn't respond for a minute or two. _

"_I gave you your birthright, children…" she said. "I was waiting for just the right time, but…If that's what I had to do to prove my offer was sincere… I suppose I had to…"_

_She turned her back to them. They bowed their heads, and their Duel Disk deactivated, causing their Monster to disappear._

_Their mother looked at them, and held them by the shoulders._

"_I knew you'd see it my way…" she said, softly._

_Then a second card appeared in her hand, conjured up by the same dark spell._

"_Of course, that card I gave you is worthless on its own… So take this one too…"_

_She handed the second one to them. _

"_The deck you have in this merged form is incredibly powerful… This addition will make you stranger than you could ever dream…_

"_They won't know what hit them…" _

**0000000000**

Slowly, the six of them came back to the duel at hand.

"I summon Element Soldier to the field," said Vladimir.

As he played the card, a pool of mud appeared in front of him, and the mud sloughed upward into a gloppy morass. Then it turned into a soldier in bronze armor with a blue cloak holding a metal spear, all of it covered with mud and grime. (1,500 ATK)

Adrian's Monster quickly shot up to 4,700 Attack Points again, but Vladimir didn't seem to care.

"I summon my Deckmaster to the field," he continued.

Doriado stepped forward, next to the Soldier. (1,200 ATK) As he did so, Vivian and Bobbery appeared behind the teens.

"By Blubberly's blotches!" shouted the Bob-omb. "The man's gone barmy!"

"If that's how a sailor says, 'the guy's crazy', I have to agree with you, Bobbery," said Vivian.

"Believe me, I know exactly what I'm doing," replied Vladimir. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Prophecy of Doom!"

As he said this, the torches in the room blew out, plunging it into darkness.

"What's going on?" asked Stan.

"I don't even wanna know…" replied Fran.

Then a glowing, green pentagram appeared under Doriado and Element Soldier, the light from it providing just enough illumination to show them. Soldier was a little nervous, but Doriado still looked defiant.

"This works differently than most Ritual Summons," continued Vladimir. "For the Monster I want to summon, I require a specific Monster – that would be Doriado – and a Dark Monster.

"So I'll sacrifice my Deckmaster and Element Soldier…"

Both Monsters were surrounded in shrouds of green fire, and then they were slowly consumed…

Then the fire appeared again, shrouding a new female form, as the torches started to light again, this time with green flame.

It looked like Doriado had switched her fashion to something that was a cross between her outfit and the Shadow Queen's. They had seen Shadowpriestess of Ohm before (and this was, admittedly similar) but the dress was admittedly more like the Queen's with the same plunging neckline, and the jewelry was the same. (The necklace was missing, however.) The headdress still had Doriado's style, but was made of black material. (3,000 ATK)

"We've become Sister Yamiado now," said Vladimir. "We're stronger than you believe…

"And in case you couldn't tell already… Yamiado is all Dark… No Fire here anymore…"

One-Eyed Skill Gainer dropped to 4,100 Attack Points, and even Adrian was a little nervous now.

"You may be thinking that we're still not strong enough, and you'd be right," said Vladimir, as he used his last card, "but we have help…

"The Forbidden Chalice Spell Card. It nullifies your Monsters effects, but grants it 400 Attack Points.

"It can't undo the effect your Monster used to copy Element Dreadnaught's effects, but it _can _nullify them this turn, meaning it loses the 800 Attack Points it gains for each of its Overlay Units."

(2,900 ATK)

Yamiado held out her hand, and a pulsating orb of darkness appeared on it.

"So I'm just strong enough to handle it myself…"

The Ritual Monster threw the orb at the Xyz, hitting it in the chest and covering it with a dark shadow that quickly swallowed it into a void of darkness.

**(A: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 900)**

"I barely felt a thing," replied Adrian.

"I'm not done…" replied Vladimir.

Then another dark shadow appeared next to her, and One-Eyed Skill Gainer rose from it – in his original form – kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,600 DEF)

"What?" said Adrian.

"I may have had to summon it in Defense Mode," replied Vladimir, "but it also gets a Thrall Counter. What that means is, if you try to target Yamiado with a card effect – and I mean any effect at all – it affects Gainer instead.

"With that, I end my turn…"

"Three thousand Attack Points and a shield against card effects?" squeaked Ms. Mowz, who had appeared beside the others. "Oh, this turned into one rotten batch of Roquefort all of a sudden!"

"Don't give up the ship yet," said Bobbery. "And do you think you could ease up on the cheese comparisons? I'm starting to remember how annoying that used to be."

"People, please, let's not argue with each other now!" pleaded Vivian.

"Vivian…" said Yoshi, sounding annoyed.

"She's right, people!" snapped Goombella.

They all looked at her.

"Do I have to remind you all what happened that time we started arguing?" she said.

They all bowed their heads.

"I'll remind you anyway…" she continued. "That was how Lyrius got the drop on us, and tricked us into separating."

Francesca turned and looked at her. Goombella nodded.

"Yeah, that's how he managed to lure her into a fight one-on-one…" she said.

"Don't you all start dwelling on what _might _have happened," said Adrian, who had overheard. "Believe me, after my father's death, I did that for a long time."

He drew a card.

"You can't change the past, you can only _learn _from it. That's what I did, and it seems the Queen has too…

"But it seems some people refuse to do so, and I'm going to see if I can fix it. I play Heavy Storm!"

He played the card, and the furious wind blew over the room, smashing the six sibling's Call of the Haunted and his Ultimate Offering.

"Why in the world did you do _that?" _asked Vladimir. "It's not like I had any use for that…"

"I did it to destroy my own Trap Card…" replied Adrian. "Now I can get the most use out of this…"

He lifted the last card he had.

"One card?" asked Vladimir. "Seriously? How much can you do with one card?"

Adrian smirked at him.

"You'd be surprised," he said.

He quickly played that card.

"My one card is called Siege Perilous," he said. "It's much like Pot of Avarice, but I only need shuffle four cards into my deck. Those four cards, however, must all be either Noble Knights or Noble Arms."

As he said that, he took Gallatin, Gawayn, Gwalchavad, and Medraut, and added all four to his deck. Then he reshuffled.

"In most cases, this would let me draw twice. However, because I had no cards on the field when I played it and none in my hand other than that one, I get an extra draw…"

He drew three times. Then he smirked slightly again.

"I've got a little surprise of my own…" he said. "Actually, I've wanted to use it for quite a while…

"First, I'll use my Deckmaster's effect…"

Noble Knight Artorigus held up his sword and powerful, holy energy flowed from it.

"You see…" he said, "each time one of my Warrior-Type Monsters was destroyed, a Chivalry Counter was placed on Artorigus' sword. Over the course of the duel, it gained a total of six.

"I can remove all of them, then multiply the number by 500, and take any Warrior I want from my deck with an Attack Score that's equal to or lower than the total…"

A card slowly slid out of his deck. Tyson and Melissa appeared to either side of Yamiado.

"Uh, 3,000?" said Tyson, nervously. "If he summoned it…"

"Calm down…" said Melissa. "The only Warrior I can think of that fits that you keep in the main deck would be Black Luster Solider – Envoy of the Beginning, and even if he had a card _that _rare, he'd need a Dark Monster in his Graveyard to summon it. And he doesn't."

"You kids are thinking to small," replied Adrian.

He threw a card into his Disk, and Reinforcement of the Army appeared in front of him.

"I'll use this to get Noble Knight Medraut again. I'm sure you remember him. Then I'll summon him again."

He played the card, and the fair Knight appeared again. (1,700 ATK)

"Then, I'll use the Equip Spell Noble Arms Arfeudutyr," he continued.

As he played the card, a sword with a black hilt and a soft, silvery glow appeared in Medraut's hand as the ominous shadow appeared behind him again.

"I can't use this weapon's effect right now, but that doesn't matter, because I'm just going to use Medraut's effect… I'm sure you remember how it works…"

Medraut held the sword high, and Gawayn appeared next to him again. (500 DEF) Then he slammed the blade to the ground, smashing it to metal shards.

"So what?" said Kurtis.

"I'll show you…" replied Adrian.

He played one of his two remaining cards, and _everyone _in the room looked at it with shock.

"It can't be…" whispered Leopold.

It was a Ritual Spell Card of legendary reputation, one that had gained fame during a great battle during the game's infancy…

As everyone watched, an altar formed by a crested shield and two crossed swords flanked by two flaming braziers appeared behind him.

"HOW?" shouted Leopold. "The Black Luster Ritual?"

"The Monster that card summons is even rarer than the Envoy!" screamed Maria.

"Sometimes you do something for a man that he can never truly repay," replied Adrian. "But… If the guy is rich enough, there are a few ways he can come close. And let's leave it at that.

"Now, charge, my Noble Knights!" he shouted. "Charge into the dark pits of chaos and let it suffuse you!"

The two Knights were turned into orbs of light, and then drawn into the braziers, as the crest began to pulse with unearthly power.

"So that both may form a great power…"

The crest split open, forming a door to a portal the spilled brilliant light into the room.

A Warrior leapt out that was larger than life, his armor radiating eldritch power…

"The Black Luster Soldier…" gasped Andy. "Not the Envoy… The _real _one…"

(3,000 ATK)

"Attack Yamiado!" shouted Adrian. "Chaos Luster Blade!"

The Ritual Warrior flew at the evil Spellcaster blade first. A look of sheer panic appeared on her face. She held up her hand, casting a spell to defend herself.

Then an explosion ripped through the room, knocking _everyone _down. Even Adrian was knocked prone.

"What…" said Stan. "What happened?"

"The duel is over…" whispered Fran. "It was a draw… The two Monsters had equal scores…

"But… Yamiado was their Deckmaster… Adrian won…"

Then they saw that Yamiado's destruction had done something else. The six Shadow Spawn were sprawled out on the floor, seemingly stunned.

Adrian held his head as he stood up.

"Looks like that attack broke the spell the _hard _way," he said. "I don't think they're in the mood to fight again today…

"And that's a _good _thing."

He walked up to them.

"I'll give the six of you a choice," he said.

They all slowly looked at him.

"Your mother…" he said, "or me.

"My option comes with a guarantee that you'll be spared death. I doubt she made the same offer."

They looked at him as they sat up. They said nothing. They simply bowed they heads.

Then Adrian held up his right hand, and Melissa started to glow. Then a small, black orb was pulled out of her chest, drawn to his hand. She slowly disappeared as he repeated it with Kurtis, then with the rest of them, from youngest to oldest, ending with Vladimir.

As he vanished, a small orb that looked like black glass appeared in his hand. He let out a long sigh.

"Finally…" he said.

"Merlow…" said Andy. "Uh, I mean Adrian. That was… Awesome… Well, melodramatic, maybe, but awesome…"

"Uhm, is that…" asked Stan, pointing at the orb.

Adrian looked at it, and nodded.

"Kind of anticlimactic considering what father went through to try to get the accursed thing…"

As he said that, his hand started to crush it, and it started to crack… Then it shattered, into fine, black powder.

"Rather pathetic once it's whole too," he said, as he wiped his hand.

"So, uh, what did you do with them?" asked Fran.

"Something far more merciful than the punishment the Queen planned for them," replied Adrian. "Don't worry, I assure you they won't bother you or anyone else again.

"But… Whether there will ever be hope for them depends on a lot of factors, the biggest of which is getting rid of their mother."

"I know, _that _part is up to us…" muttered Stan.

"Well, it might have been a lot easier for you if Bleck hadn't shown up," replied Adrian. "He didn't give you too much trouble I hope?"

"You have no idea," replied Fran. "What exactly happened?"

"He wanted me out of the way," replied Adrian. "We dueled, I lost, and he put some curse on me that left me unable to enter this place.

"Fortunately, I got him to agree to do me a small favor by… Well, begging him to do it. I take it you got the special cards?"

"Huh?" said Andy.

Then he realized something. He started leafing through his deck until he found Lady of Dragons.

Then he looked at her and Dragonfire Warlock.

"Yeah, those are the ones," said Adrian.

Francesca looked at Rage Resyncho and Warrior Maiden of the Storm, while Stan did the same with Xyz Jeweled Crown and Sorcerer of Dark Magic.

"You, know, I kind of had the feeling that the Queen wasn't the one giving us these as rewards for winning duels," said Stan.

"Right," said Adrian. "I could have given them to you in Rogueport, but the true power of those Monsters could only be unleashed in the Palace of Shadow.

"So I asked Bleck to simply bring them in with him. It was no skin off his nose, and he probably figured he could just throw them away once he got in. Bleck often does keep only the letter of his word when he gives it.

"But as soon as he entered, they left him, and eventually found you. I know a few tricks myself."

"Nice…" said Stan, with a grin. "Uh… Speaking of Bleck…"

He took the Refund and Reimbursement card out of his pocket and looked at it again.

"Do you have any idea why he might have used _this _thing?"

Adrian held his chin for a minute, and then took it.

"See, the thing is," said Stan, "it really made no sense when he activated it… Given the card's effect, he shouldn't have been able to do it at the time."

"Is it magic?" asked Andy.

"Well…" said Adrian. "I _think _it may have been once… But not anymore…"

"Pardon?" asked Francesca.

"Well, see, the paper and ink this card is made of is a type used to make magical scrolls," replied Adrian. "A very _rare _type. So it might have had an enchantment on it at one time… But if it did, that spell has obviously been spent."

He handed it back to Stan.

"So, he's dead now… I assume the Queen killed him?"

Stan nodded. Adrian shook his head again.

"I can only wish I could say I was surprised," he said. "I offered to help him, but he insisted on doing it alone… He was too stubborn.

"And I only wish I could go in there with you, but this time, we must part ways for good…"

"Adrian…" said Francesca, sadly.

"Forgive me, Miss Benedict," said Adrian, "but beyond that door is the lion's den. I could never hide from the Queen in there, and she hates me even more than she does you.

"But I'll stay in the outer perimeters of the Palace, and try to help in any way that I can."

They turned to the door, and the portal that Doriado had come through vanished.

"Remember what I said. Hope is the Queen's mortal enemy. She _will _try to make you lose it, and you mustn't let her.

"Never lose it no matter what happens in there. No matter what she says, no matter what threats she makes.

"With that and a little luck, we'll see each other again."

He nodded to them, and they nodded back.

They turned, and walked into the center of the Palace of Shadow.

**0000000000**

The smell of incense was the first thing they noticed when they walked in.

It looked like a large, comfortable-looking lounge full of large pillows and very exotic-looking rugs and curtains on the wall. The smell of incense was just that – it was coming from a censer in the corner.

"Looks like something out of _Arabian Nights," _said Andy.

"Yeah, I said the same thing," said a voice.

They turned, and saw Kyle sitting against one of the pillows. Aesop was next to him.

"You guys got here too?" asked Fran.

"Uh, hello?" said another familiar voice.

They turned to the other side of the room, and saw Raven waving at them. Drake was sitting with her (his arm around her).

"Yeah, we got here a couple hours ago," said Chico's voice.

They turned around and saw him too, leaning against the wall while standing up.

"…so I guess we're all here…"

"So…" said Andy. "Any problems?"

"Just the usual…" said Aesop. "Zombies, giant rats, flower nymphs…"

"Flower nymphs?" asked Stan.

"Trust me, you don't want to know…" he replied.

"Since I got here I've nearly been frozen, burned, electrocuted, and chased by things I can't even describe," muttered Raven. "To tell the truth, I'm starting to miss Madripoor."

"Cheer up, people!" said a cheerful voice. "Why all the long faces?"

Everyone turned, and looked as someone entered the room.

They all remembered the face. Sydney Meyers, the woman who had welcomed them initially.

"Well, seems were all here…" she said.

They all glared at her.

"So, uh…" said Drake. "I guess the finals are next?"

Sydney chuckled.

"Such a rush, Mr. Bauer!" she said. "Maybe you'd all like to shower, change clothes, and get something to eat first?"

They all sighed. They had to admit, that did make sense. Francesca realized she hadn't washed her hair since she had left that room she had gotten after dueling Jackson, and the rest of them realized their clothes did kind of stink.

"Follow me," said Sydney. "Dinner is already being prepared, and once you freshen up…

"Then we'll get to business. You've all come so far, but the true challenge awaits."

"And they say Superman had a lame disguise…" whispered Andy to Francesca as they followed her.

"Yeah, well, let's play along…" added Stan. "Don't forget what Adrian said about the lion's den…"

**0000000000**

**ALTAR OF MISTS (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **A Greco-Roman-style outdoor altar shrouded in mists.

**Card Description: **After activation, this card remains on the field for 3 turns. This face-up card cannot be destroyed by card effects. On your third Standby Phase after activation, send this card to the Graveyard to add 1 Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from your deck to your hand.

_Note: Altar of Mists was first used by the Big Five in the original anime episode "Merger of the Big Five (Part 2). Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**0000000000**

**DHAMPYR'S BLADE (Spell Card)**

**Equip Spell**

**Image: **The superhero Blade (as he appears portrayed by Wesley Snipes) standing in an ominous fog, holding curved daggers in both hands.

**Card Description: **When an attack is declared with the Equipped Monster and the attack target is the same Attribute as the Equipped Monster, double the ATK of the Equipped Monster during the Damage Step only. If an attack is declared against the Equipped Monster by a Monster with the same Attribute as the Equipped Monster, reduce the ATK of the Equipped Monster to zero during the Damage Step only.

**0000000000**

**ALTERNATE ELEMENT (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Element Magician in the same pose she has on her card, but against the background that is on Element Saurus' card.

**Card Description: **Activate when an "Element" Monster you control is destroyed by battle. Pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon an "Element" Monster that is the same Level and a different Attribute from your hand or deck.

**0000000000**

**ELEMENT DREADNAUGHT (Monster Card)**

**Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/0ATK/0DEF**

_2, 3, or 4 Level 4 "Element" Monsters_

**Effect: **This card gains 800 Attack and Defense Points for each Xyz Material it has. For each Xyz Material used in the Xyz Summon of this card, select 1 of the following effects and apply it to this card:

* If there is an EARTH Monster face-up on the field, negate the effect of an Effect Monster this card destroys via battle.

* If there is a WIND Monster face-up on the field, if this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle, it may attack once again in a row.

* If there is a WATER Monster face-up on the field, control of this card cannot switch.

* If there is a FIRE Monster face-up on the field, increase this card's ATK by 500.

**0000000000**

**ELEMENT GROTESQUE (Monster Card)**

**Rock/Light/Effect/Lvl1/0ATK/0DEF**

**Effect: **This card cannot be Special Summoned. If you control at least 1 Monster that has more than 1 Attribute, you may banish this card you control to Special Summon 2 "Element" Monsters from your Graveyard in Attack Position. The ATK of these Monsters are reduced to zero and they cannot be Tributed.

**0000000000**

**PROPHECY OF DOOM (Spell Card)**

**Ritual Spell**

**Image: **Six young woman in dark robes in a cavern, chanting around a summoning circle as a demonic form starts to take shape above them.

**Card Description: **This card is used to Ritual Summon any DARK, Spellcaster-Type 'sister" Ritual Monster. You must offer as a Tribute from your hand or the field the Monsters listed as requirements on the text of the card of the Ritual Monster you are attempting to Ritual Summon.

**0000000000**

**SISTER YAMIADO (Monster Card)**

**Spellcaster/Dark/Ritual/Effect/Level 7/3,000ATK/1,000DEF**

**Effect:** This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of "Prophecy of Doom". You must Tribute from your hand or your side of the field 1 "Elemental Mistress Doriado" and 1 DARK Monster that is Level 4 or higher. If this card destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle and you do not control a Monster with a "Thrall Counter", Special Summon the opposing Monster from your opponent's Graveyard in face-up Defense Position and place a "Thrall Counter" on it. If this card is targeted by a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect, you may switch the target of that effect to the Monster with the "Thrall Counter".

**0000000000**

**SIEGE PERILOUS (Spell Card)**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Image: **A decorated, wooded chair made of oak with scarlet cushions. Above it is a tapestry depicting a knight reaching for a cup hovering in the air.

**Card Description: **Select 4 "Noble Knight" and/or "Noble Arms" cards in your Graveyard; return the selected cards to your deck, reshuffle, and draw two cards. If you have no cards on your side of the field and your hand except this card when it is activated, draw 3 cards instead.

**0000000000**

"**Elemental Mistress Doriado":** Fairy/Light/Ritual/Lvl3/1,200/1,400: "Bestowment": All LIGHT and DARK "Element" Monsters you control are considered EARTH, WIND, FIRE, and WATER Monsters, in addition to their actual Attributes.

**0000000000**

"**Noble Knight ****Artorigus****": **Warrior/Light/Lvl4/1,800/1,800: Rewards of Chivalry": When a Warrior-Type Monster you control is destroyed by battle, place a Chivalry Counter on this card. You may remove all Chivalry Counters from this card to add a Warrior-Type Monster from your deck or Graveyard to your hand with an ATK equal to or less than the number of Chivalry Counters removed times 500.

**0000000000**

_**The center of the Palace at last! Can it be possible that our heroes' luck will change for the better?**_

_**Stan: I kinda doubt it. **_

_**I really have no idea why the Queen wants us these finals to continue right now… She isn't fooling anyone, so why continue the charade? I wish I had a choice about this next duel…**_

…_**especially considering who my opponent is…**_

_**Still, I may not have started this whole thing, but I'm gonna finish it, God help me. **_

"_**Turnabout" is coming soon.**_


	63. Turnabout

_**Everyone loses a fight now and then, but it seems that since we came to this place, the difference between winning and losing has been a matter of survival.**_

_**Yeah, that's usually how it is, isn't it? Guys like Buffy and Dr. Who spend all their lives fighting nightmare beings who try to destroy the world, and no matter how many they kill or drive off, another will take its place in a matter of days… But if even one of these horrors ever gets lucky and they can't beat it, it would be all over. Whatever cosmic force thought up that system had a sick sense of humor. **_

_**So, I guess I should have been glad that my loss to Raven didn't fall within the escape clause of the Queen's curse. Even so, she used that to her advantage, as I quickly saw. **_

_**Even so, I'm nervous about dueling Raven again. I don't know if the Queen would try the same trick twice, and I really don't know if she's planning something now.**_

_**Hell, I don't even know why she needs Raven and the other four finalists at all right now.**_

_**Long story short, as much as Raven seems to be looking forward to this, I'm sure not…**_

**00000**

**0000000000**

**Duel Sixty-Three**

**0000000000**

**Turnabout**

**0000000000**

**00000**

"You gotta admit…" said Andy, "the Queen is pretty hospitable for an evil sorceress."

It seemed that way. The food on the banquet table in the hall that they had been ushered into was the stuff you'd expect to see at a place like Sardi's or the Ritz: Caesar salad, breaded shrimp, and grilled chicken in lemon and rosemary marinade.

Still, the décor wasn't as pleasant as that of Sardi's. The blood-red color of the walls and the dozens – possibly hundreds – of candles illuminating the dining hall made them uneasy.

"Careful," said Francesca. "Ever read an old book called _The Hunger Games?"_

"Uh…" replied Andy. "I may have… skimmed through it once or twice…"

"I seem to remember that the government gave the gladiators five-star treatment," said Fran. "Right before forcing them to go out and kill each other."

"Point taken…" said Stan.

He looked over at Raven, who was eating rather quickly. In fact, she was trying her hardest to scarf everything down as fast as she could, barely even taking time to chew.

"Whoa, slow down ace," said Drake. "You're going to choke if you keep that up."

Raven stopped for a minute to swallow.

"Force of habit," she said. "You grow up on the streets of Madripoor, you learn to eat fast. If you don't, someone might come and try to knock you out and take the food away from you.

"Took me a few months after I left to even get used to silverware…"

Stan looked at her closely as she took a drink from her cup.

_Raven, you poor kid… _he thought. _I think I'm finally starting to understand you…_

"Uh, where's our host, dare I ask?" asked Aesop.

Then a holographic screen flashed on the other side of the room, showing Sydney's smiling face.

"Speak of the devil," said Stan.

"Hello, everyone!" she said, cheerily. "Hope the food is satisfactory…"

"Uh, I guess…" said Kyle.

"Anyway…" she said, "not to interrupt, but I suppose you're all wondering about the finals…

"Well, this will be standard elimination-style, with four matches in the quarter-finals, with the winners going on to compete in the semi-finals.

"And those two winners dueling in the final round."

_Dare I ask what the prize is? _thought Stan.

"Five-million American dollars," said Sydney, as if she could read his mind. "Now, don't worry, we have pretty deep pockets…

"So deep, that we're willing to make an offer to the winner and go even further… A duel against the Battlemaster of the Palace of Shadow!"

_Wonder who that could be? _thought Francesca, a sarcastic look on her face.

"Win that duel, and you can have anything you want," said Sydney.

"Wha…" said Chico. "_Define _'anything'."

"Anything we are capable of giving you," replied Sydney. "You want this whole Palace, it's yours.

"In fact, if you want Arcadia itself and you think you can handle it, we'll gladly provide the paperwork."

"She can't be serious…" whispered Andy.

"Maybe she is…" whispered Francesca back to him. "I mean… She knows what happens if she's beaten… And if that happens, and she honors such a wager, it would be like saying, 'take it and choke on it'…"

"You probably think we're all crazy, huh?" said Sydney. "Well, hey, would you call Willy Wonka crazy?"

"Uh…" said Kyle.

"Okay, bad example…" replied Sydney. "But still… All in good fun…

"Now, first order of business… I know the food isn't Chinese, but… Who doesn't like fortune cookies, huh?"

There was a green glow in the center of the table with the smell of baked cookies, and a plate with eight of the sweet, sugary cookies appeared in the center. Instinctively, the eight duelists all reached for one.

'Remember to open them before you eat them!" chuckled Sydney.

Chico opened his, and fished out the small slip of paper.

"What in the world?" he said.

It read, "**Gamma Tact Rite Is In". **

The rest of them didn't seem to make much sense either. Raven's said **"The Lord Ow", **while Aesop had one that said **"Taters Beams."**

"Mind letting us in on the joke here?" asked Francesca.

"Well, you all seem to be smart," she said. "Once someone figures it out, we can start the quarter finals."

Then the screen vanished.

**0000000000**

In the Queen's throne room, "Sydney" was still looking at the screen. It hadn't vanished for her, it had just turned into a sort of one-way viewing portal.

"That should buy us fifteen minutes," she said.

She took off her glasses, and indeed, Andy's earlier comparison did seem _very _accurate. Of course, maybe the biggest reason he hadn't been fooled as easy as most citizens of Arcadia was because he had seen the Queen in her royal finery more in the past couple of weeks than most citizens had all their lives. When she used that spell to project her image and appear in public, it was almost _always _as the meek, cheerful Sydney Meyers, rarely the cruel tyrant they were so afraid of. Appearances as her true self were so rare that few ever realized that Sydney was just the Queen with a modern suit, hairstyle, and glasses.

She looked at them for a minute again.

_Hopefully, we'll be able to salvage something out of this tournament, _she thought.

It was beginning to look more and more like a confrontation between her and at least one of them was inevitable. They had overcome every challenge up to now, beaten almost every foe she had put in their path…

…just like the original ones had…

So who better to be her last line of defense, the warriors who would take the final stand to protect her, than the ones who she had tested with similar trials and succeeded?

That was one of the biggest reason she had decided on a tournament in the first place. With only the strongest duelists able to enter the Palace and make it this far, the last opponent's they faced were sure to be the hardest.

There were too obvious flaws. For one, as Grodus had pointed out, each of the other five finalists had dueled one of them before, and in all five cases except Raven's, they didn't win.

The other, more obvious flaw, was that she could only gain freedom if she or one of her servants defeated them. And they didn't qualify.

So she solved both problems at once. The Duel Spirits instructed to test them through the long gauntlet through the Palace had given them powerful cards that she had provided. If they won, victory would be hers through proxy, giving her victory by technicality.

And she really didn't care, so long as it was victory. She wasn't petty.

She turned to Grodus, who was wearing a bandage on his head, covering the part that had cracked earlier.

"How's the head?" she asked.

"I'll live," he replied. "My Queen… You realize that with this system you have… Two of them may end up dueling each other…"

She laughed a little.

"Fine!" she said. "I might actually enjoy seeing that.

"If that does happen, I'll just deal with the loser personally later, after I deal with whoever the winner is…"

Then she put her hand on her chin.

"Then again…"

She turned towards an alcove in the back.

"Maybe along _with _whoever the winner is… I have an idea for something I might want to try if a situation like that comes up…"

Grodus changed the subject.

"You think they recognize you?" he asked.

"More than likely," she replied. "Still, I'd best keep the disguise for now, even if it is unconvincing.

"Bleck really wasn't kidding about how much suspension of disbelief you need to play that dumb video game. I mean, an evil overlord is taking enough of a risk if he forces his enemies to fight to the death in an arena, but actually watching it from a front row seat?"

"Yeah I guess that… Does sound kinda stupid…" replied Grodus. "When you think about it…"

"So I'll keep the disguise for now, just to make it less obvious…" she said. "And… I think it would be best if you have one too…"

'Easily done…" he replied.

He lifted his staff, and a soft, yellow light covered him like one from a scanning machine, his robe and crystal dome fading away.

In a few seconds, his wizard robes had been replaced by a boxing referee's uniform with a red bow tie, and his features were fully human, with slick black hair and a handlebar moustache.

"That better?" he asked.

"Uh…" said the Queen. "You might want to rethink the moustache…"

**0000000000**

Back in the dining room, there was nothing left of the food other than the unwashed dishes piled to the side.

Stan was leaning back on his chair, looking hard at the small scrap of paper…

"**Be serf, lack hat."**

Then he grinned. Then he chuckled a little.

"What?" asked Fran, turning her head.

"It's an anagram," he said. "You know, you take a word or phrase, and then mix the letters up and make them into new words?

"This one turns into…"

He stopped. Then his smile vanished.

He looked at Raven.

"…'Black Feathers'…"

Not one second after he said those words, both the scrap of paper he had and everyone else's disappeared. Then Sydney's face appeared on the screen again.

"He got it!" she said, in the same cheery voice. "Now, since Stan picked Raven's anagram, and solved it before she solved hers, the first match of the quarter finals will be Stan versus Raven!"

Then a door appeared at the far end of the room, a dark set of double-doors made of wood blacker than any ebony they had ever seen.

"Whenever you all are ready, just go through there, and we can start…"

"Where do they lead?" asked Kyle.

"Your final destination…" she replied, with a smile they didn't like much. "The very heart of the Palace of Shadow…

"Good luck!"

Stan groaned a little as he stood up.

"No wonder the food was so good," he sighed. "That's usually the case for a last meal given a condemned man…"

"Hey, chin up," said Raven.

She nudged him in the side as she walked past.

"You can't _really _tell me you aren't looking a _little _forward to this, are you? I mean, I sure am…"

Stan shook her head as he followed her.

_I know, _he thought. _That's what I'm afraid of…_

**0000000000**

Stan walked thought the door.

"Uh… Nice place…" he said.

That was likely the biggest lie he had ever told. This was probably the _worst _place he had _ever _seen. She hadn't been kidding when she had called this the 'heart' of the Palace of Shadow. It looked like he was _literally _inside a huge heart.

Well, it could possibly have been a stomach or an intestine or something. The important thing was, the vast chamber they were in was like being inside a living creature. Emphasis on _living. _The walls of them place weren't still, they were moving like a slow and erratic heartbeat. And worst of all, if this _was _a living creature, it was a very _sick_ one. The walls were covered with foul growths that suggested tumors and cancerous lesions.

The few non-organic things in the room was part of the floor – in the center, which seemed to be stone – and a throne behind it. (It was basically the same as the one the Queen had in her usual throne room, but fancier. Stan would probably have made the comparison if he had ever been in there, but he had not.)

Stan looked at Raven, who looked just as scared as he was, then, he had a horrifying realization.

"Where's everyone else?" he shouted.

"We're up here, Stan," called Fran's voice.

Stan looked up and behind him, and saw her, Andy, and the other four finalists on a balcony about twenty feet up.

"We're okay… We think… No idea how we're gonna get down though…"

"To be honest, Fran," said Andy, "I didn't even expect the spectator seats to be _this _pleasant…"

Goombella, Vivian, and Yoshi appeared behind Stan, shivering.

"Oh, believe me," said Goombella, "the first time we were here, they _weren't…"_

"You remember this place?" asked Stan.

"We'll never forget it…" said Yoshi. "This is where it all happened… Where she confronted us…"

"I was never allowed in here when I worked for her…" muttered Vivian. "You had to be pretty high up the ladder for that… But Lyrius was, and he did tell me a few things about it once or twice. Supposedly, the Queen had created a portal of sorts below this chamber leading directly to the divine source she gained power from, so she could speak to it directly and draw energy from it…"

Stan looked down.

"I can only assume now he meant Graz'zt… But… I thought we all managed to close it before we left…"

"Well…" said Goombella. "Maybe we did, and maybe we didn't… But it seems she intends to use this place as a battleground again…

"Maybe just symbolically… Or maybe for a far more practical reason…"

Stan looked around. The door he had come through was gone, and it seemed the exits were sealed. In fact, there didn't seem to even _be _any exits that he was aware of…

"Why the long faces, people?" asked Sydney's voice.

Stan turned as she and Grodus (still in the referee disguise, but he had gotten rid of the moustache) walked in from somewhere behind the throne.

She sat on the ornate chair and leaned back on it.

"We're here to have fun, aren't we?"

_Bitch… _thought Stan.

"Okay you two," said Grodus.

He walked up to the center of the floor – the part which was stone – and motioned for them to approach. Which they couldn't do fast enough; anything to get off of the rather nasty flesh-like surface.

"Okay, let's get a few things straight," he said. "Raven…"

He pointed to her.

"I'm making it a point to check everything on me after this is over, so do _not _try anything."

_Wouldn't think of it… _thought Raven, looking to the side, ominously.

She lifted her Duel Disk slowly, then at the chamber on top where her Extra Deck was held.

She nodded slightly.

"All right folks, the rules of the Palace of Shadow still apply," said Grodus. "You know the drill, I take it. Let's see the Deckmasters."

"Yeah, I know the drill," said Raven. "I choose Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor."

As she held up the card, a small guy with a red plume and a black coat – which he used to cover his entire body except the upper half of his face, his wings, and his feet, where he wore wooded sandals – appeared next to her. (800 ATK)

_Given how she said that, she's probably already figured out Vayu's Deckmaster effect, and it's a good one, _thought Stan. _And she wants to go first pretty bad…_

_Well… I could use Goombella, but…_

He paused and looked at another card. Yoshi's.

He nodded to it slightly, and then held it up, and the small, scrappy Dinosaur appeared behind him.

"Very well," said Grodus.

He stepped backwards.

"Let the quarter finals of the Thousand Year Door Tournament begin!"

**(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Raven: 8,000)**

"Seriously, do you think this is going to be as bad for Stan as it was last time?" asked Andy.

"I activate Black Whirlwind!" shouted Raven.

She played the card, and a Continuous Spell appeared in front of her.

"Does _that _answer your question?" asked Francesca, with a sigh.

"Now I'll summon Blackwing – Falalla the Flashing Blades," continued Raven.

She played the card, and a Blackwing leapt on the field with an acrobatic flip. She – yes, definitely she – had long hair tied in a braid behind the plume on her head, and wore a white halter and a long breechcloth, with gold jewelry and sandals. Her wings were completely separate from her arms, folded against her back. True to her name, she held a pair of scimitars that shimmered in the dim light. (1,500 ATK)

"Huh…" said Drake. "So there _are _lady Blackwings…"

"You assumed young Blackwings were delivered by a stork with black feathers?" asked Chico, with a sigh.

"People, can we cut the comedy?" asked Kyle.

"Hey, I'm trying to take my mind off the fact we're in the middle of what looks like a bad remake of _Splatterhouse _here!" shouted Chico.

They all looked at him.

"Uh…" said Andy.

"Don't ask…" he replied.

"By using Black Whirlwind's effect," said Raven, as the Spell Card glowed with eerie shadow, "by Normal Summoning a Blackwing, I can take one from my deck that has a lower Attack Score…"

She went to reach for her deck, but, to her surprise, a card simply slipped out of it.

She took it, and looked at it oddly.

_Okay… _she thought. _Have no idea how it knew which one I wanted but… _

She added it to her others.

_Better not think about it too hard. _

"We'll get into him later," she said. "It's your move…"

Stan drew a card. Then his face lit up a little.

_Hey… _he thought. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all…_

"Go, Trident Warrior!" he shouted, as a beam of light fell from the ceiling and the bearded fighter appeared. (1,800 ATK)

"Now, with Trident Warrior's effect, Mataza the Zapper!"

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, and everyone turned to see the dark _ronin _rush towards the field with his katana drawn, leaping into position with a somersault of his own. (1,300 ATK)

"Trident Warrior, attack!" he shouted. "Ground that Blackwing with Power of Poseidon!"

The Warrior pointed, and lightning flashed. The Winged Beast was blown into a cloud of black feathers that slowly started to fall around Raven.

Still, that didn't stop Mataza. He made a rush at Raven, and she let out a small shriek as his sword cut across her torso.

"Mataza can attack twice," said Stan, "so…"

The Warrior followed by giving Raven a kick, and she fell over.

**(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 5,100)**

Then she started to laugh a little.

"Oh, she's losing it…" muttered Grodus.

"Give her time…" whispered the Queen.

"Come on, Stan, you have to admit it," said Raven. "After what happened the first time, you _really _wanted to do that, didn't you?"

_Actually, I did… _thought Stan. _That's something else I'm afraid of…_

"It's your move…" he said with a sigh.

Raven leapt to her feet.

"Draw!" she laughed, as she drew.

"First, I'm using Falalla's effect…" she said.

"She's in your Graveyard…" said Stan.

"Exactly," replied Raven. "Since she is, and I have no other Monsters, I can ditch one card…"

She took a card from her hand, and quickly discarded it.

"And, ta-da!"

Falalla appeared again, giving a stern glare towards Stan. (1,500 ATK)

"Now that she's on the field, I can Special Summon a few of her friends… Like Gale the Whirlwind…"

There was a small storm of wind, and the green-crested Winged Beast appeared. (1,300 ATK)

"…and Bora the Spear!"

The wind intensified, and the larger Blackwing holding his lance flew out of it. (1,700 ATK)

"Then I'll add Blackwing – Jin the Rain Shadow."

The wind slowly died down, to the sound of some slow, oriental music. Another Blackwing appeared out of the storm, one with colorful, purple feathers around his face, wearing a black kimono with a katana on his side in a sheath. His wings were very large and full, with a midnight blue hue. (600 DEF)

"So I see…" said Stan, looking at the four armed raptors.

"Again, I use the effect of Black Whirlwind…" she said.

"Awfully hard to believe she has a weaker Blackwing than that…" said Aesop, as he held his chin and watched.

"I can think of at least one good one that qualifies…" said Drake.

Apparently, so did she, because she quickly found one.

"Then, I'll use Gale the Whirlwind's effect," she said. "Guy certainly lives up to his name…"

The small Winged Beast beat his wings, and Trident Warrior grunted as another storm started, which he seemed to be the center of. (900 ATK)

_Well, at least she seems a little more enthusiastic than last time… _thought Stan.

"Next up… I Tune together Jin the Rain Shadow and Falalla the Flashing Blades!"

The two Blackwings spread their wings, and flew towards the ceiling of the huge chamber.

"_On feathered wings, these birds will take flight to the lofty heights where the eagles cry!"_

**(*1 + *5 = *6)**

"_Synchro Summon… Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star!"_

The Synchro Rings all burst into a shower of falling stars, giving way to what looked like the most unlikely of Blackwings, one in armor. Not the type of armor that Armor Master had, one wearing knight-like plate armor. It was kind of hard to believe a Winged Beast could actually fly in such protection. Still, he did have two large wings on his back, two smaller ones on his arms, and held a longsword (with a hilt-guard shaped like a hawk's talon). (2,200 ATK)

"Finally, by Synchro Summoning Gram, I can Special Summon one more Blackwing… So I'll summon Kalut the Moon Shadow.

"_Yes, I'm being followed by a moon shadow, moon shadow, moon shadow…"_

"What in the world is she singing?" asked the Queen.

"Something by Cat Stevens, I think," answered Grodus, shaking his head. "Maybe she's trying the same thing Chico is, or she's _really _snapped. I'm starting to think the latter."

As the four Winged Beasts took flight, Stan remembered a conversation he once had with his grandfather… His grandfather was a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock, and one of his favorite movies was _The Birds… _But Stan didn't understand the allure, questioning just how a "flock of crazy birds" – in his own words – could be scary…

If he survived this, the first thing he intended to do was call and apologize…

Gale was the one who struck first, tearing through Trident Warrior with its Talons, then Kalut, ripping Mataza in half. Then Bora dived at Stan, stabbing him with its lance. Finally, Gram held its sword in two hands and hit him directly _hard. _

Stan turned slightly, and saw "Sydney" out of the corner of his eye, and saw the smug smile on her face clearly.

He groaned as he got up.

"Next up, I play my Winged Repayment Spell Card," said Raven, as the Spell appeared in front of her. "It just costs 500 Life Points, and I get to draw once for each Winged Beast I have…"

She made four draws.

"…but I can't use them until next round… So that's all I have…"

**(S: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)**

Stan slowly sat up.

_Hope this works… _he thought.

"I activate Clock Out!" he shouted.

He played the card, and the six-numbered clock appeared.

_Come on, land on even… _he thought.

Then the number fell on a two.

_Not the best, but at least that buys me a turn. _

"That will keep both of us from attacking for one of our turns," he said. "So… Let's see if Goombella can get me something this time…"

He took the card, and played it, and it appeared in front of him. Goombella hopped out. (500 ATK)

Then Stan's deck glowed, and the three cards from the top appeared in front of him: A/D Changer, Marauding Captain, and Half Counter.

_Not the best choice, but…_

He discarded A/D Changer, and then took Half Counter.

"I'll set two cards," he said, as he fit it and another card in his Disk, causing both to appear behind Goombella, "and then let's see what else you've got…"

_Hopefully, it won't be much, _he thought, as he watched her draw.

"I'll summon Kris the Crack of Dawn," she said, as the small Blackwing archer with the crown appeared. (1,900 ATK)

"Next, I could Synchro Summon by using Gale as the Tuner… But I think I'll keep him around…

"You see, due to my Deckmaster's effect, I can pay 800 Life Points to use _any _Blackwing as a Tuner if I want. So I'll do that…"

Her points dipped, and Vayu's eyes glowed, as did Kalut.

"And like I said, I can use Kalut the Moon Shadow as a Tuner.

"So I'll use him and Kris the Crack of Dawn…"

The two Blackwings took flight again…

_Seven Levels? _thought Stan. _Don't like the look of this…_

**(*3 + *4 = *6)**

The Monster that appeared was the one he remembered: Blackwing Tamer – Hawk Joe. (2,600 ATK) Before he had met Raven, he had never heard of this "sub-class" of Blackwings (how she had claimed it "took one to tame one") but apparently, she even had at least one card that specifically needed a Blackwing _Tamer _to use.

In fact, that was why he had lost the first time…

"I'll also set two cards," she said sweetly, as two reversed cards appeared. "So what next?"

The Clock Out card disappeared.

**(S: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,800)**

"Dunno…" said Stan, as he made a draw.

"Maybe you can tell me why you suddenly got so cheerful all of a sudden? I mean, you were all so gloomy before…"

"Well…" said Raven, "funny, really… I've been sentenced to die by hanging about twelve times at last count… And up until a day ago, all twelve convictions were still valid, I believe… I mean, it's not like I wanted to go back to Madripoor, but knowing I had twelve death sentences there outstanding… Not a pleasant thought."

"Up until a day ago?" asked Stan.

"Well, uhm…" said Raven. "You might find this hard to believe but… Someone with a higher authority overturned them."

He looked at her funny.

"It wasn't easy, but…"

"You're right…" he said. "That _is _kinda hard to believe…"

"I meant to ask…" whispered Grodus. "Did Saturn actually do that?"

The Queen nodded.

"But don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something for her to do later…" she whispered back. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I summon Star Drawing," said Stan.

As he played the card, a shower of pixie dust fell next to Goombella with a girlish giggle. The Monster that appeared was a cute little girl in a pink dress and a golden helmet with a black beret on top. She held a wand with a ribbon tied to the end. (1,600 ATK)

"Okay, that's a new one…" said Drake.

The little girl giggled, and drew with its wand in the air, causing a star made of light to appear.

"Oh it's _drawing _a _star," _said Raven, with a smirk.

"It's a pun, Raven," said Stan, as the Overlay Network appeared behind him, and both Goombella and Star Drawing were absorbed into it. "You see, by using Star Drawing to Xyz Summon a Monster, I get to draw once…"

He drew.

"And the Monster I summon… is Kachi Kochi Dragon!"

The concrete floor broke open, and the stone Dragon emerged. (2,100 ATK)

_Now's my chance… _he thought, _hopefully, I can not only get rid of her strongest Synchro, I can stop her from summoning any more of them._

"I use the effect of A/D Changer in my Graveyard," he said.

The pudgy Warrior appeared behind him, and held the D flag up high.

"By banishing him, I can move Hawk Joe to Defense Mode…"

The Tamer knelt, holding his whip in his lap. (2,000 DEF)

"Attack Gale the Whirlwind with Surging Shockwave!"

The powerful blast of energy thundered across the field, and Raven grunted a little as the small Tuner was blown to little pieces.

"Now for the big guy… Attack Hawk Joe!"

He quickly threw Star Drawing's card into his Graveyard, and the second blast blew the Synchro to little bits.

**(S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,000)**

"All right!" cheered Andy, clenching his fist.

"Uh… Andy…" said Fran. "Uh…"

As everyone watched, Gale (1,300 ATK) and Hawk Joe (2,600 ATK) both landed back on the field.

"They weren't destroyed?" gasped Stan.

"Oh yeah, they were…" replied Raven.

She pointed to the Trap Card she just activated.

"But… Stage one of Blackwing – Delta Union summons both back to the field.

"Stage two, however… I take select one of my Blackwings, and Equip all the others to him."

Gale, Bora, and Gram all flew high again, and then turned into three falling stars, all striking Hawk Joe, who grunted with each one, and then lifted his arms and wings as he felt a surge of power. (5,100 ATK)

"As you can see, each one gives him 500 more Attack Points…"

"Holy…" gasped Aesop. "That is one nasty bird…"

_These guys are full of surprises… _thought Stan.

"I… guess I end my turn…" he said.

_I can still beat that guy if my set card works… _he thought. _But still I have no idea what she'll pull out of that deck next…_ _Armor Master? Armed Wing?_

He had even heard rumors of the strongest Blackwing, one that was a _truly _a terror, but he had no idea what its name was…

Raven played another Spell Card, another one that Stan had never seen.

"I'll pay 1,000 Life Points to use Delta Formation Black," she said. "If the name sounds familiar, yeah, it's something that works well with the other one. I can use this to Special Summon all three of the Monsters that are Equipped to Gram, in Defense Mode."

Gram appeared first (1,500 DEF), then Gale (400 DEF), then Bora (800 DEF). Hawk Joe's Attack Score fell back down to 2,600.

"But without their effects… Next, I summon Blackwing – Mistral the Silver Shield."

Another bird of prey appeared, this one not humanoid, like the others, with a silver mask on its face. (100 ATK)

"Yup," said Drake, "that's exactly the one I figured she used Black Whirlwind to get when she summoned Jin."

"Well, I doubt she can use that Spell Card this time…" chuckled Aesop.

"Don't be so sure," said Drake, shaking her head. "There are a few Blackwings with zero Attack Points…"

"So did she show you her whole deck?" asked Chico.

He had noticed – well, everyone had – how Drake and Raven were starting to get "close" since they got to the center of the Palace.

"No…" sighed Drake, "but I know enough about them… Still… I really have no idea why she gave up a thousand points to _lower_ his points back to only 2,600…"

However, it seemed that Raven didn't have any of the zero-Score Blackwings in question, as she quickly activated her other Trap Card.

"I'm using Blackboost," she said, "which lets me draw twice by banishing two of my Tuners with the word 'Blackwing' in their names."

Both Gale and Mistral disappeared, and Raven drew twice.

"She's getting rid of Gale?" shouted Francesca, in shock.

Everyone else was pretty surprised too.

"I don't know what she's up to, but it's probably something _big," _said Chico.

_I'm all set to summon the newest member of my team… _thought Raven. _This is gonna be big…_

"All right!" she said, her voice with a more invigorating tone. "I'll use the De-Synchro Spell Card!"

She played the card, and Hawk Joe vanished, with Kalut (1,400 ATK) and Kris (1,900 ATK) taking his place.

"Okay, _now _she gets rid of him too?" asked Aesop. "This has gotta be going somewhere…"

"Our scores are right…" she said. "I'll take a break from ravens and crows and summon a dove. I activate Supremacy Berry."

She played the card, and a beautiful, white dove flew out of it with an olive branch in its beak. She closed her eyes as a golden shower of light fell upon her.

"And with my Life Points boosted by 2,000," she said, "I'll once again pay 800 of them to use my Deckmaster effect, to use Kalut as a Tuner, and then Tune Kalut the Moon Shadow and Kris the Crack of Dawn once again…"

The two Blackwings soared into the air again…

"_The strongest of winds will combine to form a creature capable of quelling the fiercest storm!"_

**(*3 + *4 = *6)**

"_Synchro Summon… Blackwing Tamer – Jack the Dart!"_

A new Winged Beast landed, one that was just as tall as Hawk Joe, one whose face was unmistakably that of a raven, wearing a khaki hiker's outfit with a bandolier across the chest, his wings folded against his back.

The thing that really made Stan nervous was the large, military-style crossbow the creature was pointing at him. (2,200 ATK)

"There's more than one Blackwing Tamer?" gasped Stan.

"Well… Sure there are…" said Raven.

_Well to be honest… _she thought, _I was surprised too when Saturn gave me this card… Still I wasn't complaining…_

"I'm using his effect now…" said Raven. "He can attack directly… If I sacrifice another of my Blackwings…"

"WHAT?" shouted Stan.

Then Bora the Spear vanished, and Jack aimed. The quarrel shot and hit Stan in the chest.

And he _really _screamed. _That _hurt worse than almost _anything _he had felt since this hellish tournament started.

**(S: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,200)**

"Finally, I'll play Mist Body, and Equip it to Jack the Dart…" said Raven.

As she played the card, a white glow spread over the Tamer.

"If she does that one more time, Stan is toast…" said Francesca.

She casually glanced over to the Queen, and it was clear that the wicked twinkle in her eye was a little brighter. Her voice sank to a whisper.

"And I wonder if it won't be much worse for him this time…"

"Don't give up yet…" whispered Andy back. "She has to sacrifice another Monster to do that… She's only got one card left, and even if it is a Blackwing… Jack isn't completely invulnerable right now…

"I mean… I can think of quite a few ways Stan could handle this…"

Stan drew, and looked at the card.

He set it, and then nodded, slowly.

Raven drew a card. She looked at Stan, and his Monster.

She played the card, and Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame appeared in front of her. (1,800 ATK)

_Finish him… _thought the Queen, as she clenched her teeth.

"I use the effect of Black Whirlwind one more time…" said Raven, as she took one more card from her deck.

"Then I use Jack's effect…"

Shura vanished, as the Tamer aimed.

"Attack directly with Black Arrow!"

"I activate Staunch Defender!" shouted Stan.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"It forces him to attack Kachi Kochi Dragon instead of me…"

Jack's arm quickly swung as he changed targets.

"Well, if I must…" said Raven.

The crossbow fired, but then another of Stan's Traps lifted.

"Then I use Half Counter!" he shouted. "It increases Kachi Kochi Dragon's Attack Score by half the Attack Score of your Monster."

Kachi Kochi Dragon opened its jaws, and a blast of energy shot from it. (3,200 ATK) The quarrel was burned to a crisp in mid-air, then it his Jack, knocking him over. Raven clutched her stomach, feeling like she was slugged in it.

"Fortunately…" she said with a gulp, "he had Mist Body…Think I'll end my turn now…"

**(S: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,200)**

_If I don't get rid of that guy, she'll just do it again on her next turn… _thought Stan.

He drew. He had three cards now…

_Gagaga Druid and Gagaga X Gagaga… and…_

Then he looked at his set card, then at Yoshi…

_If this is going to work… I need just the right card when I do it…_

"I'll get rid of Kachi Kochi Dragon," he said, as the Xyz vanished.

Then Gagaga Druid appeared in front of him, pointing its shillelagh at Jack. (2,200 ATK)

"Then, I use Call of the Haunted…"

His Trap lifted up, and Star Drawing appeared, looking far less cheerful than she did last time. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, I'll use my Deckmaster effect," he said, as Yoshi grinned a little. "Quite simply, I can reduce his Level to increase the Level of a Spellcaster or Warrior on the field… Or vice-versa. Transfer the Level stars, so to speak.

"I simply have to pay 500 Life Points for each Level transferred. So I'll reduce his Level to 2 and increase Star Drawing to Level 6."

**(S: 300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,200)**

"That's a pretty big risk you're taking," said Raven.

"I believe that's something you're all too used to?" asked Stan.

Raven couldn't deny _that. _She just nodded.

"I'll Overlay both of my Monsters…" said Stan.

The Overlay Network appeared again, and the two Level 6 Spellcasters vanished through it.

Slowly, Sword Breaker emerged. (2,700 ATK)

"As you remember, Star Drawing's effect, lets me draw once…"

He drew.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you…"

"Huh?" said Raven.

"I wasn't talking to you, Raven…" he said.

He cast an angry, sideways glance towards Sydney, then looked back at Raven.

"I'm actually _very _sorry to disappoint _you… _Still…

"I detach one Overlay Unit from Sword Breaker, and then name Winged Beasts, meaning Mist Body isn't going to protect that guy when he attacks.

"He won't do any Battle Damage… But I'm not done… I use Gagaga Revenge…"

He played the card he just drew, and the Equip Spell shone with a powerful light, and Gagaga Druid appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

"Then, by using Gagaga X Gagaga, I can create a clone of Druid…"

The Spell Card appeared, and a palette swap of Gagaga Druid in a white robe appeared. (2,200 ATK)

"That means I have two Level 6 Spellcasters…"

Then Gagaga Druid and its double vanished again…

_No… _thought the Queen, sitting up in her chair.

"My Queen?" whispered Grodus.

The membranous walls of the room started to quiver as Sorcerer of Dark Magic appeared, his scepter burning with violet fire. (3,200 ATK)

"Attack Joe the Dart with Flashing Bladestorm!" shouted Stan.

The armored Warrior paused, and then collapsed into the lethal whirlwind of knives. Raven cringed for a minute, and then the Blackwing Tamer froze…

Then there was a powerful blast of dark shadow and feathers… Then a broken crossbow fell on the ground…

Stan stopped for a second. He looked at Sydney… Then he looked at Raven… Then he closed his eyes.

He tried very, very hard to switch the two people in his mind, hoping to make this a little easier.

Sadly, it didn't work. He sighed as he opened his eyes.

"Attack directly with Celestial Blast!"

He turned back to the Queen again, as the powerful light filled the room. It did seem to scare her a little. Still, Raven's scream as the painful attack hit her made that _very _cold comfort…

**(S: 300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)**

"Raven?" he said. "Say something…"

"Something…" she groaned.

He covered his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Uh, my Queen…" asked Grodus.

"Shut up and do your job…" she growled.

Then she turned around and got up. As she disappeared (apparently walking through the wall behind the throne) Grodus stepped towards the center of the room.

"Uh…" he said. "Stan is the winner… He will progress to the semi-finals…

"I… suppose… uh…"

He lifted his hand as Raven sat up. The membrane in the side of the room opened, and another opening appeared in the balcony.

"Just… Go through there… We'll continue in about fifteen minutes… I hope…"

Then he ran in the same way his mistress had gone.

"Huh?" said Andy.

**0000000000**

At the entrance to the Parliamentary building, everyone was watching with wonder.

"How long has that fire been burning?" asked White.

"According to my watch, half an hour…" replied Pennington. "This is impossible… If they were in there, they'd have died of smoke inhalation by now… And they don't strike me as suicidal…"

"What are you saying?" asked Jolene.

"Two possibilities…" replied Pennington. "The first one is, they aren't in there, because they managed to escape without us noticing it…"

"I don't see how they could have done that," replied White.

"Which leads to the second, and far more disturbing possibility…." said Pennington.

"They aren't in there because someone else got to them first…"

"But who…" asked Mad Jack.

Then to their shock, the doors in front of them blasted open.

"Get back!" shouted White.

All of them did, but one member of the group who was watching tripped and fell as she tried – Cindy.

"Cindy!" shouted Sean, as she sat up.

Then an eerie smell came from the open doors, as smoke started to come from it. It was a burning smell, but not the type associated with the type of fire they had lit…

More like… brimstone…

Shadowy shapes started to appear in the door…

The first creature to step forward was both hulking and skeletal at the same time, oddly enough. It was a demonic creature covered with a bone-like skeleton and exposed muscle. It had a skull-like face, and its left claw was far larger than its right.

"An Archfiend…" muttered Sean.

Then more of the creatures stepped forward.

"More like Archfiends, Sean," said José, "plural…"

Indeed, it was several of the notorious residents of Pandemonium. Along with Vilepawn – the one that had appeared first – there was Darkbishop, Shadowknight, Infernalqueen, two Archfiend Generals, and at least three Archfiend Soldiers.

"Looking for the Arcadian Parliament?" asked Shadowknight, his voice sounding like a dry and unpleasant hiss. "Well, they ran into a little accident…"

"Yeah," chuckled Vilepawn, his voice much deeper and raspier, "they ran into _us."_

Cindy nervously tried to scoot away…

"What have we here?" asked Infernalqueen, in a voice sounding like a white-hot fire.

She reached forward with her left arm – which, they all just noticed, had a Duel Disk made of black iron on it – and a Duel Cuff lashed towards Cindy, grabbing _her _Disk. She let out a scream as she was yanked to her feet.

"HEY!" shouted Sean. "Let her…"

Then Darkbishop pointed with his staff, and a blast of blue energy shot from it, hitting the ground at his feet.

"Be patient…" he said, in a mock-formal tone. "Everyone will get a turn here…"

He chuckled, and then turned to Infernalqueen. Cindy nervously activated her Disk…

**0000000000**

**BLACKWING DELTA UNION (Trap Card)**

**Normal Trap**

**Image: **Blackwing Gale the Whirlwind, Blackwing Armor Master, and Blackwing Gram the Shining Star flying in a triangular formation.

**Card Description: **Special Summon from your Graveyard all "Blackwing" Monsters that were destroyed this turn. Then, select 1 "Blackwing" Monster you control and equip all other "Blackwing" Monsters you control to the selected Monster as Equip Spell Cards. The selected Monster gains 500 Attack Points for each Monster Equipped to it via this effect.

_Note: "Blackwing Delta Union" was first used by Crow in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers._

**000000000**

**BLACKWING – FALALLA THE FLASHING BLADES (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Effect/Level4/1,500/800**

**Effect: **If this card is in your Graveyard and you control no other Monsters, you may discard 1 card to Special Summon it from your Graveyard. Each player may use the effect of "Blackwing – Falalla the Flashing Blades" once per duel.

**000000000**

**BLACKWING TAMER – JACK THE DART (Monster Card)**

**Winged Beast/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Level7/2,100/1,800**

_1 "Blackwing" Tuner Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner "Blackwing" Monsters_

**Effect: **This card cannot be targeted for an attack if you control a "Blackwing" Monster other than "Blackwing Tamer – Jack the Dart". During your Main Phase 1 you can Tribute 1 "Blackwing" Monster except this one; if you do, this card can attack directly during the turn's Battle Phase.

**000000000**

**DELTA FORMATION BLACK (Spell Card)**

**Normal Spell**

**Image: **The same scene as in "Blackwing Delta Union", but seen from the forefront.

**Card Description: **Activate when you control a "Blackwing" Monster with 1 or more "Blackwing" Monsters Equipped to it as Equip Spell Cards. Pay 1,000 Life Points and Special Summon the "Blackwing" Monsters treated as Equip Spell Cards. Monsters Special Summoned this way cannot attack or use their effects this turn, and you may not Normal Summon or set Monsters this turn.

**000000000**

"**Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor":** Winged Beast/Dark/Lvl1/800/0: "Tuner Tutor": Once per turn, you can pay 800 Life Points and select 1 "Blackwing" Monster you control. The selected Monster is treated as a Tuner Monster until the End Phase of the turn.

**0000000000**

"**Yoshi the Loyal Steed":** Dinosaur/Earth/Union/Lvl4/1,400/800: "Star Steed": If the Deckmaster is summoned to the field, its Level becomes its base Level. Once per turn, you can activate 1 of the following effects:

Spend any amount of Life Points in increments of 500. Lower the Level of this card by 1 for every 500 Life Points paid, and increase the Level of a face-up Spellcaster or Warrior you control by the same amount.

Spend any amount of Life Points in increments of 500. Increase the Level of this card by 1 for every 500 Life Points paid, and lower the Level of a face-up Spellcaster or Warrior you control by the same amount.

**000000000**

_**Okay, this can't be good… Maybe the Queen has a few tricks left on that end after all…**_

_**Francesca: What, you think?**_

_**Anyway, Stan seems to have gotten a reprieve for now, and Raven seems okay, but the night is young. I guess my number is up now…**_

_**Fortunately, I'm not exactly going into this one unprepared… But…**_

_**I really doubt my opponent is either. **_

"_**Skull Invitation" comes next.**_


End file.
